The term thermal solar power refers to systems that convert solar radiation into useful heat. This is also referred to as passive solar energy. It is a different type of system from solar power electricity, and whose usefulness should not be overlooked.

The uses for thermal solar power are widespread and varied. Just think of any process which could utilize heat. This could range from something simple such as hot water heating, to more sophisticated designs involve stirling engines or industrial grade steam.

For small scale applications, thermal solar power is used in the home. The heat is used to maintain hot water tanks, or is stored in the floors or walls of our buildings.

There are other good uses for thermal solar power which we expect to increase in years to come. One is pebble bed heat exchangers, which act as a thermal storage bank for converted heat. This gives us some system capacity and operating flexibility.

These pebble bed heat exchangers can be designed into your floors, walls, workshops, or other places around the home. They can be used for household heating, greenhouses, saunas, and as air driers for clothes. We had one design whereby a user wanted to heat up a nesting area in their chicken coupe!

The typical operating temperature for most thermal solar power systems will be between 100F and 180F. In good solar climates these temperatures can be easily achieved with popular off the shelf equipment. With more specialized equipment we can go in excess of 250F, and with high performance industrial equipment over 700 degrees is possible. These high performance systems are usually for making steam, but incorporating them into other processes is also possible.

At the core of any thermal solar power system will be the solar collector. This is the component directly responsible for generating your heat. The most common design is the flat plate absorber, which often have selective surfaces for high absorptivity and low emissivity of solar radiation. Other designs include evacuated tube collectors, and parabolic trough concentrating receivers.

The lifeblood of the thermal solar power design is the circulating fluid. The circulating fluid is heated in the solar collector, and then pumped to all the system users. This fluid is typically oil, glycol, or water which is matched to the system temperatures and equipment in use.

Anyone interested in energy independence and self-sustainability should thoroughly investigate thermal solar energy. Most systems are fairly simple and rank very well in affordability. If you live in a climate with a good reputation for Sun, then there is a pretty good chance you could be using a thermal solar power system of some form.

Thermal power systems are typically less expensive than solar power electricity, and can create household hot water and heat reliably. With the addition of pebble bed storage and higher operating temperatures, then the amount of potential uses suddenly becomes many. With the markets of sustainability re-growing their roots we expect to see a variety of new designs and installations in years to come.

Originally posted 2009-07-18 04:52:19.

If you're interested in making your own power at home, then why don't you Try Earth4Energy For Free? Also, have a look at our in-depth Earth4Energy Review. Thanks for visiting!

• Home Solar Power Owners Get Credit In 2009 If you are thinking of getting home solar power in 2009, then the good news is that the number of federal and state incentives for having an energy efficient home has never been greater. The bad, of course, is that many of us are strapped for cash or home equity......
• Types Of Renewable Energy Explored Before the world reaches it's much anticipated energy crisis, we need to lower our reliance on non-renewable sources of power, and start producing different types of renewable energy on a large scale. So what exactly is renewable energy?  Well, as the name implies, it is energy that can be renewed......
• Solar Power For Houses - A Project You Can Do Yourself by Davion W. If you want a great way to power up your home naturally, consider solar power for houses. By this, it means that you will be utilizing energy from the sun. This, indeed, is a great solution to the rising electricity costs as well as the poor health......
• Why We All Should Harness Solar Power - A Number Of Really Amazing Reasons by Kyle Zaltowski It warms up our faces and grows our food; solar energy is our life blood and gives us most of that we need to live on. Using its potency, however, has escaped the earths populace, or at least until relatively recently. Harnessing our sun's full potential may......
• Solar Power Systems: Are They Worth It? by Jim Martin Find out important facts about solar power systems and the various factors that make them so popular, in this article. Solar power systems are rapidly growing in popularity all over the world, including every parts of the USA. Thus, more and more people are gradually getting involved......

• Solar Power Your Home For Dummies By Rik DeGunther As energy prices keep going up, many homeowners are starting to investigate cheaper alternative energies that can be easily installed, and run on a daily basis. Whether you’re trying to cut costs, or you just want to go green, solar power is often the first choice of many homeowners. The......
• Solar Power Systems That Serve Entire Neighborhoods. Dear EarthTalk: I know of solar power systems that people can put on their roofs to generate electricity or heat water. Are there systems that serve whole neighborhoods? Collective bargaining is a good strategy when looking to get the best price on a given product or service. Solar power is......
• Why everything should be solar powered. Ok, so maybe not everything. I wouldn't want someone on life support to be dependent on a solar panel on the roof to keep him or her alive. But there are a lot of things in this world that could be powered for no cost at all except for......
• Choose the Right Roof Venting Roof venting is a topic homeowners don't spend time much time on, like which wallpaper to use and how to tear out a wall between rooms to make more space. But because adequate roof venting can help prevent problems with moisture in your attic and structural damage to your roof......
• Why Is Solar Power Necessary We tend to have ways that to heat our water, our homes and give us with electricity. We have a tendency to probably take all of this without any consideration and if we lost them we would most likely panic. We tend to take for granted that these conveniences will......