With the increased focus on alternative energy, like solar power, many people are beginning to wonder just how does solar power work? Most people want to know if this is a system they could implement in their lives and whether or not it would actually meet their energy needs. The answer is yes, and if you think about it we have been putting the sun to work for us for centuries but only now have we been able to harness it for power.
But how can we actually use solar power?
Home Solar Power Systems
We can use solar panels to convert light into electricity. Lots of people have used this technology before in the form of solar powered calculators but never actually realized it. How does this type of solar power actually work? You can set up solar panels to catch light, and they convert it into energy. To power a hundred watt light bulb you will need a square meter of panels.
It doesn’t sound like much to begin with, but how many meters of unused space do you have on your roof right now? With solar panels, you are getting free power from the sun in a way that doesn’t take up any usable space.
Another useful system are solar water heaters. This system of solar power heats up water using the sun’s power. This is achieved by pumping water through pipes that are painted a dark color so as the pipes are heated by the sun, the water inside also warms as well. Many companies claim to have water heaters that can provide approximately 90% of a household’s hot water. One of the very few downsides to this system is that the water pipes have to be drained in winter to stop the pipes from freezing, although some copies make this easier to handle by providing built-in systems that take care of this.
A third kind of solar power are solar furnaces. A solar furnace is a collection of mirrors that focus sunlight. How does this type of solar power work? Very hot temperatures can be reached by focusing the rays from the sun. Temperatures above 5400 degress Farenheit have been achieved by some scientists using this form of heating. This type of heating does take a while though, but if you aren’t in a hurry it is a great way to heat things at no cost further showing the advantages of home solar power systems.
As the technology for solar cells gets better and better, this form of clean, renewable energy will find more applications that take up less space and produce more electricity, to meet the energy needs of our homes, schools and businesses.
SAMUEL BODMAN
