Written by:
stankelly
10/2/2008 7:28 AM
Ok, so when you hear the term solar, the first thing that comes to mind is energy production. However that is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the many uses of the sun’s energy. The energy the sun sends to this planet every day is more than 6000 times the consumption of energy on this planet. That adds up to a lot and even if the standard solar energy power plant runs at 10% efficiency the entire planet could live off of purely solar power for many more centuries.
Let’s take a minute though to look at the many other unique uses of solar technology. How about using the sun’s heat to cool your home? No it’s not some sort of joke; converting hot into cold. Matter of fact the technology is not even new. Did you know that ice was available many years before the first form of electricity was introduced to the world? The process is known as absorption cooling and it is the same technology which you can find in a recreational camper. These campers have air conditioning as well as a refrigerator and both run on LPG. This same principal can be done using steam created by heating up water by the sun. Imagine that, an air conditioner powered purely by the sun and capable of getting cold enough to create ice.
What about pure water? Sure everyone knows that the purest water is distilled water. But most forms of distilled water are completely flat and have no electrolytes in them to help your body retain the water; basically worthless water that is also expensive. The term solar still comes to mind. Using the same exact principal which causes rain to occur, you can purify almost any type of water into clear and refreshing pure water. The best part is that is also tastes good because there is still some nutrients in it. These systems are simple to build and information on their construction can be found allover the internet now a days.
Now I am sure that everyone by now knows you can cook with the sun’s energy as well. In India cooking with the sun is an everyday part of life. So much in fact that many communities now have their own community kitchen which runs completely from the sun. The largest single solar collector can be found at a kitchen in India and is capable of creating enough steam on a daily basis to cook food for more than 100,000 people. They also use the solar stills in India as well to make sure that their drinking water is clean and ensuring that everyone is kept healthy.
As you can see there are so many unique ways of harnessing the sun’s energy and making useful things with it. From cooling off your home with solar air conditioning to cooking your dinners and even making sure your water is clean and pure, solar technology is the future; the world just needs to take the time to realize it and work on making it more efficient then current systems.
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8 comments so far...
Re: Unique Applications of Solar Technology
I can't understand why more effort hasn't been made to harness solar energy with all the problems with oil, and the pollution and stuff. I would LOVE to have my home run on solar power. I had no idea about the water purification and other stuff, but it makes perfect sense to me. I'd like to know more about it. Thanks for such an informative article.
By mamatito33 on
10/2/2008 8:43 PM
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Re: Unique Applications of Solar Technology
I understand completely why it has not been adopted as the primary source of power for the world. it is very difficult to tell people that supplies are short and they need to raise the price of something when they can walk outside and see it shining big and bright. And one thing I have to bring to your attention is that 10% conversion is way to low to make it viable for the majority of people. How the good news is that the DOE in America has just finished testing a solar cell with over 40% conversion and that is highly viable for virtually any solution.
By Taki on
10/3/2008 10:11 PM
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Re: Unique Applications of Solar Technology
Solar energy is an important renewable source of energy. Much of importance must be given to such sources of energy. But the technology was not built enough to tap its fullest potential. People and the government have understood only now. The solar power needs huge amount of batteries to store the energy. They will be available only during the daytime. So its a big problem to store. This technology is very costly. So alternatives must be done for this.
By cogbuddy on
10/8/2008 12:55 PM
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Re: Unique Applications of Solar Technology
Solar energy is a very effective source of energy. but then we have to understand that we need other alternatives for this because that is why it is called solar energy, it will only be effective during daytime. they should try to deepen their researches for it to be fully understood.
By Maylin on
10/11/2008 6:05 AM
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Re: Unique Applications of Solar Technology
The sun produces 6000 times the amount of energy that we get to utilize,check.Most solar panels run at around 10% efficiency,check.With oil running out and an unstable middle east.There are many reasons why third world countries need to invest more in solar energy research.
By adrian on
10/12/2008 7:09 AM
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Re: Unique Applications of Solar Technology
This can be useful to those in developed countries for everyday energy savings at home. It can also be a valuable asset to us before, during and after emergencies. And i agree with Adrian, it can be a blessing to those in third world countries who face critical fuel-wood shortages and unsanitary water supplies.
By Maylin on
10/12/2008 7:43 AM
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Re: Unique Applications of Solar Technology + Wind
Power is every body's proplem,
Experts would expect oil fuel energy to last another 50 years, others think it may last slightly more less,
Only those countries who are working hard on alternatives power resources are the winning ones,
Our god gift renewable sources of energy like solar and wind should be utilized effectively, actually I would say wind and sun being utilized together with an effective energy storing device like batteries or others is a strategy that should be looked at, I have researched wind energy and wind turbines and I would say that vertical axis helical domestic wind turbines would work better for home independent power system.
By Mohammed on
10/18/2008 7:06 AM
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Re: Unique Applications of Solar Technology
It is completely true that harnessing solar energy is one of the best power problem solutions. But the problem is that solar energy is not distributed uniformly all over the globe. While countries like India have abundant of sun, many others don't. But yes, in places that are blessed with this natural form of energy, harnessing it would be the smartest move.
By jigyasa on
10/21/2008 10:55 PM
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