Renewable Energy

There are mainly two ways of solar heating, those are active and passive. In passive solar heating process there is no electrical or mechanical device to gather the solar heat. This whole process is done by using the structure and design of the buildings, and is considered advantageous due to low maintenance and operational coast. While in active solar heating pumps and fans are required to direct and move solar heat. Active solar heating is further classified into air-based and liquid- based systems.

Liquid-based active solar heating

To trap the solar heat and in moving it liquid-based solar systems use liquid solar collectors. These collectors are filled with the fluids; the fluids are used on their capability of absorbing solar heat. These fluids can be water or any antifreeze agent. Flat-plate collector is among the most common collectors which are being used.

Working and installation of liquid-based solar systems

Mechanical collectors are also used; pump is a common mechanical collector it is used in transferring the heated liquid into heat exchanger or storage tank. If you are planning to install this system you have to decide about the size, coast, placement and durability of the storage tank. The distribution of the solar heat can be done by central forced air system or using various type of devices.

Air-based active solar heating

Air-based solar heating system uses air instead of water for transferring solar heat. The operations of the air collector are less efficient than the liquid collector. The main reason for lesser efficiency is that air does not transfer heat efficiently than as liquid. Read the full story

Humans have been using cooling techniques for a long time. Evaporative cooling is among those ancient techniques. To minimize the hot climate effect people used to sleep in home enclosures or screened-in porches. During the summer nights wet blankets or sheets were hung around the enclosure, fans were used to draw the warm air and the air coming into room through the wet blanked helped in cooling the room. Same technique now days are being used in many homes of the hooter climate areas like south California and Arizona.

Economical technology

Evaporative cooler mostly has an electric fan that draws the warm air in the system, there the air passes through the moist pads and through evaporation it is cooled. Then that air is distributed throughout the home according to the requirement. This cooler makes use of the simpler technology than the refrigerant air conditioners; technology used in this cooler is much cheaper. This also requires much less maintenance and it do not expel any toxic refrigerant fluids or gases. It only requires replacement of the moist pads after one or two seasons. They work only in the areas where humidity level is low, area having humidity thirty percent or low is considered ideal.

High efficiency

Due to their high efficiency and environmental friendly nature they are gaining popularity quickly. These coolers require much less energy to operate than the air conditioners. It has created new options for you; you can use these coolers with smaller motors on solar panels electricity.  Solar panels work at their maximum capacity in the hotter parts of the day exactly at that time maximum cooling is required. The cooler will get maximum electric energy from the solar panel so it will work in a best way.

There are two main types of evaporative coolers, direct and indirect. Read the full story