Solar Energy » solar thermal energy

What is the difference between Solar Photovolataic and Solar Thermal energy?

admin — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 22:07:24 +0000

Solar Photovoltaic, or PV, converts sunlight into electricity. It can be used to power anything you currently plug into a wall socket.

Solar Thermal converts sunlight into heat to heat your water instead of using your electric, gas, or oil water heater. Water heating uses about 30% of your home’s energy, and it can cut that down about 75%. That’s a huge saving for not a lot of money.

You can also use solar thermal for heating your house. I’m getting about half of my heating done for free with solar thermal!

Large commercial solar thermal plants are used to generate electricity by heating up fluids so much it turns to steam, then turns a steam turbine. Many of the solar power plants in the deserts use this technique instead of PV.

You can learn about both at the Learn section of the AltE Store – http://www.altestore.com/learn/.

What are some current places where Solar energy thermal (heat) is being used?

admin — Thu, 13 May 2010 12:27:31 +0000

Google is being a crappy helper.

Solar thermal can be used to generate electricity in large power plants, or can be used to capture heat for water and space heating. Here’s a good site on solar thermal electricity, http://www.ecoworld.com/energy-fuels/solar-thermal-power.html. I’m using solar thermal in New England to heat my domestic water for showers and washing, as well as to heat my house. Here’s a description of it, http://www.altestore.com/gallery/Amy-Beaudet-gallery/v/9358727169/amys_water/. It can be used to heat the water for radiant floors, or heat the air in forced hot air systems.

Solar thermal is used all around the world. China is the largest user of solar water heating, with Japan, Germany, Israel all closer behind. It is now required by law in Hawaii for new construction to install slar water heating, since it saves so much power instead of using electricity to heat water.

What is the difference between solar radiation and thermal energy?

admin — Tue, 04 May 2010 03:33:27 +0000

A little detail on the answer would be nice. To whom ever answers this THANK YOU very much!

Well, Solar Radiation, is a radiation that consists of Neutrinos. A neutrinos is an particle traveling almost the speed of light and can pass through anything. Thermal radiation is heat given off by particles.

Whats the differences between Photovoltaic and Photo-thermal energy?

admin — Sun, 02 May 2010 03:22:19 +0000

Are they the same thing? Is there a different way the energy is gathered and used? Or are they 2 parts of a whole method of gathering solar energy? Inquiring minds want to know.

Photovoltaic converts light directly to enerhy using the photo-electric effect. Photothermal energy converts light directly into heat – eg. wearing black clothes on a sunny day – the black clothes will get hot quickly.

Photothermal energy can be used as a heating source to heat hot water like in solar hot water panels and hteat water or oil to pipe round in radiators. It can also be used if concentrated by mirrors and lenses to boil water to make steam which can power a steam engine to create electricity.

During the process of photosynthesis, solar energy is primarily converted into:?

admin — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 11:38:26 +0000

A.mechanical energy.
B.chemical energy.
C.nuclear energy.
D.kinetic energy.
E.thermal energy.

B – chemical energy

What are potential salts used for storing solar thermal energy?

admin — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 04:35:13 +0000

Any salt can be used but a mix of sodium and potassium nitrate is best used commercially (otherwise used as a fertiliser)

how solar energy use in thermal generation?

admin — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 05:19:16 +0000

usually solar energy is used to heat water(or any other liquid with heat transfer characteristics)

so for example ,solar thermal power plants,they use sun to heat the water till it becomes steam under high pressure to turn on turbines which generate electricity.

Also thermal water heaters in homes use the same idea where sometimes vacuum tubes are used where water passes through them,These tubes are designed such that they absorb the solar energy (photons with energy transformed to heat) but in the mean time they dont dissipate heat back to atmosphere

do you think solar cell, wind farms, tidal power, hydro power, thermal power energy will solve our future ener?

admin — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 03:37:50 +0000

Those and other power generation methods will certainly play a big part, but I think that our entire power grid is an antique. If we updated that then we will be much more efficient and wont need to produce as much electricity. A lot of power is lost on long power lines. I also think that many smaller power plants would be a good idea. There are many small irrigation and flood control dams that have no power generators in them, we should make use of them since they are already there.

Solar energy (thermal and photo voltaic) Differences between the conditions in North and South Europe?

admin — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 06:30:25 +0000

Solar energy (thermal and photovoltaic) Diferences between the conditions in North and South europe

I need to do some report about the differences between the conditions for North and South Europe to use the solar energy.

All data, like the energy at places, the advantages, everything is welcome.
Send me links, or other things.

Thanks

There are maps to show how much solar energy is available on average per day for the planet. Solar energy return is also dependent on tracking the sun. Tracking can be applied on solar thermal and photovoltaic. Solar thermal is more economical when scaled up in MW. Solar thermal can also provide night time energy using salt ponds for heat storage.

Why aren’t we using residential solar reflectors with thermal storage?

admin — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 04:14:05 +0000

These are well-established concepts, but I’m amazed that people are not doing this combination more often.

One square meter of sunlight is equivalent to about one horsepower. Reflectors can be used to heat a moving tube of water. Heat storage can be in an insulated underground tank of water without energy conversion losses.

Water can be used to heat homes and heat water.

Why isn’t everyone doing this now given the high cost of energy?

Like moving to more fuel efficient vehicles, consumers need to really feel the pain before they adjust their habits.

There’s a desperate hope that energy prices will come down. When people realize they won’t, then alternatives like you suggest will be popular.