Back when I was a kid, solar power was more of a novelty than a practical form of renewable energy. Oh sure, there were solar powered houses out there for demonstration purposes. I actually went on a field trip one time to a green house, a well insulated building with solar power heating the water, which in turn provided heat for the house. Nonetheless, outside of a few regions, solar energy was the exception rather than the rule.
It is amazing how much things have changed. One of the reasons is that consumers have gotten more comfortable with the idea of alternative energy. A big part of this, however, has to do with the technology of solar power improving. Nowadays, solar heating and electric power are more feasible than ever. If you live in one of the sunnier states, you can probably safely get the majority of your energy just from solar power. Large solar plants can contribute even more alternative energy, using thousands and thousands of solar cells to create an energy grid to supply a whole city.
When most people think about solar power, they picture solar photovoltaic power using energy from the sun to make electricity. In reality, however, this is only part of the story. You see, every time you switch energy from one form to another, you lose a good bit of it. That means that the most efficient way to heat a house with solar energy is by turning it directly into heat, instead of turning it into electricity and, then, into heat. As a matter of fact, by using the sun's heat to take care of your hot water and home heating needs, you can substantially cut down on your energy consumption even without photovoltaic cells.
Of course, commercial solar power promises to make as big a difference in our ecological footprint, if not bigger. A large office building can use a tremendous amount of power every day, combining the normal needs of heating and cooling with high drain applications such as computer systems, security monitors, and elevators. By using green building techniques and putting in a solar powered grid, we can cut the fossil fuel consumption of these buildings in half pretty quickly. We could even cut it further with some careful planning. The world is going through some pretty remarkable changes now, but all these changes give us the chance to really work to change the way we relate to our world.
It is amazing how much things have changed. One of the reasons is that consumers have gotten more comfortable with the idea of alternative energy. A big part of this, however, has to do with the technology of solar power improving. Nowadays, solar heating and electric power are more feasible than ever. If you live in one of the sunnier states, you can probably safely get the majority of your energy just from solar power. Large solar plants can contribute even more alternative energy, using thousands and thousands of solar cells to create an energy grid to supply a whole city.
When most people think about solar power, they picture solar photovoltaic power using energy from the sun to make electricity. In reality, however, this is only part of the story. You see, every time you switch energy from one form to another, you lose a good bit of it. That means that the most efficient way to heat a house with solar energy is by turning it directly into heat, instead of turning it into electricity and, then, into heat. As a matter of fact, by using the sun's heat to take care of your hot water and home heating needs, you can substantially cut down on your energy consumption even without photovoltaic cells.
Of course, commercial solar power promises to make as big a difference in our ecological footprint, if not bigger. A large office building can use a tremendous amount of power every day, combining the normal needs of heating and cooling with high drain applications such as computer systems, security monitors, and elevators. By using green building techniques and putting in a solar powered grid, we can cut the fossil fuel consumption of these buildings in half pretty quickly. We could even cut it further with some careful planning. The world is going through some pretty remarkable changes now, but all these changes give us the chance to really work to change the way we relate to our world.
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