Solar power(energy) is the technology of obtaining usable energy from the light of the Sun. Solar energy has been used in many traditional technologies for centuries, and has come into widespread use where other power supplies are absent, such as in remote locations and in space.
Solar energy is currently used in a number of applications:
Heat (hot water, building heat, cooking)
Electricity generation (photovoltaics, heat engines)
Desalination of seawater.
Solar hot water systems use sunlight to heat water. They may be used to heat domestic hot water, for space heating or to heat swimming pools. These systems are composed of solar thermal collectors, a storage tank and a circulation loop.[8] The three basic classifications of solar water heaters are:
Batch systems which consist of a tank that is directly heated by sunlight. These are the oldest and simplest solar water heater designs, however; the exposed tank can be vulnerable to cooldown.[9]
Active systems which use pumps to circulate water or a heat transfer fluid.
Passive systems which circulate water or a heat transfer fluid by natural circulation. These are also called thermosiphon systems.
A Trombe wall is a passive solar heating and ventilation system consisting of an air channel sandwiched between a window and a sun-facing wall. Sunlight heats the air space during the day causing natural circulation through vents at the top and bottom of the wall and storing heat in the thermal mass. During the evening the Trombe wall radiates stored heat.[10]
A transpired collector is an active solar heating and ventilation system consisting of a perforated sun-facing wall which acts as a solar thermal collector. The collector pre-heats air as it is drawn into the building's ventilation system through the perforations. These systems are inexpensive and commercial models have achieved efficiencies above 70%. Most systems pay for themselves within 4-8 years.[11]
2007-04-21 22:22:17
·
answer #1
·
answered by neil 3
·
0⤊
0⤋
Whether on a solar-powered calculator or an international space station, solar panels generate electricity using the same principles of electronics as chemical batteries or standard electrical outlets. With solar panels, it's all about the free flow of electrons through a circuit.
2016-05-21 00:16:11
·
answer #2
·
answered by ? 3
·
0⤊
0⤋
Solar energy ( heat from sun ), absorbed by solar cells, placed on solar panel, the panel gets the heat, and water is made flow over the heated panel, hence water gets heated, and you get hot water, through pipes and taps.
2007-04-21 22:19:21
·
answer #3
·
answered by manjunath_empeetech 6
·
0⤊
0⤋
stand in the sun and get a tan. You see the moon - solar energy. we do not have time to tell you how the sun works.
2007-04-22 03:44:37
·
answer #4
·
answered by RayM 4
·
0⤊
0⤋
by sunlight
2007-04-22 00:50:40
·
answer #5
·
answered by Jeniv the Brit 7
·
0⤊
0⤋