Why use Solar Power?

All life on earth is ultimately powered by the light and heat from our sun. Without the sun, none of us would be here. The supply of solar power is limitless. It has been there for billions of years and will continue (we hope) for a few billion more. It causes no pollution and creates no greenhouse gases. I suppose the question should be “why on earth are we NOT all using solar power?” We have become spoiled by cheap energy based of fossil fuels such as coal and oil. These are no longer cheap and the carbon dioxide release when we burn them is slowly destroying our planet.

Solar power has many advantages over fossil fuel energy. The energy that the sun gives is is free - our only expense is that of collecting and storing the energy. These cost of recovery are falling quickly as new technology comes available and it's now possible to generate all of the power for your home from alternative energy sources, It has no emission gases to harm the earth's atmosphere.

There are a number of methods for recovering solar energy:

Focusing Solar Collectors: These have a rotating mirror (heliostat) which follow the sun around the sky during the day, These can provide a very high localized temperature which is then used to power a solar furnace. These solar furnaces can supply the energy for a boiler, turning cold water into steam. A conventional power generator is then used to generate electricity. Suitable for home use? Not really. These are better suited for centralized power generation in desert areas.

Flat Plate Hot Water Collectors: These allow almost every home to provide hot water via free solar power. They are inexpensive to install and have a relatively short payback time. They are usually composed of copper pipes which run through and enclosed panel with a black background. They are mounted on a south-facing roof and will provide hot water even on cloudy days. They do require some modification to the home's plumbing system so will probably only work if you own your own home!

Solar electricity Generators: These use photovoltaic cells which convert sunlight into electricity. Production of these cells has been doubling every two years, making this the world’s fastest-growing energy technology. The massive increase in manufacturing capacity has caused prices to fall dramatically making this an economic choice for both home and portable electricity generation.

I'm going to provide more information of using solar power to generate electricity and provide endless free hot-water in later posts.