More energy is absorbed by the earth in 1 hour than the entire world population uses in 1 year. Although the use of solar energy is a hot topic and is growing in popularity, we are still in the very early stages of it’s use.Solar energy can be harnessed by many different technologies, for many different purposes.
Solar thermal systems which produce heat. Solar hot water systems are a type of solar thermal system specifically designed for heating water for use in your home, space heating, pool heating, and even industrial heating and cooling. There are several types of solar hot water systems, but all of them use a collector which absorbs the heat, and transfers it to a fluid. The energy is then usually transferred to a storage tank of some kind for its intended use. In January 2010, the California Public Utilities Commission approved a state-wide solar hot water rebate program which will reduce the upfront cost of solar hot water systems, and all more people to take advantage of this free, unlimited source of energy.
Solar Electric (Photovoltaics)
Solar photovoltaic systems produce electricity for powering all of the electrical equipment and devices in your home or business. Net-metering allows you to send electricity back to the “grid” for credit when your system is producing more power than you are using. When the reverse happens and you need more power than your solar PV system is producing, you automatically draw that power from the grid and use your credits. Net-metering eliminates the need for batteries to store then energy, and reduces the system cost dramatically.
Ground-source geothermal systems also make use of solar energy by efficiently transferring heat stored in the crust of the earth to water heating or space heating systems. They are the most efficient form of heat pumps available, and use a relatively small amount of electricity to move heat from the earth to the energy system, rather than directly heating water with electricity or gas.