solar energy potential

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Science has proved that our Sun is a huge burning mass of whirling gases with tremendous heat. The heat is so intense that any object approaching within thousands of miles of the sun’s radius would instantly vaporize. The rays of Sun when they reach the earth bring with them the heat latent it them. This heat is diluted when the rays of Sun disperse in the whole atmosphere. But it is possible to concentrate the rays by a magnifying glass to such a point that the latent heat in them also gets concentrated so much that the object placed at that point starts to burn. In using a magnifying glass in the sunlight, what we effectively do is we trap the solar energy present in the sunlight and focus it at a point to produce heat. This principle is the basis of harnessing the potential of solar energy. This solar energy is present everywhere where the sun’s rays reach. We must try to trap this energy as much as possible so that long after the sunset, we can use it to warm our homes and hearths.

We may find the sunlight very pleasant to be in. If we continue to sit in the sunlight for a long time, we find our skin becoming hot because it absorbs the heat present in the sunshine. But since the sunshine is percolating every nook and corner where the sun’s rays reach, the heat is not felt easily. The heat gets dissipated with the atmosphere. That is why it is difficult to capture the heat in the sunlight to such a point that it can be put to use to provide heat and energy to its full potential.

To trap the latent heat in the sunlight sufficiently so that we can use it to warm our homes after the sunset, we need to use the principle in the magnifying glass, that is, we need something that will garner the heat of the sunshine and concentrate it upon a particular area. That something is a solar collector, just like a magnifying glass. It captures the sunlight falling upon it and allows the sunlight to pass through and into the area beyond it. The articles in the space beyond the solar collector absorb and capture the solar heat. The solar collector provides only a one way passage to the heat and traps it so that it cannot get back to its source. One example of solar collector is glass which allows passage of the sunrays through the glass and into container beyond it. The Sun’s rays making up the sunshine travel in straight lines so that once they are through the solar collector, they are not able to turn back themselves. Thus the solar collector effectively traps the heat energy present in the sun’s rays and the area under the glass becomes warm or hot. The articles in the area under the glass absorb the heat and prevent it from escaping back. Thus the area under the glass is heated by solar power and it remains hot for a long time since the heat is trapped there.

The greenhouses make use of this great natural solar collector, that is, glass. The glass walls trap the heat in the sunshine and the greenhouse remains warm long after the sunset or when the sunshine does not reach the greenhouse because of cloudy atmosphere. Thus the warm atmosphere inside the greenhouse is maintained even during cold seasons.

About the Author:

Abhishek is an avid Environmentalist and he has got some great Alternative Fuel Secrets up his sleeves! Download his FREE 70 Pages Ebook, “Energy Conservation And Alternative Fuel” from his website http://www.Wonder-Homes.com/643/index.htm . Only limited Free Copies available.

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com – Solar Energy Explained – A Simple Guide

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