Passive Solar Techniques.

September 15, 2021 absorber, air, aperture, collector, conduction, control, convection, distribution, energy, light-dispersing, mass, passive, power, radiation, renewable, solar, sun, techniques, technologies, thermal No Comments

 

Passive solar techniques include orienting a building to the Sun, selecting materials with favorable thermal mass or light-dispersing properties, and designing spaces that naturally circulate air.

Passive solar works according to a 4-step process:

• First, windows facing the south allow the sun’s rays to shine through. This stage of passive solar heating is known as the aperture (collector) stage.

• Second, After the energy goes through the collector, it is absorbed by you guessed it–the absorber. The absorber is a dark coating of paint on top of a surface known as a thermal mass, which can hold in heat. All the solar energy the absorber is sucking up gets transferred to the thermal mass.

• Third, distribution is a method by which solar heat is transferred from where it is collected and stored to different areas of the house by conduction, convection, and radiation.

• Fourth, the control dictates the entire process of heating, including under and overheating. The control is a system of processes working in unison, namely roof overhangs, vents, and sensors that can detect any problems going on with heating.

In the image below, it's possible to see the 4-steps process.

Courtesy of EERE

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Active Solar Techniques.

September 15, 2021 active, blowers, collectors, controllers, electricity, energy, mechanical, panels, photovoltaic, power, pumps, renewable, solar, sun, technologies, thermal, voltage No Comments

Active solar techniques use various electrical and mechanical components to capture and convert the sun's energy. These systems typically include photovoltaic panels, collectors, voltage controllers, blowers and pumps that work together to process the sun's usable heat. Two major technologies have been developed to harness it:

• Photovoltaic solar technology, which directly converts sunlight into electricity using panels made of semiconductor cells.

• Solar thermal technology, which captures the sun’s heat. This heat is used directly or converted into mechanical energy. and in turn electricity, known as concentrated solar power . This heat is used directly (low‑temperature solar thermal) or converted into mechanical energy and in turn electricity (concentrated solar power – CSP).

Two different types of installations are used:

• Individual systems for homes or small communities. Photovoltaic panels can power electrical devices, while solar thermal collectors can heat homes or hot water.

• Photovoltaic or concentrated solar power plants, that cover hundreds of acres produce electricity on a large scale, which can be fed into power grids.

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Wind Energy (Wind Power).

September 15, 2021 electricity, energy, generators, power, renewable, technologies, turbines, wind No Comments

Wind energy is energy obtained from the force of the wind, and describe the process by which the wind is used to generate mechanical power or electricity. Today, is one of the fastest-growing renewable energy technologies.

Wind turbines first emerged more than a century ago. Following the invention of the electric generator in the 1830s, engineers started attempting to harness wind energy to produce electricity.

To harness electricity from wind energy, turbines are used to drive generators where the wind is used to produce electricity through the kinetic energy created by the air in motion, which  is transformed into electrical energy using wind turbines or wind energy conversion systems. Wind first hits a turbine’s blades, causing them to rotate and turn the turbine connected to them.

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Solar Energy.

September 15, 2021 active, electricity, energy, passive, power, renewable, solar, technologies No Comments

 

Solar energy comes from the sun and can be captured using a range of ever-evolving technologies like solar panels, solar thermal energy, solar architecture, solar heating, etc. Although it sounds like a perfect renewable energy source, the amount of solar energy we can use varies according to the time of day and the season of the year as well as geographical location.

It is an essential source of renewable energy, and its technologies are broadly characterized as either active solar  or  passive solar depending on how they capture and distribute solar energy or convert it into solar power.

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