Solar Dennis

Solar energy is the radiation and the heat which the sun gives out. Harnessing this radiation using a solar collector and using it in a variety of technological applications is being carried out for a long time. Solar power provides a source of electrical generation by using heat engines or photovoltaic applications. Once this kind of energy is converted into usable energy, its number of uses is left only to the imagination of mankind.

The range where solar energy can be utilized and products developed is wide and great in number. The most common place where solar products are used is for heating purposes. Solar heating products are also plenty in number. These products are capable of heating water and other liquids and can be utilized for simple domestic purposes or for even heating pools. The most common type of solar water heaters, are evacuated tube collectors or glazed flat collectors. Israel and Cyprus are the world leaders in using home solar water heaters, with over ninety percent of homes using them. In the United States and Canada, heating swimming pools is the major purpose for which these solar products are utilized.

Cooling and ventilation are the other purposes for which these products can be used. Solar chimneys and solar air conditioners are very popular in both commercial and residential buildings in the United States. A solar chimney is a passive ventilation device. It is composed of a shaft which connects the exterior and interior of the building. It functions very simply. As the chimney warms, the air inside is consequently heated and moves in an updraft and then outside the building. The solar air conditioner consists of solar thermal collectors which provide input energy for a compatible cooling system.

Solar energy can also be used for various kinds of water treatment. There are solar water disinfection devices, and solar desalination products. These products can be used to make brackish or saline water usable. These solar products are usually used in a large scale form for better utility. Such a solar desalination project was first tried out in Chile.

Solar cookers are also extremely popular. These products use solar energy for cooking, drying and pasteurization. These are of three main types, box cookers, panel cookers and reflector cookers. These cookers can reach temperatures of up to three hundred and fifteen degrees and above but must receive direct sunlight and should be in a position which can track the sun in order to function properly.
Solar furnaces and solar electrical power generators are the other kinds of large scale solar products that are increasing in efficiency with the improvement of technology.