Tag: solar thermal systems

  • How to build a simple solar thermal water collector

    In august, during the “Do It Yourself 2.0” workshops set up by Cohabitat, I ran a workshop in which I taught how to build a simple and affordable solar thermal collector that is suitable for domestic hot water. Of course I made a lot of video and photos so that I could edit it all […]

  • Passive solar energy use

    Passive solar technology is simply a set of techniques for using sunlight for useful energy without the use of any active mechanical systems.  These methods convert sunlight into usable heat (passive solar heating — hot water, warm air, and heat stored in thermal mass), cause air-movement for ventilation, and store heat for future use.  Passive […]

  • History of Solar Energy Usage

    We often think that modern societies were the first to use solar energy. Not true! Early cave dwellers preferred caves that had openings facing southeasterly that allowed the morning sun to warm them up without overheating in the warm months.  Native Americans in the Southwest oriented their pueblo dwellings.  So the low winter sun would […]

  • What is solar energy

    Solar energy is a term that refers to the direct use of sunlight to produce heat or electric power.  The sun’s energy is plentiful, but it is thinly distributed over a large area. It must be collected and concentrated in order to produce usable power. The amount of solar radiation per unit of flat area […]