Solar Renewable Energy
The sun not only provides heat for people and animals and plants to grow, but did you also know that it’s a solar renewable energy source as well? In fact, it’s the only renewable solar energy source. Many scientists agree that the sun can provide enough energy to fully supply the earth’s population with electrical power for 30 years with the energy it produces in a single day. However, because the technology is still in its relative “infancy”, solar energy is unable to be used to meet all of world’s power requirements.
There are ways that you can include solar renewable energy as part of your energy consumption strategy and cut down on the amount of fossil fuels that you use. Some people use solar water heating and solar attic fans. This article will discuss common renewable solar energy uses and give you the information you will need to make positive changes to your energy profile.
The great thing about renewable solar energy is that it is free and a naturally replenishing resource. However, to get the most out of the solar energy takes some work and planning and is more difficult than it sounds.
The idea of solar power is not a new one. Swiss scientist Horace de Saussure built the first solar energy collection system in the 18th century. It was a solar collector used to cook food and heat water. Solar energy technology has improved considerably since then with the development of commercial solar water heaters.
The 18th and 19th centuries saw many developments in renewable solar energy including Einstein’s “Photoelectric Effect”, which lead to the description of the “Photovoltaic Effect” (similar but distinct concepts) which forms the basis of the renewable solar energy technology of today. However, despite the fact that solar energy technologies preceded the full utilization of fossil fuels in energy production, the methods used for the conversion of fossil fuels into energy were and still are a more affordable option.
However, since consumers are now becoming more environmentally conscious and want to do what they can to slow down the effects of global warming, cost is no longer the only factor to be considered when deciding an energy strategy.
Many people want to use solar energy technology because it’s environmentally safe, as the sun does not produce any of the harmful effects associated with the burning of fossil fuels. However, one of the biggest disadvantages to using solar power is the relatively high cost of installing and maintaining the equipment required to convert solar energy to electricity. Many governments in developed countries are offering tax subsidies and other incentives for people to install renewable solar energy technologies instead of or as a supplement to traditional forms of energy devices.
You may have heard of solar homes. A solar home is a house that’s designed to make the best use sun and the sun’s energy. It’s often designed to have the greatest number of windows facing South as that’s the side that will receive the most amount of sunlight throughout the day. Such “passive solar” techniques have been shown to reduce heating bills as much as 25% when compared to comparable homes facing other directions. In addition, solar homes often have higher resale values and more and more home buyers appreciate the value of such design considerations.
In addition to passive solar design elements, a solar home will usually include some sort of active solar system, such as a solar water heater to supplement the production of hot water for household use. While most solar water heating systems are not able to raise the temperature of the water enough for most domestic applications such as showers or laundry, they work by pre-heating the water to a high enough temperature as to reduce the amount of conventional energy required to heat the water to its final desired temperature. The idea being that it takes less power to make hot water from warm water than it does from very cold water, which is the usual temperature of water as it comes in from the tap or a well.
One of the biggest limitations of solar electric power generating systems is that, as of now, they’re not able to produce enough energy to sustain the needs of a modern home unless they are implemented using a lot of solar panels. However, there are still ways to use solar electric energy without installing a large solar panel system. You can easily make use of the abundant and free solar energy in your home by installing solar lights in your yard. Generally, yard lights are small and do not require large amounts of power, so a single, compact solar panel for each light will be more than sufficient to meet its power needs. No matter where you live you can make use of solar energy!
There are many ways to harness the limitless power of the sun. As solar energy technologies improve and become more efficient, they will also come down in price, which will naturally lead to their increased use.
