Solar energy in households



The sun is a great source of energy. It would be great to use solar energy in your homes especially nowadays when the prices of oil and gas continue to increase. Because of the high fuel and gas prices, more and more people are experimenting on the use of solar energy in their households in their attempts to minimize the costs of basic utilities.

The sun’s energy can be harnessed in different ways depending on how you would utilize the end product. There are so called solar collectors which are placed on the roof tops or used in buildings. The main purpose of these solar collectors is to provide heating and even ventilation for the houses and buildings. These collectors harness the sun’s energy by magnifying the sunlight several times and transferring that heat to air or water. That heated air or water is stored and will provide the building or home heating and hot water whenever needed.

The only problem here is that not all places have equal amounts of sunlight. As you go farther from the equator, the strength of the sun is reduced. But still, this is a much better solution than relying on electric grids which do not reach remote areas. It is just a mater of storing the heat generated from the solar collector properly. For example, some buildings in Sweden utilized an underground storage facility where solar energy is stored resulting to savings from heating the building and their water.

In areas where gas and fuel are out of reach of the pockets of poor communities, residents have to rely on solar cooking for their meals. They use this bowl shaped discs equipped with mirrors or reflectors which directs all the sunlight on the middle where a pot is placed. The same technology is being used in India, Sri Lanka, and Nepal. This serves are a good alternative from conventional fuels like coal, firewood, and gas. They can use these solar stoves during a sunny day and use traditional fuels when the weather is not that good.

This reliance by communities on solar cooking should encourage more studies on how to make photovoltaic cells cheaper for an ordinary household. At this time, the use of solar cells is not economically friendly for a single household. However, the approach here is to install a series of solar panels which would be shared by the whole community. This could be a good idea depending on your usage, but for basic lighting purposes these could work in small poor communities.

In some areas, community cooperatives have found ways to bring electricity to households out of reach of power grids. In the Philippines for example, a local cooperative provided households loans to enable them to install a basic solar power module which can produce enough electricity for three light bulbs. This ay be laughable in our standards but to these people who have been living all their lives with the flickering light of the candles, three electric light bulbs make a great deal of a difference.

The story is the same in other countries. In Israel, the high costs of photovoltaic cells have clamped down the growth of solar energy in the country. It if fortunate, therefore, that the Israeli government is now providing incentives for households that would use solar energy.

However, according to industry analysts, the costs of solar cells production will go down as the demand increase. Also, most are hopeful that recent discoveries and advancement in technologies will find a way to bring down costs of using solar energy.

Ordinary households using solar energy is an ideal scenario that we should all strive to achieve.




Comments

The reliable quality replica designer handbags such as Hermes handbags, Fendi bags
copy luxury handbags, cartier handbags - By celine boston blue - Homepage
14th December 2011 - 11:56pm

Our company is specializing in online selling cheap NFL jersey,discount MLB jersey,cheap NHL jersey,Authentic NFL embroidered Jerseys and cheap MLB jerseys and women jerseys,kids and youth jerseys,Replica NFL Jerseys.All of our jerseys are 100% stitched and sewn on, never screen printed so the quality is guaranteed. You can place order directly on our website for the jerseys you like. And then settle payments by ecpay or gspay or Western Union. And if you are a wholesaler, you could contact us by on-line customer service or mail and we will give you the best discount.
cheap nfl jerseys - By cheap NFL JERSEYS - Homepage
10th January 2012 - 5:44am

Welcome to, which is a reliable online shopping mall, specializing in NFL Jerseys at cheap prices. You can pick up your favorite Jerseys here.You will find various fashion and hot sell sports jerseys,such as Cheap NFL Jerseys, NFL Jerseys Wholesale and Discount NFL Jerseys,cheap NHL jersey,cheap MLB jersey,cheap NBA jersey,Cheap Jerseys China and so on.,also we supply women jersey,youth jersey.We get the embroidered NFL Jerseys directly from our factory, which have our prices competitive.. If you are expecting the best and long term business partner, we are your best choice.
,Cheap nfl jerseys china - By Cheap nfl jerseys china - Homepage
10th January 2012 - 5:44am

I was very pleased to find this site.I wanted to thank you for this great read!!
jordan shoes - By jordan shoes - Homepage
12th January 2012 - 1:38am

*Name:
*Email:
Website URL:
Title / Subject:
Hide my email
*Comments:
*
 



Menu


Articles

Net Metering And Solar Energy
You Need A PV System To Generate Solar Energy
The History Of Solar Energy
Using Solar Energy Goes Way Back
Solar Energy In Households
How To Conserve Solar Energy Through Your Little Ways
The Future Of Solar Energy – How It Looks And How It Affects Nature
Facts About Solar Energy – Some Things To Ponder And Why
Solar Energy - How Does It Benefit The Agricultural Sector
The Pros And Cons Of Solar Energy
Technologies For Harnessing Solar Energy
The Benefits Of Solar Energy
Solar Energy Is The Future
Wind Power Vs. Solar Energy, An Even Match?
You Can Have A Home Powered By Solar Energy
Solar Energy Simplified
Things You Should Know Before Investing In Solar Energy
Analyzing The Benefits Of Solar Energy
Countries On The Helm Of Solar Energy Technology
How Does Solar Energy Work
The Future Of Solar Energy On Transportation
The Downsides Of Solar Energy
Arguments Against Solar Energy






Articles


Wind Power Vs. Solar Energy, An Even Match? Today in center stage is a battle for the ages. On the right..


You Can Have A Home Powered By Solar Energy Do you like to live in a home that is energy efficient? The good..


Solar Energy Simplified The sun shines, we collect the sunlight, we convert the..


Solar Energy Is The Future We consume fossil fuels at a greater rate than we have ever..



Related Videos:

Related News:

 
Solar energy week in review: Solar gaining steam for 2012 - Clean Energy Authority

    

solarserver.com

Solar energy week in review: Solar gaining steam for 2012
Clean Energy Authority
Last week saw a number of events showing that last year's growth in the US solar market is carrying on this year, despite changes in incentives that could hamper its growth. During the Solar Power Generation USA conference in Las Vegas, Shayle Kann, ...
The Best Choice in Middlesex is Solar PowerBurbank.com News
Green Power EMC Adds 150 kW Solar Facility to Growing Renewable Generation ...MarketWatch (press release)
SBI Energy report: Concentrating Solar Power Technologies will compete with PV ...solarserver.com
Sydney Morning Herald -Green Building Elements
all 166 news articles »



Seminar Planned on Municipally-Owned Solar Energy Systems - NorthcentralPa.com

    

Seminar Planned on Municipally-Owned Solar Energy Systems
NorthcentralPa.com
By Steve Kusheloff, seda-cog The Loyalsock Township Supervisors flipped the switch on their municipal building's solar energy system in December, 2011, a goal they had been pursuing for two years. Their experience will be the focus of Loyalsock ...

and more »