How to Use Solar Power for Heat

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We have grown accustomed to having heat at the push of a button. This heat though too often is generated through inefficient methods. A much more energy efficient,not to mention cost effective, way to heat our homes,schools, and businesses is to use solar power.Capturing heat from the sun can be done in several ways,even in the dead of winter.In order to harness the sun’s heat what is called a solar source is needed.A solar source is something that will attract the sun’s rays and trap the heat generated by them. A sun room is a good way to illustrate this.

Generally sun rooms are attached to the house and built from floor to ceiling glass panels.Usually these rooms are built so that they face the morning sun, in order to get the most exposure.When the sun’s rays shine through the glass they are intensified, heating everything in the room. Not only is this a great way to produce natural heat it is also efficient.

Some other forms of solar power heat are:

Thermal mass that absorbs and retains the heat of the sun while it is shining and then disperses it after the sun goes down.

A Trombe Wall is a natural ventilation and solar heating system. It uses air channels to retain the heat between glass and a thermal mass that is facing the sun. The sunlight is absorbed and stored in the wall. It is then circulated through vents in the top and bottom of the wall.The wall radiates heat this way.

Another solar ventilation system is called a solar chimney.It is made of thermal mass that is hollow on the inside. The chimney warms the air inside of it causing heat to rise. This allows the air to circulate and vent properly. Solar Chimney is also a solar ventilation system. It is made of a thermal mass that is hollow inside. The chimney will warm the air inside the chimney and causing the heat to rise. The rise allows the air to circulate and vent properly.

Solar cooling is a good way to ventilate a building. It absorbs solar heat and rapidly cools it. This is done by making ice with a steam engine that is solar powered.This engine is attached to a cooling device.

There are of course many ways to heat and cool our homes and businesses, but the methods listed above demonstrate the ways it can be done using only the sun. This is one of the better ways because it uses only natural resources rather than through methods that use non renewable materials.

Originally posted 2009-07-30 11:30:26.

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