Keyword: solar homeTitle: Converting To A Solar HomeArticle:There are many affordable options to convert your home into a solar home and solar energy technologies can supply for several different uses in a solar home. Passive solar design can provide heating, cooling and natural light for your home. Solar electricity options are available to power home appliances and solar water heating can provide hot water options for laundry and general household water use (showers, cooking, cleaning). When planning a solar home it is important to consider which solar energy options are most efficient, and cost effective for your situation. A passive solar home utilizes home design to provide heating, cooling and natural light without the use of any special equipment. A passive solar home basically uses the environment to accomplish great reductions in energy use. A passive solar home uses construction materials and design to utilize the sun’s heat during winter months and block the sun’s heat during summer months. There are several passive solar techniques you can use in a solar home, direct gain, radiant heat from sunlight passing directly into a living space and being absorbed by furniture, flooring etc and usually achieved with south facing window installations, indirect gain, involving an attached Trombe wall that collects heat and distributes it throughout the home by the use of fans, thermal mass, which are materials that naturally collect and store heat such as brick or stone, and passive cooling, which generally includes overhangs for south-facing windows to block the sun during summer months for cooling the solar home. Another feature often found in a solar home is the use of solar electricity. Solar electricity is generated when photovoltaic cells are used to absorb sunlight and convert it into usable electricity. The energy produced by solar panels must be converted to DC (household power) through the use of an inverter. Solar electricity can be used to supplement metered electric already being received by a solar home or with the use of a battery storage bank, can be used as the only electric source for the home. If the later is going to be used, it is suggested that owners of the solar home have a generator available for backup power. Solar water heating is one of the most common uses of solar energy in a solar home. There are two kinds of solar water heating available for solar home use. The first is a closed loop system, which can be used in areas that are not prone to freezing. These systems use water filled tubes that are heated directly by the sun. A closed loop system uses an anti-freeze type liquid to collect heat from the sun and then the heated liquid is used to heat household water via a heat exchanger. Regardless of which steps you take toward converting to a solar home, energy efficiency is the most important attribute to a successful solar home operation. Energy efficiency minimizes the need for heating, cooling and electricity. Using higher insulation levels, more energy efficient windows, appliance and lighting than used in traditional construction, you will already be saving yourself a lot of money and energy. However these changes may not be an option when converting an existing home into a solar home, so make any changes possible to your home energy efficiency and adapt other solar practices to convert your existing home into a solar home. |
| My Ratings: Solar Power and Global Warming Who wouldn’t want to get a lifetime supply of free electricity? Well, that can be realized only if you install a dependable and durable solar power system. Solar power is free but only after the installation of the power system. Conventional electricity comes from the burning of fossil fuels that in turn contribute to global warming. The effects of global warming are quite evident nowadays. Many people are now interested in saving the environment to prevent the devastating effects of pollution. One way to decrease pollution and environmental concerns is through the use of solar power. Solar power can be used in different ways especially in households. You can use it for lighting, for cooking, for heating the house, and many others. Utility bills are very expensive and you can cut it down by installing a solar power system. The system has solar panels that collect sunlight and converts the energy of the sun into electricity. You can readily use the electricity or it can be stored in the batteries. The sun’s raw energy can’t be used to power homes and it needs to be converted first through the inverter. If you have a solar powered house, you can make use of renewable and clean electricity. Even if you can’t cut off your traditional electrical supply, you will be able to reduce the consumption thereby helping the environment. Electricity is generated by burning fossil fuels that contribute to pollution and global warming. The supply of fossil fuels is also decreasing and the world might face electricity shortage soon if they don’t conserve energy. It would be best to start using solar power now. Through the efforts of SEPA (Solar Electric Power Association), the public is made aware of the many benefits of solar powered homes. This is the best time to make substantial efforts to save the environment. Solar power can’t possibly replace conventional energy sources today but who knows. If the technological advancements can help in the enhancement of solar power systems, perhaps in the near future the whole world can go green. Pollution is widespread and it poses a great threat to the world. By reducing traditional electricity consumption, you can also lessen pollution. Solar power can provide clean, renewable, and free electricity. It doesn’t produce harmful emissions. You can enjoy free electricity as long as the system is working properly and as long as the sun rises. The solar power systems are not that expensive these days. In fact, you already get a solar power kit for as low as $200. Still, the large solar panels are expensive. The federal government in the US offers incentives, loans, grants, rebates, and other financial options to help homeowners in installing a power system. Take advantage of these financial options so that you can start helping the environment. Solar power systems can serve your home for about twenty years when properly maintained. It’s like an entire lifetime if you start now. If every home around the world patronizes solar power, global warming can be greatly reduced and Mother Nature can heal herself. Try to learn more about solar power and if you can afford to install a system at home or in the office, don’t hesitate because you’re doing the world a favor and you also get a lot of benefits. |