Solar Thermal Heating Systems for Domestic Use in the UK - Dissertation Example

Solar power is one of the most popular renewable energy technologies available (Tiwari, 2002) and is gaining appreciation due to the increasing amount of emphasis on fossil fuels and how they affect the environment. Solar power relies on converting solar energy to usable fuel energy (Larson & West, 1996) generally for electricity. Solar power generally relies on the use of photovoltaic plates, which are essentially cells containing some photovoltaic material that can capture light from the sun and turn it into electricity.

They rely on the photoelectric effect. Photovoltaic plates are generally made from silicon (DeWinter, 1990). Solar energy can be directed onto these plates at a greater intensity by using mirrors or lenses to reflect the sunlight onto them. Tracking devices can also be used. In this case, the photovoltaic plates are attached to a sensor mechanism and can be moved automatically to face the direction in which they will capture most solar energy (Tiwari, 2002).One of the main problems with solar power is that it can only be used during sunlight, meaning that at night time or during dark weather there is no electricity from this method (Tiwari, 2002).

To get around this, sunlight should be stored during peak hours for use at later points. There are many storage mechanisms available. One of these is the use of molten salts to store energy at high temperatures. These are a favored storage type because they are low cost and have a high specific heat capacity (DeWinter, 1990). Another way of storing solar energy is to use rechargeable batteries. These must be of considerable size for use in public solar energy plants. Battery storage can also be used by people with domestic solar energy sources, and a measuring system is available that gives credit to homeowners that supply their excess electricity (Tiwari, 2002).

The energy can also be stored in water using a hydroelectricity technique. A final method of storing energy is artificial photosynthesis.