7 Exciting Facts About Solar Home Thermal Energy - By: Dave McIntosh

You may not think of home thermal energy as exciting but believe me there are some exciting things you should know about it. Being able to get light and heat energy from our sun and then being able to convert it into different forms of energy that we use daily, is exciting.

Thermal energy is the energy produced when an object gets heated. There are many sources of this type of energy most of which are fossil fuels like coal, oil and natural gas which have traditionally been used. The problem with these traditional fuels is they have a limited supply, they are costly to produce and they have byproducts that are harmful to our environment.

Solar thermal energy on the other hand is a technology that harnesses solar energy for heat. It is clean and has no harmful byproducts. Now that is exciting at least to me.

Here are some fun and exciting facts about solar thermal energy that I think you not only should know but you too will get excited about.

1) Did you know that the amount of sunlight that hits the earth in just one hour each and every day is enough to supply the total world’s demand for energy for one whole year? Isn’t that amazing? That means if we could utilize the sun’s thermal energy properly we would have a plentiful supply of energy to meet our every need.

2) Point one is true even though the suns total energy gets reduced by at least 25% by the time it gets to us. Then when the sun’s rays hit the earth they are diminished further by the clouds, dust and pollution which are widespread in the air. That means that what finally reaches us is merely 1/4 of the suns actual energy potential.

3) We should all remember this that plants use the suns energy to make food for them to grow and survival through photosynthesis.

4) Did you know that Sir Albert Einstein one of the world’s smartest men was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1921 for his revolutionary work in physics on solar thermal energy and the discovery of the solar photovoltaic cell?

5) Did you know that in the Middle Ages many European farmers used a form of solar thermal energy in their fields? Isn’t that incredible that people even then were utilizing the immense power of the Sun?

6) Today architects are taught how to incorporate and use the solar energy when building or remodeling a building. They are taught how to design a structure so that sunlight can be utilized as a significant source of heat for the building.

7) Even though all that is true the solar panels we see installed everywhere, are only able to convert on average about 15% of the suns light to electricity. The balance is wasted.

That just means there is a lot of work yet to do in this field. Nevertheless it does not mean that it is not worthwhile to take advantage of solar home thermal energy today. Yes tomorrow there will be something new developed that will make it even more economically viable and more efficient. But today it is still better than the traditional fuels for thermal energy and is far better for the environment.

After reading this I’m sure you don’t find solar energy boring anymore!

About the Author

Dave McIntosh has been in the renovation business for more than 30 years. He also believes very strongly in going green. With this combination he has developed over the years a huge amount of information about how to save energy and save money on your energy bills. For more great information on, secrets to home thermal energy, visit http://www.secrets2savehomeenergy.com .

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