| One of the greatest sources of free energy, both in | | | | taking advantage of its benefits for both themselves |
| the amount and power of that energy, is the sun, and | | | | and the environment. |
| here are the top 3 ways to harness solar energy. | | | | 2. Using Solar Thermal Energy |
| Let's face it, without the sun, there'd be no life, so it's | | | | Solar thermal has been around for centuries, although |
| impossible to underestimate the importance of the sun | | | | most people don't realize that that's the name given to |
| to our planet. Not only does it sustain life as we know | | | | it when they hear of such things as the ancient |
| it, it also supplies thousands of times more power in a | | | | Greeks using glass and mirrors to generate heat from |
| single day than we humans use in a whole year. | | | | the sun centuries ago. This was early solar thermal. |
| Which means we're only tapping into a small fraction | | | | Nowadays, the most common applications for solar |
| of the energy available to us, so we could do a much | | | | thermal are to provide hot water and heat for homes |
| better job of harnessing the sun's energy than we are | | | | and businesses and to heat swimming pools. Hot |
| doing. But, until we come up with new ways to use the | | | | water and space heaters usually use a storage tank |
| sun's energy, these are the top 3 ways to harness | | | | to hold the heated water, whereas solar pool heaters |
| that energy. | | | | recycle the pool's water through collectors which heat |
| 1. Generating Solar Electricity | | | | the water and transfer back to the pool. |
| This is the way of harnessing solar energy that most | | | | 3. Heating And Cooling From Passive Solar |
| people are probably familiar with, or, at least, the one | | | | When you open your drapes in the morning to allow |
| they think of when solar energy is mentioned. That's | | | | the sun in, you're using passive solar in its simplest |
| not to say people generally understand the details of | | | | form. Passive solar is any means by which we take |
| how it works, but they're at least aware that solar | | | | advantage if the sun's energy to supply heating and/or |
| panels are used to generate electricity. | | | | cooling to rooms and buildings. |
| How it's done is another matter. That would be via the | | | | Passive solar can be as simple as just shown, but is |
| use of a scientific discovery called the "photovoltaic | | | | usually somewhat more complex as a technology and |
| effect", which was the work of a French scientist | | | | design feature. Passive solar systems are designed to |
| named Edmund Becquerel, who noticed that sunlight | | | | store the sun's energy in what's known as a thermal |
| reacted with certain materials such as selenium to | | | | mass, which is basically some type of material such as |
| generate a tiny charge of electricity. | | | | certain types of wood, concrete, etc., which retains the |
| This discovery has been refined over the years and | | | | energy for later use as heat when the temperature |
| today solar cells made from silicon are wired together | | | | cools. |
| in a metal frame to form a panel, which, when joined | | | | Passive solar can also be used to provide ventilation |
| together with several more panels to form an array, | | | | via solar chimneys. |
| can generate enough electricity to power a home's | | | | These are the most common ways currently used to |
| electrical devices and appliances. | | | | harness solar energy, and combining these methods |
| PV (a popular abbreviation for photovoltaic) technology | | | | would be a great way to make a home almost |
| is being embraced as one of the best ways for us to | | | | completely energy independent. But, together or |
| combat and hopefully defeat the effects of carbon | | | | separately, they can go a long way to helping reduce |
| emissions and global warming, and more people are | | | | energy costs and carbon emissions. |