Solar Power Home

We have grown accustomed to having heat at the push of a button. This heat though too often is generated through inefficient methods. A much more energy efficient,not to mention cost effective, way to heat our homes,schools, and businesses is to use solar power.Capturing heat from the sun can be done in several ways,even in the dead of winter.In order to harness the sun’s heat what is called a solar source is needed.A solar source is something that will attract the sun’s rays and trap the heat generated by them. A sun room is a good way to illustrate this.

A sun room is attached to the house and usually constructed of glass panels from floor to ceiling. Generally sun rooms are built facing the morning sun so they get the full effect of the sun’s rays. The sun’s rays are intensified by the glass so everything in the room is heated. This is a natural method of heating that is also very efficient.

Here are some other types of solar heat:

Thermal mass that soaks up and holds in the heat of the sun while it is shining. It disperses the heat after the sun goes down.

A Trombe Wall is a natural solar heating and ventilation system. It uses airflow paths to trap heat between a glass object and a thermal mass facing the sun. The sunlight is absorbed and retained inside the wall. Then it is circulated through vents in the bottom and top of the wall,which then radiates the heat.

Another solar ventilation system is called a solar chimney.It is made of thermal mass that is hollow on the inside. The chimney warms the air inside of it causing heat to rise. This allows the air to circulate and vent properly. Solar Chimney is also a solar ventilation system. It is made of a thermal mass that is hollow inside. The chimney will warm the air inside the chimney and causing the heat to rise. The rise allows the air to circulate and vent properly.

A great way to ventilate a building is through solar cooling. Solar heat is absorbed and cooled with ice made by a solar powered steam engine that is attached to a cooling device.

There are of course many ways to heat and cool our homes and businesses, but the methods listed above demonstrate the ways it can be done using only the sun. This is one of the better ways because it uses only natural resources rather than through methods that use non renewable materials.