The Many Faces of Solar Power
Living in please read this Nevada, the sun is a nearly continuous buddy. This gives Nevadans an unique opportunity to utilize solar radiation powers for great. In April, a tour of southern Nevada homes shed some light on the subject of solar energy homes. Hosted by the American Solar Energy Society, this Nevada branch of the National Solar Trip checked out homes that used both passive and active solar energy, thermal hot water systems, and other ecologically functions. However, unless you're a green technologies expert, or took the trip, you may not understand the difference between passive and active solar, or how thermal warm water is different than average. Let me help you understand!
Active solar technology is the one that many read this people might recognize with. It includes having a solar panel that collects the sun's energy and converts it into electrical energy. These have a battery where energy is kept, so electricity can still be used at night, and, to a particular extent, on cloudy days. Photovoltaic panel are an excellent method to make electrical power, particularly in remote locations. While they are moderately expensive to establish, and do need some maintenance, they provide dependable and totally free electrical energy, even in climates far less bright than Nevada's.
Passive solar technologies are far older than active ones, and involve utilizing the natural heat and light the sun creates, without transforming it in any other way. Have you ever observed that after a long, hot day, south-facing rocks, pavement or brick and adobe buildings will radiate warmth? They have actually invested the day passively gathering solar energy, and are releasing it. Some materials are much better at taking in and saving that heat than others. For example, wood insulates, indicating it will obstruct temperatures, whereas stone will soak up and launch temperatures. Houses that are constructed to benefit from passive solar are typically built of brick, adobe or concrete. Cob is another passive-solar-friendly and ancient building material that is going through a revival of sorts. It is made from sand, clay and straw, comparable active ingredients as adobe, however adobe is baked into bricks and stacked, whereas cob structures are free-formed while the material is damp. Passive solar homes typically have a great deal of windows lining their south walls, and less so their east and west walls, with little to no windows on the chillier north sides. These windows do 2 things. Initially, they supply natural light inside the home, one aspect of passive solar. Second, they enable heat to come into the home. If the home has a stone tile floor and even walls, that tile will soak up the heat, releasing it later on when the outdoors temperature drops.
Passive solar homes can be designed to be cool in summer season while utilizing the sun to warm them in winter season. For instance, if shutters are closed throughout summertime, the home will stay much cooler. Likewise, the height and angle of overhang can be thought about to take full advantage of the windows direct exposure to low winter season sun, but decrease direct exposure to the high summer season sun. Additionally, I saw an interesting example of someone planting deciduous trees on the south side of their home. In the winter, the trees had no leaves and so allow a great deal of light and heat. In the summer season, their thick greenery provided shade that kept your house cool.
So that is the significant difference between active and passive solar technologies. Because passive solar is basically complimentary, it would be smart for any designer or home designer to take it into factor to consider when developing brand-new homes. Well developed passive solar homes can greatly lower their electrical energy needs. And while active solar is fantastic technology, it still takes lots of resources to develop. Plus, it might be unneeded in an area with an existing electrical source.
As for thermal water heating, it too is an extremely simple principle. Home made thermal hot water heater can be as basic as an outdoor water tank painted black, but that's a little crude for the majority of tastes. However, there are a range of designs out there. Some have panels that are metal painted black and confined with glass, with copper pipelines filled with water going through them. This water will heat up, and is then pushed by gravity into an insulated tank. Some solar water heaters utilize a similar set-up but with tubes filled with anti-freeze that are then hooked up to a heat transfer loop, where water in a tank is heated up. Whatever system you use, thermal water heating is remarkably affective.
There are a lot of methods to take advantage of the sun and utilize less electrical energy. Take a look at next year's National Solar Tour to see them on your own.