Solar Power Basics

If you're thinking about using Solar Power to reduce your energy bills, and lessen your dependence on the major power companies, then you need to understand the basics. Jim Jefferson has been a Solar Power enthusiast for several years now, and here, he gives you an overview of the hows, whys and whats of Solar Power.

Different types of Solar Power

There are two main methods of using solar power - Water Heating and Electricity Production.

Water heating

This is where the sun's energy is used directly to heat domestic or commercial water supplies. The heated water may then be used for space heating or hot water supply. This can be especially effective in hotter climates, but is surprisingly useful even in parts of the world where sunshine is not so common. Another less well known use of solar power is to provide space-cooling (ie air-conditioning), by implementing Absorption Chilling Technology.

There are two different types of solar thermal panels. The most common are Flat Plate Collectors, where the heating fluid, usually water mixed with an anti-freeze, flows through an absorber plate enclosed in a weatherproof box. The heat then passes into the domestic hot water cylinder using an indirect coil. These panels are simple, robust, and relatively inexpensive.

Evacuated Tube Collectors may be likened to large electric light bulbs, in that they consist of a vacuum tube with a light absorbing strip, through which the heating fluid is passed. These collectors are slightly less efficient when their temperature is close to the ambient temperature, but because of the vacuum reduces heat loss, they become more efficient as they get hotter. However, for normal domestic applications where extremely high water temperatures are not required, they are no better than Flat Plate Collectors.

Electricity production

This type of solar power works by using photo-voltaic cells to convert the sun's energy into electricity, rather than heat. This electricity can be stored in batteries and used at any time, not necessarily when the sun is shining. Again, there are a number of different variations of panel, each with it's own distinct benefits.

Polycrystalline cells are made up of silicon wafers in polycrystalline form. These are relatively easy to produce, and tend to the the least expensive option per area. They are however not the most efficient, but are a viable option if surface area is not a restriction.

Why use solar power?

Save Money

There's no avoiding the fact that energy prices have risen considerably recently. Although at the time of writing in 2009 the global oil price has come down, it's still at very high historical levels, and domestic power supplies are more expensive in real terms than they've been for most of the recent past. Did you know that more than five times the power requirement of the average house hits it's roof in Solar Energy? This is true even in parts of the world known better for wet weather, like the UK - or Seattle...

If you can harness this power, you can make huge savings, and there's no better time to save money than in the current dismal economic climate

Save the Environment

These days, just about everyone has an interest in the environment, and tries to do at least something to look after the world we live in. Domestic and industrial heating pumps millions of tons of CO2 into the atmosphere every year. The USA alone produces a staggering 1.7 billion tons of CO2 - that's nearly six tons per person. The UK emits nearly 200,000 tons at 2.67 per person. Those are pretty sobering figures, and how bad will it be by the time our children are grown up? However, if you're concerned by this, you can't really just sit nack and let the government sort it out. You can take action yourself, and using Solar Power is a great way to start.

Technical Interest

Aside from the above considerations, there's no denying that there's a certain degree of satisfaction to be obtained from generating your own power - it's similar to growing your own fruit and vegetables. It feeds our desire to live in closer harmony with our world. There's also the technical challenge. One of the reasons I got into home solar power in the first place was because I wanted to "see if I could do it".

Summary

The basics of solar power are not that complex, and it's clear that the form of renewable energy will become more and more important as fossil fuel supplies diminish and become more expensive. This will happen in the long term despite the current (2009) global recession. Even without taking cost into consideration, there are environmental reasons to switch to solar power, and it's not as difficult as you might think. Find out how you can take the first steps right now by reading our Home Power Product Comparison.