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The Difference Between Passive and Active Solar Energy

admin — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 00:00:00 +0000

Perhaps you are no stranger to green energy, especially if you get great TXU rates and your energy is supplied by environmentally conscious companies. And, chances are, you know all about solar energy but do you understand the difference between passive and active. Not knowing the difference does not diminish the importance of this renewable resource but it can help you get the most out of it if you are planning on utilizing the sun’s energy for additional power.

Passive Solar Energy
Just like the name implies, it is passive. There are no instruments used to harness the sun’s rays or focus them – no collectors, grids or cells. Many houses that utilize passive solar energy have sunspaces (like greenhouse panels) and trombe walls built into the south side of the building to absorb the most from the sun. The sunspace absorbs the heat from the sun and, if properly ventilated, it can be cycled through the home and trombe walls can absorb and hold the heat.

Active Solar Energy
Mirrors and metal plates are used to capture and focus the solar radiation where it can then be transferred to air or water. This means home heating is possible through solar panels and even hot water. This energy can also be harnessed and used in special floor heating systems, as well. Plus, fans and pumps can be implemented to circulate the hot air.

Understanding how both systems work, and implementing them in your home can save you thousands on energy costs.

How To Use Solar Energy Effectively

admin — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 00:00:00 +0000

The need to reduce our energy usage is imperative for the survival of our planet. Solar energy is a renewable resource that can reduce our carbon footprint and save us money as well. To use solar power effectively a good system needs to be in place. Knowing what you want to power in your home will determine what type of system you need. If you want to power as much as possible, a photovoltaic system is needed, which has inverters that use the energy from the sun and turn it into alternating current we use in our homes. The inverter is connected to the electrical grid in the home. This system will make it possible to use various appliances in our home. There are appliances on the market today specifically made to run on solar power. Not skimping on the cost when it comes to the solar power system you want is also important, the cheaper the system the more often it will need to be replaced. A good system should have a 25 year warranty. The more energy that is produced using solar power the less your electric bill will be. Over time your system will pay for itself in energy costs.

The Cost Of Not Using Solar Energy

admin — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 00:00:00 +0000

Usually we think about the particular costs of using a certain type of energy. It is not often that we think of the cost of not using another type of energy. Many are now suggesting that we should be thinking about what we are paying by not using solar energy.

Solar energy is something that is literally given to us for free. If we are not taking the time to utilize this and really put it to good use, then we are throwing away something that is free. That is not exactly an approach that often works out very well.

The cost of not using solar energy is also the cost of having to use all of the other types of energy that are out there. It is the cost that we take on when we continue to pour more and more pollutants into the air. All of this is something that none of us really wants to admit, but the truth is too important to ignore. The cost of not using solar energy continues to grow each and every year. We can only hope that some of us will stand up and finally take the time to actually make the decision to use solar energy in place of other forms of energy.

How Solar Energy Helps The Environment

admin — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 00:00:00 +0000

If not for the solar energy the Earth gains from its closest star, the Sun, it would be a cold rock unable to support life as we know it. This planet’s biosphere is entirely dependent on the life-giving energy of the sun, both directly and indirectly.

Man has adapted ways to utilize this energy to do work that may have formerly been the domain of dirty power sources like fossil fuels. Employing photons delivered naturally to the location where work is to be done automatically affects a savings in itself by the elimination of transportation or delivery systems’ costs.

In the case of photovoltaic ( P.V.) systems, this energy can be directly harnessed to do necessary work, eliminating fuel used to develop electrical energy either locally or at a distance in the operation of generating stations. Efficiency of power transmission is improved due to the lack of resistance where power would normally be lost as heat, by the use of shorter conductors that require less material in the initial installation, there is a further reduction of environmental impact.

Harnessing the power of the sun makes economic and environmental sense by reducing ongoing power production costs, decreasing demand on already stressed mineral resources, and almost eliminating transportation losses and their impact on the ecosystem.

The Difference Between Solar Energy And Other Energy Types

admin — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 00:00:00 +0000

Solar energy is different than most other types of energy in several very important ways. Once way that solar energy distinguishes itself is that solar is a sustainable form of energy. In other words, solar energy is not depleted no matter how much of the sun’s energy that we use
Being sustainable, and virtually inexhaustible, also means that solar energy is a reliable resource for the world’s future energy needs. In comparison, other energy sources, like oil and natural gas, are finite in their supply.I found some more information here. Another drawback of oil and gas it that the more scarce these resources become, the more difficult it becomes to extract them.
Solar energy is a clean energy source. With solar energy, the environment isn’t damaged in either the collection process, or the usage of solar energy. Gas and oil power both have a considerable environmental impact in both the extraction process as well as the process of usage.
As other sources of energy become more expensive, many homes and businesses are turning to solar energy. Furthermore, as the environment becomes a greater concern, more people are choosing solar energy because of its clear advantages over other types of energy. Compared to other energy sources, solar energy will continue to become more popular as time goes by.