3 Common Solar Energy Devices Applications Used Around The World

The primitive humans employed solar power for the day to day activities and as the world became sophisticated and solar energy could no longer meet our power requirements ways of harnessing the sun’s energy into various forms took shape. There are still certain solar energy devices which convert sunlight directly into electrical or mechanical energy. They are used all around the world as they are not only cost effective but also the pollution factor is low while using them. Their popularity is rising with the people around the world feeling the heat of global warming and also is crippled by paying huge amount of electricity taxes to the government, so want a way out of the grid power.

• Solar house is the new concept of producing zero power houses in which the power loss is zero. It is not only economical but also prevents the pollution and wastage of valuable energy. The greenhouse buildings are modeled on similar concept of zero power buildings and they use solar energy for the protection and growth of plants in colder regions. A greenhouse consists of glass roofs and walls to serve as excellent retainer of infrared rays from sun and keep the surroundings warm. Certain homes around the world also have greenhouse windows which are a smart form of utilising solar energy. In this device, the window sashes are opened about 6 inches and air current is allowed to develop. The cool air from rooms is pulled into the green house and warm air is circulated out. At night the reverse follows and thus helps to maintain optimum germination conditions for seeds and growth of plants.

• The most important domestic work is water heating and constitutes of major share of our electricity bills. Solar heaters are used for producing hot water and are easy to set up over the roof tops near the water tanks. They are made of glass panels coated with acrylic paints which enable it to collect solar energy and water is distributed using metal pipes insulated from exterior to minimise heat loss. They also utilise solar energy in form of driers and simple solar concentrator mirrors can be used to speed up the evaporation of water from palm and sugarcane juices, which is the source of oil and sugar for rural population as well.

• A recent development is the solar irrigation system which is gaining popularity steadily. They use photovoltaic power to run a low volume pump in which the amount of water circulated depends on the solar energy obtained by the cells. Thus when the heat is at its peak the solar energy is used to water the plants effectively by continuous water supply and preventing water lock. There are numerous applications of solar devices and in future they will become efficient and economical.