Is solar energy a viable option for the future Research Paper

Is solar energy a viable option for the future - Research Paper Example A passive solar home harnesses the sunrays without use of mechanical and electrical devices such as heat pumps, or electrical controls to move and distribute the heat. The key to designing a passive solar home is to best take advantage of what the local climate has to offer. Passive solar techniques are easily incorporated into new home designs; however, existing buildings can be adapted to collect and store solar heat. Passive solar homes can incorporate heat through direct gain of the sunrays, indirect gain or Thrombe walls, and the use of isolated gain or sun spaces. In the direct gain method, sunlight enters the house through south facing windows with a glazing application made of translucent glass. The sun then hits brick flooring or masonry walls that are typically dark colors, to absorb the heat. Then as the house cools down at night, the heat is transferred into the room for several hours. Some passive homes use water barrels placed in strategic locations to catch the sun hea t. It is then transferred into the room as the home cools down at night. Water stores twice as much heat as masonry per cubic foot of volume. Water tanks do require some maintenance, since water does not support itself. The tanks require periodic treatment to prevent alga growth. The amount of passive solar in a particular area depends on how large the area of glazing and amount of thermal mass. The glazing area determines how much heat can be collected. The thermal mass determines how much heat can be stored. If the thermal mass is not large enough, the house could overheat. The ratio of thermal mass to glazing has to be determined by the climate in which you live. Thermal mass must also be insulated in order to retain the stored heat as long as possible. Loss of thermal heat is especially prominent when the thermal mass is directly connected to the ground or in contact with outside air. The temperature around the thermal mass needs to remain at or above the temperature of the ther mal mass itself. Even if you live in a simple house with south-facing windows without thermal mass, you still have potential passive solar elements. This is called solar-tempering. To make best use of this type of passive solar heating, install window treatments that reduce nighttime heat loss and prevent overheating during the summer months. The indirect gain method or Thrombe walls are the most commonly used method. The wall is usually 8-16 inches thick, masonry wall, and on the south side of the house. Then either a single or double layer of glass is mounted one inch or less in front of the wall. Solar heat is then absorbed by the dark color of the wall and then the heat is transferred into the living area. The Trombe releases the heat into the home over a period of several hours. The heat collected usually reaches its highest temperatures in the late afternoon. When the outside temperatures drop, the wall radiates heat into the room. Heat travels through a brick wall at the rate of one hour per inch. Therefore, heat absorbed in an 8 inch thick brick wall at 12:00 noon will enter the living space of the home around 8:00 p.m. So if your highest temperatures are collected in the brick wall at 4:00 in the afternoon, the heat will be transferred to the living area at 12:00 midnight. The third