SOLAR THERMAL

The technology of collecting energy from the sun is called solar thermal energy and this technology is becoming a global effort to reduce global warming and create sustainable energy sources.

Solar thermal collectors are defined as being low, medium and high temperature and each has different uses.

Low temperature solar thermal collectors are essentially flat plates that are commonly used to heat swimming pools(Solar water heating).

The medium temperature collectors are also flat plates but are used for creating hot water for residential uses as well as commercial uses.

High temperature solar thermal collectors use mirrors and lenses to make the sunlight collected concentrated and used to convert it into electric power.

Over half of the overall solar thermal collectors produced in the United States are of the low temperature variety.

These collectors can use air or water to deliver heat and therefore are great natural pool heaters and supplemental heat sources for homes as well.

The solar units can be used in conjunction with heating, ventilation and air conditioning units as well.

In the United States HVAC units make up about a quarter of the energy used in commercial buildings and nearly half of the energy of a residential building. 

Solar technologies can offset a portion of this energy in sustainable and natural ways.

Like the low temperature collectors the medium temperature solar thermal collectors can be used to offset residential and commercial energy usage considerably.

The energy used for hot water can be reduced by about half with the use of a medium collector.

This can result in a reduction of CO2 emissions by about a ton a year if it replaces gas water heaters and about 3 tons a year if it replaces electric water heaters.

Not to be confused with solar photovoltaic, the high temperature solar thermal collector can create electricity from the sun but does not convert it directly into electricity.

Solar radiation is concentrated by mirrors and lenses to create a high enough temperature to create electricity.

The high temperature collectors are generally used only in solar thermal energy plants and combines different technologies to create the results needed.

These technologies are more advanced and more volatile to work with and therefore are not found in residential applications.

The solar energy plants store the heat drawn from the sun to provide a source for energy on overcast days as well as nights allowing for consistent energy without interruptions.  

This is accomplished by transferring the heat to a thermal storage reservoir during the day so it can then be drawn for use at night.

The technologies associated with solar power bring us closer to globally using sustainable sources for our energy consumption. 

By striving to use sustainable sources  for energy such as solar power we will begin to see a reduction of global warming emissions that are common with much the current energy sources.  Oil and coal are the most globally used sources for energy. 

The sun’s energy is widely available and today’s technology is bringing this power to everyone everywhere.