subject: Solar Energy Uses For The Homeowner [print this page] Solar Energy Uses For The Homeowner Solar Energy Uses For The Homeowner
Solar energy is the sunshine and warmth created by our sun.Nearly all renewable energy methods designed for use today are produced by our sun and this encompasses sources like solar radiation,wind energy,wave power and other alternative byproducts like biomass and hydroelectricity.
Inspite of the immense energy which is available from our sun,humankind is just utilizing a minuscule percentage of it.
Within the many uses of solar power,the most popular ones are electrical generation using photovoltaic and heat engines. Other popular applications of solar energy today are cooling and heating using solar architectures,cooking,water heating.
Today the most productive approach to capture solar energy is utilizing solar panels that happen to be an area of the Active Solar technologies along with thermal collectors.
Passive solar is another solar power capturing technique that depends on orientating architectural structures to capture sun light,using efficient solar components and creating spaces that circulate air naturally.
Modern Home Solar Applications
Architecture
Old civilizations have always been affected via the location of the sun when building habitable structures. The Greek people focused their structures towards the sun to trap light and warmth.
Today together with suitable orientation towards the sun additional features are considered like compact proportions,selective shading and thermal mass.
Along with suitable tailoring relative to the region and climate of the building these characteristics produce well lit habitable areas that maintain a snug temperature.
In Agriculture
In agriculture solar power is used to improve plant productivity.Crop yields are amplified using methods such as tailored row orientations,timed cycles and mixing plant variety.
Greenhouses are employed to capture solar heat and supply year-round output in places not necessarily well suited for those crops.
In Electricity Generation
Solar power is directly converted into electricity through Photovoltaic or Concentrated Sun Power.Photovoltaics transform energy directly by way of photoelectric effects while Concentrated Sun Power converts it indirectly through the use of mirrors to concentrate large areas of natural light into tight beams.
In Water Heating
Water can be heated with solar power (sunlight) with the help of solar hot water heaters .The most popular solar hot water heaters these days are Glazed Flat Panel Collectors and Evacuated Tube Solar Collectors. Unglazed Solar Collectors are also used but mainly for swimming pools
Cooking
Solar energy may be used for cooking,pasteurization and drying with the use of solar cookers. Solar cookers are classified into three major categories : box cookers,panel cookers and reflector cookers
Boxed cookers consist of a transparent lid and insulated container.
Reflective cookers use reflective parts to concentrate light into the container.
Panel cookers reflect sunlight into a container to generate heat and are comparable to box cookers when it comes to heat levels ,between 90 and 150 degrees Celsius
