Light Energy Offers Viable Source Of Power
There is a very close relationship between light and energy, although many never think much about it until it is dark. It is the light energy from the sun that provides life to most things on the Earth and learning to harness that energy can help provide renewable energy resources. Light travels at the speed of about 186,000 miles per second and simply traveling through space the light energy from the sun arrives on the planet about eight seconds after it leaves the sun.
The energy traveling from the sun is not only in the form of visible light. The light energy includes many spectrums, or wavelengths of radiation that cannot be seen, such as ultraviolet and electromechanical. The thermal capabilities of light energy is well known, due to how the sun warms the ground as well as the air and anything else it comes into contact with on its journey to the earth.
Understanding the amount of heat that is available in light energy helps understand how it can be used to provide heat for homes and businesses. Consider a garden hose filled with water left lying in the yard during a sunny afternoon. When the water is turned on and pushes the water through the hose, the first burst of water will be considerably warmer than the water coming through the pipes. The water in the hose was heated by the light energy from the sun.
Using Light To Provide Home Heating
With this concept in mind consider a larger tank of water exposed to the sun with a glass cover. The glass magnifies the light energy and heats the water. If that water is pumped through pipes and into a home, the heat from the water is transferred into its new environment, providing heat for the interior. Of course, as the water travels through the pipes it will begin to cool, and it is returned to the tank to be reheated by the sun's light energy, where it begins its journey over again.
One of the failings of this type of system is that it only works when the sun is shining. At night or on cloudy days, the water will take on the ambient temperature of its surroundings, which in the winter could be quite cold. It requires light energy to keep the water heated, and artificial light sources do not project enough energy to be efficient as a heat source. In colder climates the water in the storage tank can also freeze unless the light energy is consistently available.
