Many Ways Of Using Solar Energy

Warming up a house interior is for most people almost a reflex action – just hit this button or turn up this dial. There are other ways though, which could be just as handy but with other advantages. Solar power, which is not hard to install, is an economical method of heating schools and businesses, and even homes. There are many ways to trap the sun’s rays, even during the winter season. A solar source such as a sunroom is necessary, which not only attracts sunshine but also keeps the heat within it.

Sunroom Construction

Floor to ceiling glass panels are utilized to build a sunroom, which is normally connected to the residence. It’s best if the sunroom faces the sun in the morning, as it is then situated to collect the most amount of sunlight possible. The sun shines through the glass and heats up the interior of the area. The heat is kept in the room, and isn’t allowed to escape back out through the glass. This is a very efficient, natural form of heat if the room’s construction is properly performed.

Solar Heating System

There are other types of solar heating systems, one of which is thermal mass, which draws heat and then keeps it. It does this when the sun is shining, holding in the heat and then scattering it once the sun goes down. One other natural solar heating and ventilation system is the trombe wall, which holds the heat using air channels. There are a glass object and a thermal mass facing the sun between which the heat is caught. Heat kept within the wall is radiated by the wall and dispersed through vents. One more system utilizing a wall facing the sun to absorb the sun’s heat, and then heating air with this energy as it makes its way into a ventilation system, is the transpired collector.

Solar Cooling

A building may be ventilated using a solar cooling system. It makes use of a steam engine that operates on solar energy, with a cooling device attached to it, which assimilates the heat and converts the steam into ice. One other solar-powered ventilation system is the solar chimney, which is made of a hollowed-out thermal mass. The air within the chimney is warmed up, and it is distributed properly as the warm air rises. As you can see there are several ways that businesses and homes can be heated. There are many ways, but these few serve to illustrate how the sun’s heat can be used by using natural materials. They do not make use of non-renewable resources and the heating is not unnatural.

These examples may be of use if you are thinking of warming up your home using only renewable resources. The only source of energy they utilize is the sun. In order to get the most use out of these systems, you might want to live in a place where the sun shines frequently for sustained periods. We all must have a source of heat to keep our households warm.