Energy from solar power has become one of the more popular topics in environmental discussions today. Solar energy offers a lot of advantages that range from the environmental to the economical. It does not need fuel, does not generate pollution and waste and does not cost a penny, which makes solar power one of greatest renewable energy sources. And one of the many uses for solar power energy is for heating applications.
Solar heat is derived from solar power energy and is used for space, water and process heating. The design of solar heat systems has two kinds: active and passive solar heat.
Active solar heat is produced by a pump that moves liquid or air from a solar collector to the storage area or building. The heat may also be kept in a tank that is insulated and is able to hold heated liquids or materials such as stone or brick.
An active solar heating system made for residential use captures sunlight by utilizing rooftop collectors. The heat that is collected is used for heating water, space or swimming pools. There are also some industries that make use of active solar heat for their manufacturing needs.
Passive solar heating systems, on the other hand, is method that produces solar heat through designing buildings or structures that are able to capture solar energy so that it can be used for heating the interior. Rooms such as a solarium or sunspace may be built on the southern area of a house or building or any other structure to gather solar energy. The structure is designed in such a way that the air that has been warmed from these spaces would be able to circulate naturally into the other rooms. There are some buildings that can make use of floors and stone or brick walls to be able to store the solar energy needed for heating at night. They are different from active solar heating systems, as they do not require mechanical or electrical machinery.
Solar heat can be used to warm buildings, cars and others through the process of solar radiation. The production of solar heat is dependent on surface reflectance, solar radiation, surface emissivity, surface area, the wind’s thermal convection and ambient temperature. Like the other objects in our environment, solar heating is able to achieve temperature homeostasis when the heat coming from the sun is balanced by heat from radiation, reflection and convection.
The use of solar heat offers numerous benefits. Solar heating systems do not or have little fuel costs. The systems used for passive solar heating do not have high maintenance and operation costs, although systems used for active solar heating are a bit higher. Solar heating systems are able to make sure that no waste or air emissions are produced. They can be designed and built quickly and can be made in various sizes. They can also easily adapt to the requirements of developing and rural communities are very suitable for those communities that have little access to other forms of energy resources.
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