Solar System For Households
Solar System For Households
As the development of technology is flourishing, fossil fuels are unceasingly depleted for enormous generation of energy. With limited resources, alternative forms of renewable energy are emerging. Among them, solar power has been growing at a blistering pace in recent years. It sparks controversy among different parties. Some people applaud this method saying it is more environmentally friendly; while some others express resentment on the astronomical cost of building solar devices. This essay will discuss how solar system works and the pros and cons of using it to power households in the UK.
Figure 1 Passive solar heating system (North Carolina Solar Center, 1998)
There are two kinds of solar heating systems: passive (Figure 1) and active (Figure 2). The passive system captures and stores heat from the direct sunlight within a well-insulated structure. Heat can be stored in the buildings thermal mass in walls, floors of concrete, adobe, brick, or stone and water tanks and then be released gradually during the day and night time. A direct gain system usually includes south facing super-window and heavy mass to absorb the most direct sunlight in cold weather and the least in hot weather. Figure 2 Active Solar heating System (North Carolina Solar Center, (1999)
On the other hand, the active system is widespread nowadays under the influence of the development of photovoltaic (PV) cells (Figure 3 & 4) which are in panels that usually mounted on a roof or on special racks of the house. Unlike passive solar technologies, it usually contains a pump type moving device. Heat can be either consumed directly or stored in insulated containers with gravel, water, clay, or heat-absorbing chemical for later consumption when necessary. (Miller & Spoolman, 2012)
Figure 3 Solar cells attached to the Figure 4 Solar panels on BedZED rooftop (Simonic, 2007) development in London (Chance, 2007)
Why is
As the development of technology is flourishing, fossil fuels are unceasingly depleted for enormous generation of energy. With limited resources, alternative forms of renewable energy are emerging. Among them, solar power has been growing at a blistering pace in recent years. It sparks controversy among different parties. Some people applaud this method saying it is more environmentally friendly; while some others express resentment on the astronomical cost of building solar devices. This essay will discuss how solar system works and the pros and cons of using it to power households in the UK.
Figure 1 Passive solar heating system (North Carolina Solar Center, 1998)
There are two kinds of solar heating systems: passive (Figure 1) and active (Figure 2). The passive system captures and stores heat from the direct sunlight within a well-insulated structure. Heat can be stored in the buildings thermal mass in walls, floors of concrete, adobe, brick, or stone and water tanks and then be released gradually during the day and night time. A direct gain system usually includes south facing super-window and heavy mass to absorb the most direct sunlight in cold weather and the least in hot weather. Figure 2 Active Solar heating System (North Carolina Solar Center, (1999)
On the other hand, the active system is widespread nowadays under the influence of the development of photovoltaic (PV) cells (Figure 3 & 4) which are in panels that usually mounted on a roof or on special racks of the house. Unlike passive solar technologies, it usually contains a pump type moving device. Heat can be either consumed directly or stored in insulated containers with gravel, water, clay, or heat-absorbing chemical for later consumption when necessary. (Miller & Spoolman, 2012)
Figure 3 Solar cells attached to the Figure 4 Solar panels on BedZED rooftop (Simonic, 2007) development in London (Chance, 2007)
Why is
References: Chance, T. (2007) BedZED eco-village, England http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:BedZED_2007.jpg [last accessed: 15/11/2012] Miller, G North Carolina Solar Centre (1999) Sunbook http://ncsc.ncsu.edu/wp-content/uploads/sunbook.pdf [last accessed: 15/11/2012] Simonic, M Power source solar, Inc. (2008) Solar Energy Advantages and Disadvantages http://powersourcesolar.com/5151/index.html [last accessed: 15/11/2012] Scheer, H