The ever-increasing shortage of fossil fuels, rising gasoline prices, and global warming are causing people and governments to look with greater interest at renewable resources as a viable and more “earth-friendly” option to the energy problem. These renewable resources include wind, solar, geothermic and hydrogen power.
Within forty minutes of the sun shining on the earth, the sun will have given off as much energy as the entire world population will use in a year. Only about one percent of this energy put out by the sun is harnessed and utilized by Earth’s inhabitants.
The use of solar energy as a power source is not a new one. But the panels developed in the 1970s were so bulky and large; that very few people could afford them, much less use them. Using technology developed for the computer industry, cells used in Photovoltaic solar collection systems are now thinner and more diversified.
Perhaps the greatest advancement in Photovoltaic research has been thin cell solar research, or nanotechnology. This is the use of very tiny cells created through silicon and other minerals to collect solar energy. The creation of nanoparticles has allowed developers to create shingles coated in these cells as well as to develop a spray-on coating that can be sprayed onto another material, such as the roof of a building. This spray-on coating contains the nanoparticles and enables other items to also collect solar energy and convert it into electricity.
The use of thin cells makes the solar panels smaller and more available to the common consumer. This is because many houses within cities have to conform to specific city codes and may also have to conform to Home Owner Association rules. These rules may not allow the use of solar panels because they are large, visually unappealing, and may obstruct a neighbor’s view. By using thin cells, there will be fewer complaints from the neighbors and if the homeowner uses solar panels that are part of the roofing material, the neighbors won’t see the panels at all.
Solar energy can be used not only for generating electricity, but also for heating and even cooling spaces, as well as heating water. Using solar energy for heating and cooling is called Solar Thermal. These systems can be active or passive. If the system is active, then moving parts are involved and if it is passive, than there are no moving parts used in addition to the collection unit.
In order to cool off a building, or to ensure that it’s heated sufficiently during winter months, an active Solar Thermal system is required. This is because this system uses a fan to circulate the air. Some things can be done passively to help cool off a building. This includes using casement windows, thick walls and a thermal chimney. The thermal chimney works like a regular fireplace chimney, except that it is use to push hot air out of the house.
Heating a building can be done passively, but with the use of a fan in the solar thermal system, the people inside the building can stay much warmer since the air will be circulated. This same system can be used to heat a pool. Small flat solar collectors are used to absorb the heat. In a passive system, the sun’s heat warms up a fluid that is then moved by a municipal water system or natural convection. This fluid is then used to heat the area (such as a greenhouse) or the pool. Using a pool cover will also help to hold in the heat when the pool is not in use. Some pool covers are designed to suck in heat in a similar fashion as the solar collectors used on roofs.
Part of using solar energy for heating and cooling isn’t really using new technology at all. It is more in architectural design and the orientation of the building on the property. Orienting a house so that it can take full advantage of the most sunlight during the day, at any given time of year, as well as ensuring that the longest horizontal lines of the house are facing south are key elements to the design and layout of the building. This is because the south side will get the most sunlight at any time during the year. Also choose building materials that will absorb heat during the day and let it off slowly at night when it is cooler.
Heating water can be done with either an active or passive solar thermal system. Passive systems are considered to be the most reliable and most cost effective of the solar thermal systems because there are no moving parts that can break down or will eventually need replacing. The best part of a passive system is that it is virtually maintenance free.
Solar collectors do not have to be placed on the roof of the building for which they are intended to be used. They can be placed anywhere where they will be able to get the maximum amount of daylight. In some cases, panels are placed on parking covers or window awnings. In other cases, they are on the ground. One of the most interesting parts of emerging solar technology is a tracking system design, which allows the panels to tilt and follow the sun as it travels across the sky, much as a sunflower does.
Many small things are solar powered. Some things have been used for awhile now – such as solar powered calculators. Today it is commonplace to find solar panels attached to emergency telephones along many major highways and to find traffic lights and school zone lights also attached to these systems.
Solar powered vehicles are still in the development stage or used for special races. At the present time, these vehicles have to be so wide to hold the number of panels necessary to run efficiently, that they would not be feasible for our current road systems. In addition, these vehicles have no storage space and cannot hold more than one person. For our society, this would be very impractical. As technology advances, so will the design of solar powered vehicles. Someday, perhaps, solar powered vehicles will be as mainstream as gasoline or diesel fueled engines are today.
Solar Power systems are still expensive, but as technology improves and demand for renewable energy sources increases, solar power will become closer to the average person’s grasp. As computer technology progresses and governments supply more funding, companies and universities will spend more time improving this infinite resource. There are many ways that solar energy can be used, from simple cardboard box ovens to self-sufficient homes that rely only on the power of the sun to keep the inhabitants comfortable.
