Solar Heat Can Provide Warmth Economically
Anyone who has ever used a magnifying glass in the sun to set a piece of paper on fire has a basic understanding of solar heat and how it can be used to provide warmth, sometimes excessively in a confined area. While most people consider using the sun as an alternative source for electricity, the fact is that solar heat was used over 100 years ago to heat water to provide heat in homes. The thermal heat available from the sun can easily be felt on a hot summer day and when harnessed can provide energy for numerous uses.
For a better understanding of how solar heat can be useful, consider having left a garden hose lying out in the yard during the summer, even for only an hour or so. When the water is turned on, the first water out of the hose that was left in it when it was left out is going to be considerably warmer. This same concept can be used to provide solar heat for a variety of applications such as heating water in a swimming pool, providing hot water for household use and to provide heat for the home.
The biggest opponent to using solar heat is the pipes used for transferring the heated water from any collection container to the house or pool. Holding the water in a special bladder or container can allow the sun to heat it before being moved to where it is required.
Thicker Water Stays Warmer Longer
Most devices constructed to provide solar heat do not count on the water alone to move the heat from the course to where it is needed. For example, to provide heated water to a home, the water collector has to be in the sunlight. As the water is moved from outside, the heat dissipates and can lose a lot of the thermal advantage simply by entering the building. Many applications call for using a substance such as salt in the water, which has shown to allow the water to hold the heat longer as it travels through the pipes.
In colder climates, this type of heat can be sporadic as the water has to be outside in order to be hit by the sun and in the evenings or during cloudy days, the water can freeze putting an end to the source of the solar heat. Water treated with salt or other materials can slow down the rate at which it freezes, but some of the components may still be subjected to damage from the cold weather.
