How To Solar Power You Home In 4 Steps

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by: TimMcDonald | Total views: 78 | Word Count: 711

For ages sunlight has been utilized by man. From being used in ancient temples for natural lighting to being converted to electricity for today's power hungry nations, the power of the sun has a number of uses.

So, how can solar power be used on a smaller scale at home as clean source of energy?

So far people have discovered how to solar power their homes in 4 ways:

Solar Cooking:

Using a solar oven is a really inexpensive and healthy way to cook food. It used to be used in poor, underdeveloped nations where electricity was not freely available. But now a lot of travelers, campers and environmentalists use it during summer as a green alternative to a conventional oven.

The solar oven works where reflective material is constructed in a bowl-like shape, and concentrates the sunlight on a single point, that heats up a pot. A number of meals can be cooked in this energy saving oven, from roast chicken to soups to bread. Depending on the design, enough food can be made to feed a family of five.

The disadvantage of using a solar cooker is that it can up to four times longer than a conventional oven to cook your food. But if you think that the food it cooks is healthier, cheaper (since no power is used) and it is portable, that extra time should not be such a big issue.

Solar Water Heater:

Thanks to extensive research and development, a solar water geyser is an affordable and clean alternative to using the typical gas or electric powered boiler to heat your water.

With a modern solar water heater, solar collectors are filled with a conductive type of anti-freeze that heats up in the sun, As this gel heats up, it flows through narrow tubes in a cylinder, where the heat is transferred to the water. And so you get hot water.

Passive Solar Design:

What people do not realize is how much power they consume just to heat and light their homes. And if they could just see the benefit of using natural lighting and heating from the sun, they could save a lot of power and money.

Passive solar design is the strategic use of the sun's energy to heat, light and ventilate your home naturally. For example, having a home that faces the sun, that has large, low-emissivity windows, and that is built from heat-retaining materials will tend to be naturally warmer in winter.

And like the Romans used the sun to light up their temples, careful placing of windows and mirrors in our homes can increase natural lighting, helping us reduce the need for electric lighting.

To help regulate the temperature in your home, you could plant deciduous trees outside to shade your home from hot sunlight in summer and let sunshine through in winter.

To replace your conventional ventilation system, you could install a solar attic fan or solar chimney that draws hot air out of the house, and pulls in cooler air.

Solar Electricity:

More accurately called photovoltaic power, this is the most commonly known way to solar power your home. For this system to work properly, a number solar panels need to be facing the sun to produce electricity.

How sunshine becomes electricity, is as the sun shines on the panels, the cells become charged and generate a current that is then stored in batteries. From there, the current is passed through an inverter, where it can then be used to power your household, and even be fed back into the power grid.

The good thing about solar power is that as long the sun is shining, you will get free power, technology is bringing down the costs and there is little effect on the environment. What's more is, if you cannot afford to spend thousands of dollars on an expert system, you can learn to build your own solar panel system for a tenth of the price.

And these are the 4 ways how to solar power your home. If your are willing to learn how to use these methods at home, you will not only be living a greener life, but you will reduce your power needs and costs, receive renewable energy tax incentives, and lower the burden on our vanishing energy sources. So take the initiative and enjoy the sun's free, clean, abundant energy now.

About the Author

Tim McDonald has been harnessing the sun's free energy at home since June 2008. If you want to make your own diy solar power for under $200 and cut your electricity costs, then try earth4energy for free - a sneak peek at the Internet's top rated step-by-step solar/wind power instructions.

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