You can now buy a whole house fan that runs on solar power. And getting your electricity from a renewable resource such as the Sun makes a lot of sense, especially if you are concerned about global warming.
Many large appliances such as refrigerators and air conditioners also run on electricity, which means you can use solar power to generate electricity for those devices as well. And if you live in a hot climate, you can even use it to cool your home.
While there is a lot of excitement about solar energy, it’s still a bit hard to understand how exactly it works and how you can make the most of it. In this blog post, we will go over the basics of solar power so you can see how easy it is to use and maintain, and the great things that can be done with it.
How Does Solar Power Work?
When sunlight is incident on a surface, it is initially absorbed by the molecules in the surface material. A small fraction of the light is then reflected back out into space. The rest of the light is absorbed and converted into thermal energy which is then used to heat your homes and businesses.
The amount of energy that can be extracted from solar power is dependent on the irradiance of the Sun. The more intense the sunlight, the more energy that can be obtained. The solar intensity rating (SI) scale ranges from 0 to 100, with 0 being blackest night and 100 being brightest sunshine. For example, an intensity rating of 50 is considered bright sunlight, and 75 is very bright sunlight. It is estimated that around 17 hours of solar illumination is required for a working day in the Northern Hemisphere (as measured by the United Kingdom).
Due to space limitations, we have included an image of the solar panels of SolarReserve’s The Riverton Towers. This is an iconic structure in New York City which consists of a twin-towered apartment building and a superyacht marina, both of which are powered by solar energy. The marina tower was completed in 2013 and is the world’s largest private marina at 12 storeys high. The twin-towered apartment building was designed by Swiss architects Herzog & Herzog and features over 300 residential apartments.
Is It Worth It?
The price of solar power has come down significantly since the industry first started to adopt it. And it’s now possible for homeowners to invest in small-scale solar power without breaking the bank. This has led to an increase in the number of people looking to generate their own electricity using solar power rather than relying on large utility companies.
The future of solar power is extremely promising, as new technologies and innovative approaches make it easier to collect and store energy for use when required. Whether you are interested in powering a small residential home or a larger business, there are now plenty of options available to make the process of generating your own electricity as cost-effective and stress-free as possible.