Somebody Needs to Explain Solar Energy To Me

25 watts, 40 watts, 100 watts, what does all of that mean? Does a 45 watt solar array do anything but take up space? Does said array supply a 45 watt appliance? I'm looking to run one of them there Amish fireplaces without the Amish mantel. What do I need to do this? I've gone on different sites to see, but I need solar power for morons, they dummy things down quite a bit, but not enough for me. I just needs someone to ask the obvious question...watts up?