Advantages of Heating a Home With Solar Energy
Solar energy has many benefits. However, it's important to consider the costs of installing a solar energy system in relation to those advantages. By choosing the right system for your heating needs and the region in which you reside, you can reap all the economic and environmental benefits of a solar energy heating system. Does this Spark an idea?
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Types
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There are two types of solar energy that you can use to heat your home: active solar and passive solar. Active solar uses silicon photovoltaic cells to turn sunlight into electricity. Typically, these photovoltaic cells must be installed in panels on the roof of your home. Passive solar uses the heat of the sun to heat your home directly. Passive solar utilizes design principles to maximize heat gain during the winter. This typically involves installing south-facing windows to let the heat in and thermal mass to store it.
Benefits
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Installing a solar energy system can help you to save a great deal of money on your heating bill. It can also help you to significantly reduce your carbon footprint on the planet. However, active solar and passive solar heating systems have different advantages. Standard photovolatic systems must turn light into electricity which then runs an electric or gas heater. They are considerably less efficient than high-concentrating photovoltaics and passive solar systems. High-concentrating voltaics use fresnel lenses to magnify the sun's energy so that they can produce more electricity. Retrofitting a home to use passive solar heating may be less expensive and more effective than installing an active photovoltaic system.
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Considerations
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Solar heating systems have a very high upfront cost. In some cases it may be difficult to recoup the cost of the system. When installing a solar energy system, you must weigh the costs of the system against the benefits that could be gained. Factors to consider include the cost of electricity per kilowatt hour (kWh), the number of hours of direct sunshine in your area and the system's operational lifespan. Check with a solar power directory to set up a consultation with a provider in your area.
Function
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Active solar devices use silicon to capture the energy in sunlight. When photons from the sun's rays hit the silicon, it absorbs the energy and changes it into electrons. These electrons can then be captured as electricity. Passive solar systems, on the other hand, use the specific orientation of a house to capture the heat of the sun. Passive solar houses are usually on an east-west axis with large, south-facing windows and no windows or heavily insulated windows on the north side. Your home must already fit passive solar principles for a passive solar retrofit to be effective. There should be a clear southern exposure with no major obstacles between the sun and the south face of your home.
Features
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Active solar systems can use batteries for storage of energy or be connected to the grid. If you are connected to the grid, you may be able to sell your excess electricity to your local electric company. However, many electric companies buy electricity at a lower price than they sell it for. Therefore, you should take care not to install a system that will produce more electricity than you need. Passive solar systems may utilize water walls, water roof pools, concrete, stone or brick masonry or attached greenhouses to collect, store and redistribute heat around your home.
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