For centuries we have used the sun’s natural energy to ouradvantage. For example, it has been used in ancient times to providenatural lighting in temples, for photosynthesis and natural heating forgrowing crops, to desalinize and purify water, and it has beenmagnified and intensified to heat thermal power plants.
So, how can solar power be used on a smaller scale at home as clean source of energy?
Basically, there are four main ways how to solar power your home:
Passive Solar Design:
To think that Americans consume up to 50% of their energy to heat,ventilate and air-condition their homes, a large amount of money andenergy could be saved by using passive solar design at home.
Passive solar design is the strategic use of the sun’s energy toheat, light and ventilate your home naturally. For example, having ahome that faces the sun, that has large, low-emissivity windows, andthat is built from heat-retaining materials will tend to be naturallywarmer in winter.
And like the Romans used the sun to light up their temples, carefulplacing of windows and mirrors in our homes can increase naturallighting, helping us reduce the need for electric lighting.
A natural air conditioning solution would be to plant deciduoustrees on the sun-facing side of your home. This would provide coolshade in summer, but allow warm sunlight though in winter.
A solar chimney can be installed for ventilation, where the air inthe chimney is heated by the sun and rises, causing fresh, cool air torush in through the home and up the chimney.
Solar Cooking:
Solar cooking is the cleanest and cheapest way to prepare food.Although it is widely used in third world African countries, where fueland electricity is not readily available, there is no reason we cannotuse it during summer at home.
A solar cooker is made from a series of reflective panels in aparabolic shape that focus the sunlight on a box or pot, in which thefood is cooked. It usually caters for up to five people, and can make avariety of boiled, roasted and baked dishes.
The one drawback of solar cooking is that it tends to take three tofour times longer to cook food in. But if you weigh that against theunlimited power savings and its portability, having a little patienceis not that bigger deal.
Solar Water Heating:
Solar water heating has a number of uses, and thanks totechnological developments, modern solar water heating systems can beused at home to completely replace conventional boilers or geysers.
As cold water is pumped through a solar collector, the pipes absorbthe sun’s energy, and heat the water, which is then stored in aninsulated tank for later use. Usually the water can get so hot that ithas to be mixed with cold water before it can be used.
Solar Electric Power:
Also known as photovoltaic power, many homes are starting to maketheir own power at home with solar electric panels. These panels aremade up of small silicon cells and need to be directly aimed at the sunto be most effective.
As the sun’s rays penetrate the solar toroidal transformer suppliers panels, electrons in the cellsbecome charged, creating a current that is stored in deep-cyclebatteries. When electricity is needed, the stored power is passedthrough an inverter to change the DC to AC, which can then be used topower various household appliances or connected to the grid for netmetering.
Other than providing you cheap, clean renewable power, solarelectric panels have become affordable and simple enough for anyone toinstall at home. In fact, with the right information it is possible tomake your own solar power for under $200, as compared to getting aprofessional installation for a couple of thousand dollars.
With these four ways on how to solar power your home, there is noneed for you to rely on the utility companies or the government forheating and lighting at home. Right now it is very possible for us touse solar power at home. It is just a matter of everyone having thedetermination, energy consciousness and environmental awareness to takeaction and harness the sun’s free, natural power.
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