Many people today are trying to save money on
their energy bills and one of the more popular ways is through using solar
energy. How does solar energy work?
Energy from the sun in the form of heat and light
is abundantly available to everyone on Earth, even in places that do not get a
lot of a sun. Did you know that the Earth receives more energy from the sun in
an hour than our entire population can use in an entire year? With all that
clean, renewable energy that is coming from the sun every day, it is worthwhile
to figure out a way to use it.
Active Solar
There are two different types of solar energy
that can be used to power our homes and daily lives. One is active solar
energy, which works through solar panels, which are set up with the use of
photovoltaic cells. These cells are linked together in order to produce
electricity.
How much electrical output they produce depends
on a few factors. One of them is how many cells are linked together in a panel,
and how many panels are being used.
The energy from the sun comes in the form of
direct current, DC, instead of the alternating current, AC that is used in your
home. For this reason you will need a way to convert the energy. The simplest
solution is to buy a power inverter, which convert the sun's energy into usable
AC electricity. Another option is to convert your household's electrical needs
to DC power, although this is in most cases impractical especially in existing
homes.
Thermal Solar Energy
There is another form of active solar power that
uses thermal energy from the sun to heat the water in your home. Devices that
circulate and pump the water help to keep it warm. Depending on where you live,
solar power can heat water up to sixty degrees or more. While this may not be
ideal for taking a shower, it can be effective for dish washing or even doing
your laundry. Solar power for heating water can cut your water heating bills
substantially, and can be used in combination with solar electricity.
Passive Solar
Passive solar energy uses the power of the sun
without the use of any mechanical devices. When you go out on a sunny day, you
feel the warm sun's rays, and this principle is really the same for heating
your home. A passive solar home has south facing windows and uses building
materials that absorb the sun's rays and then dissipates the heat into your
home efficiently. Passive solar can also be used to heat water in our home.
Using Residential Solar Energy
Solar electricity is a great alternative to
powering your home with standard power grids. It is already being used in a
variety of residential, as well as business applications world wide. There are
many different ways you can get a home solar power system, including DIY solar
power kits that come complete with diagrams and materials you need to build
your own solar power systems for very little money.
You can also find solar energy professionals that
will come to your home, assess your needs, and do all the work for you. There
are even ways that you can get used solar panels for free, or through solar
power grants or renewable energy programs in your area.
You can run your home on solar energy even when
there is little or no sun. Using batteries to store excess energy, you can draw
from them during the days when there is simply not enough sun to be effective.
Many Options for Using Solar Energy
Some people also use solar energy in combination
with other alternative power sources, like wind turbines, or even magnetic
generators. Not only can it save you a great deal of money on your electric
bill, in some cases you can actually get completely off the grid, and not even
have a bill at all.
New technologies are being developed to help make
solar energy more affordable and available to more people. Even if you're not
able to convert your entire home to solar power, you can now use solar powered
battery chargers, solar yard lights, solar appliances and more.
Each small thing that you do to save energy will
also help our environment and help to make our beautiful Earth a better place
for our children and grandchildren.