There are many ways that solar power can be created and used in the home. Unless you happen to live in a location where the sun never ever shines, I think this is an absolutely fantastic investment. And that said, I’ve seen solar systems work in coastal Oregon. I lived there for five years and recall not seeing the sun for 9 months a year- yet certain forms of solar system can work even there.
That begs the question of what kinds of solar systems exist, which is right for you, and how you can effectively implement them.
The system that most people will be excited to build is the solar system that is tied into the grid. It works liek this. Your solar panel (photovoltaic array for those who want a ten dollar word) hooks into a system which converts the DC power into AC power. This then runs to a breaker panel. That panel can then be hooked to either your house, the utility grid (possibly making you money), and voi la! You are making actual electricity. This is the quick and dirty version, though. More to come later- it is more complicated than this, but this is an overview.
A second form of direct electricity creation is through the use of an off-grid solar system. This is similar, but with the problem that you have to store your own power. As a result, there are a set of additional components including charge alternators, monitors, and importantly- a batter pack and backup generator. If you are only going to rely on solar power and have no grid backup- that storage and possibility of electricity generation when needed is key.
Although the next system I’m outlining does not create electricity directly, it does reduce a carbon footprint. Specifically, this is passive solar heating. There are so many designs that I won’t even touch on how to do it. Genreally, these systems work by capturing energy from the sun and turning it into heat. For example, the base of a house may be packed with rocks that absorb sunlight as heat. That alone will create energy, saving on power bills. Again, this is an overview, but primarily what passive solar energy does is create heat directly without the intermediary of creating electricity. This is often more realistic than electricity producing systems as the components are much cheaper.
The last form of solar power that I’d like to touch on is water heating. This is accomplished in a manner similar to passive heating, but often using mirrors that focus the light on a pipe to heat it up. This can be used to force the water through a turbine, allowing electricity creation, or simply to provide hot water. In either fashion, it is a passive and creative way to create renewable energy from the sun.
This is simply a brief overview- but please let me know if there is a glaring ommission. More to come later!
