Archive for the ‘Solar Heating Energy’ Category
A Great Book On Passive Solar Water Heating!
Posted by admin in Solar Heating Energy on July 18th, 2009
For those of you out there who are passionate about making your own solar equipment, this book is the definitive guide to making a passive solar water heater for your home. It was written by David Bainbridge in 1982 and it is still the definitive guide to the evolution of the “Integral Passive Solar Water Heater” or the IPSWH.
Did you know that integral passive solar technology was readily used in the 1800’s , and was even commercially available in 1891? This great manual is 104 pages of everything you ever wanted to know about the passive solar water heater, from its history and evolution, to commercial applications, and of course, a whole chapter on step-by-step instructions on making your own.
Early on in the book, David goes into all the different designs that have evolved all over the world, from the “Bread Box” to the “SAV System”. He later deals heavily into design principles such as radiation, conduction, convection, and transmissivity. It’s pretty scientific stuff, but easy to understand.
This manual is amazing because he goes from the lowest tech to the highest tech. The best thing about this book is the fact that it is totally free and available at this great website: www.builditsolar.com
If you want to go straight to the IPSWH book, just click on IPSWH.
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Solar Thermal Energy To Heat Your Home
Posted by admin in Solar Heating Energy on October 16th, 2008
You would have to be hiding under a rock these days to not be aware of the rapidly rising energy costs in the world today. It’s only logical that alternative sources of energy such as solar energy and wind energy are pointing to the future. We are in the middle of a paradigm shift weather we like it or not. So why not embrace it?
One way to embrace it is to look to the sun to heat up your home. There are a great many advantages to solar thermal energy and if you are considering ways to cut heating costs by using solar thermal energy, then it’s time for you to look into all its pros and cons. First, let’s look at how solar thermal energy can benefit you and your household.
Reduces Your Energy Bills
This is the obvious advantage to solar thermal energy but many people are confused as to how it can really save you money on your energy bills. The common misconception is that you install some solar energy cells on your house and then just cut the cables from the power company. In reality you would use solar thermal energy to supplement your power consumption and it will reduce your energy bills considerably.
Solar thermal energy is also considered “passive solar energy” where by the rays of the sun and the greenhouse effect are the factors that together heat your home. Once you maximize your sunlight intake throughout your home, you can start benefiting. Your energy bill savings will be tremendous and you can offset the cost of installing the solar energy cells with what you save over time on your energy bills.
You Can Help Save the Environment
To produce electricity your power company usually burns coal. Burning coal can put hazardous gases including greenhouse gases into the atmosphere that can contribute to global warming and pollute the environment. When you go solar you are helping to reduce those emissions and you are helping to protect the earth’s environment. It is kind of nice to know that you can install a solar thermal energy system on to your house and not only are you saving money on your energy bills but you are also helping to save the environment.
You Are Teaching Your Children The Importance Of Alternative Energy
The only way our planet can really benefit from changes to improve the environment is if future generations continue to implement those changes. By using solar thermal energy now you are teaching future generations to respect the planet and to use alternative sources of energy that can really help our planet thrive in the future. If our children are truly our future then it is in our best interest to teach them to respect and use alternative sources of energy now.
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Implement Solar Heating Energy And Watch Your Bills Shrink
Posted by admin in Solar Heating Energy on July 24th, 2008
Courtesy of solaralberta.ca
It’s evident that today, most of the world’s electric power is used for heating or cooling. If you were capable of cutting your electricity bill by a third or even more, wouldn’t you jump at the chance to save yourself a big chunk of money per month? You might actually be surprised that through solar heating energy one can not only heat a home, but cool it as well. You see the movement of air is actually caused by the heating and cooling of air masses. You can use this same method to cause a breeze to flow through your own home, as well as to supply all of your other heating needs throughout the year.
More Than Electricity
Passive solar energy is the implementation of certain design characteristics of a home to maximize the heating potential of the sun’s rays upon the home. Building factors such as the roof, walls, orientation, and windows are designed in such a way as to balance and control the solar heating energy. There is minimum use of mechanical devices such as pumps or fans. Solar heating designs gather and store thermal energy from direct sunlight. Passive cooling minimizes the effects of solar radiation through shading or through the generation of air flow by using convection ventilation.
Heat Your Water
Aside from using passive solar heating energy for heating your home, the same solar heating energy can be used for all of your water heating needs. Solar heating panels are used for this task. These panels are different form photovoltaic panels in that they do not convert the sun’s rays into electricity. Solar heating panels consist of a standard panel array with special tubes where water is pumped through and then heated by the sun at the same time. There are many different designs and systems for water heating.
Solar heating energy or passive solar is even more effective when combined with photovoltaic solar energy panels. You can have all of your energy needs met from a single, reliable, and free source. It’s now the most cost effective method of supplying all of your energy demands. And with the combination of passive solar generating heat and the PV cells generating electricity, you’ll be able to cool and heat your home as well as use computers, appliances, and light up your home. Within a decade, your solar system will have paid for itself, and you can save one hundred thousand dollars or more over your lifetime.
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