How is solar power used?

Solar power is a very energetic resource with many uses. Solar power is most famous for its ability to create electricity to power our homes and businesses, but its usefulness goes well beyond even that lofty goal.

Solar Cooking

For millennia, the sun has been used to cook food. While the days of laying a salmon on a black rock in the sun are come and gone for most Americans, solar cookers still have plenty of relevance in the world today. In developing countries like India, solar ovens are keeping thousands of people healthy and fed. Even in your own backyard, a simple solar oven can be built as a fun project.

Solar Electricity

Solar power is famous for a good reason. The sun strikes the earth in a single hour with enough energy to power all of humanity many times over. Most of the minute fraction of that energy that we currently harness is used to create electricity, either with solar power panels on a rooftop or in large concentrated solar power (CSP) plants.

Solar Water Heating

Solar power is also used to heat water for use in the home. Typical solar power panels are swapped for solar thermal collectors, which in a few different ways, collect heat from the sun and transfer it to water for use in the shower, at the sink or in the kitchen. Solar water heaters are the most inexpensive and cost-effective way to use solar power in the home.

Solar Space Heating

Similar to solar water heating, solar energy can also be used to heat the living space. Solar heaters are either liquid- or air-based. The liquid is sent through a heat exchanger or radiant floor to pass along its solar heat. Air-based systems can utilize a radiant floor setup or heat indoor air directly. Passive solar design (i.e. utilizing south-facing windows and thermal mass floors or walls to collect solar radiation without any pumps or fans) is also used to solar-heat homes.

Solar Cooling

Believe it or not, solar heat is used to cool buildings. Although more complex and expensive than solar heating systems, solar cooling systems are feasible and do exist. There are two main types: absorption and desiccant systems. Absorption chillers use solar-heated air to separate a mixture containing an absorbent and refrigerant, the latter of which is condensed and evaporated to produce a cooling effect. A desiccant system passes solar-heated air over a group of desiccants, which absorb the warm moisture from the air. The cooled remainder is sent into the home. Solar power panels are also used to run evaporative coolers.

Solar Pool Heating

In states from California to Florida, solar pool heaters are very advantageous in the southern United States. Systems are typically rather simple, although fine-tuned controls, readouts and sensors are available. Basically, pool water is pumped up through solar collectors on the roof (often simply black pipes) and back to the pool in a continuous cycle.

Solar Products

Solar power has also created a variety of products, including solar garden lights, solar attic fans, solar flashlights, solar fountains - basically, solar anything. Pretty much any product that can be used outdoors is fodder for the solar energy movement.