With Spring just around the corner, it's time to start looking forward to the warmth and sunshine that comes with it. It's also the perfect time to start thinking about solar energy (assuming you're a big nerd with nothing better to do with the lovely weather). The sun has been producing thousands of bagillavolts of energy for anywhere from a few thousand to a few billion years ago (depending on religious preference), and it is easily the largest source of energy in our solar system. The energy that it produces releases no harmful byproducts into Earth's atmosphere, and according to astrologists, the Sun will expand until it engulfs our planet in a fiery belch long before it will run out of energy, so it's easy to see why harnessing solar energy for our own ends is a good decision.
Solar energy can be used for all sorts of things: heating water and homes, cooking, providing energy for all kinds of electrical devices, powering homes and businesses, and, of course, tanning. In order to heat homes, swimming pools, buildings, water, and other things, a process is used called "Solar Thermal Heating," which can be either passive (in which no mechanical equipment is needed, like a greenhouse) or active (which requires a solar energy collector and some circulatory device). Some power plants even use a form of active solar thermal heating to create steam to run a generator, rather than using coal to run the plant.
Perhaps the simplest use of solar power is found in the solar grill. A solar grill is a simple parabolic reflector that focuses solar energy at a central point, where enough energy comes together to make it possible to cook food like you would on a regular grill. These are quite easy to make and very cool to use.
Solar energy can also be harnessed as electrical energy using photovoltaic cells. Depending on the size and number of cells used, this technology can power anything from a handheld calculator or watch to an entire house, office, or even a power plant.
The great thing about solar power is that it is 100% clean and very abundant. Unfortunately, solar power is not a panacea power source; its main downfalls are clouds and the cost of the equipment necessary to harness it. But all in all, the use of solar energy as a source of green energy is a pretty viable alternative to fossil fuels and traditional power sources.
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My dad built a house in the 1970's with passive solar heating. The south side of the building was a Lexan greenhouse with river rock under the floors that heated up air in pipes that went to the furnace to heat the house. The back wall in that room was limestone which retained heat as well.
ReplyDeleteThe house still exists in Evansville on Neu Rd, although the owner hasn't lived there for 20 years, he just uses it to keep all of his stuff (segway into my latest post).