Home Solar Energy Uses

Home solar energy comes in a few different types.  But what all forms of home solar energy have in common is that they all, obviously, are powered directly by the sun, are sustainable and (once the systems are in place) cheap to run.

Forms of Solar Energy

The main forms of home solar energy are:

• solar water heating,
• solar electricity, and
• passive solar heating.

In the home, solar energy can also be used for cooking and as an incinerator (even as an incinerator of toilet waste in some designs of earthship home).  These, however, are lesser forms of home solar energy and are only suitable for very hot, sunny climates.

Solar water heating and solar electricity have one advantage over passive solar heating, as this form of home solar energy can be retrofitted to an existing house.  Passive solar heating (or cooling) needs to be part of the house design from the beginning and cannot be retrofitted.

Solar Water Heating

Solar water heating uses the principles of absorption, insulation and convection along with the heating power of the sun to provide a home with hot water.  A solar water heating unit is installed on the roof – it must be oriented towards the midday sun and placed at the correct angle for the latitude – and contains pipes that flow through it to be heated to the hot water tank.  Homes in most, if not all, parts of Australia should receive sufficient sunshine year round to benefit from this form of home solar energy.

Solar Electricity

Solar electricity also works with a roof-installed unit, this time of photovoltaic panels (also called solar panels).  These are wired to a deep-cycle battery that stores the charge so you can use the solar energy at night – which is when most people use electricity at night.

Passive Solar Thermal Design

Passive solar heating uses the thermal mass of building materials to store the sun’s energy and heat during the day and release it when the air temperature cools down.  Some passive solar heating designs also use convection to keep air circulating through the house so the whole house is heated – passive solar cooling systems also use convection to create cooling air currents.  A home using solar energy to heat it will have as many windows as possible facing north (in the Southern Hemisphere), and will use things like natural stone or adobe in the walls and floors to absorb heat.  Double-glazing is also used to trap heat, and sometimes, the heat is trapped in a water tank.

However, most of us use the most basic forms of home solar energy.  Sunshine is a free source of light and heat during the daytime, and is by far the most energy-efficient method of drying clothes.