Solar energy is harvesting the sun's solar power through the use of photo-electric solar panels or other collection techniques - is no longer only a fantasy or a concept that universities and businesses experiment with. Sure there are still experiments that are going on with solar panels, but that’s for newer solar power technologies. In today’s solar energy market, there are more practical uses for solar energy for homeowners. As far as any technological advancements go, there are investments costs to consider, but more and more homeowners are beginning to make everyday use of the sun’s solar power.  

Different Solar-Powered Systems on the Market Today

When you go solar in today’s solar market, it no longer means that you have to invest tens of thousands of dollars to cover your rooftop with solar panels, but that is still an option if you are interested in powering your entire home with solar power. On today’s solar energy market there’s now a variety of stand-alone solar-powered systems that will serve essential practical purposes, as well as DIY - friendly kits for solar panels that will let anyone create small solar-powered systems for custom uses.

Solar Power Ventilation Fans

Ventilation fans of any kind are a good idea since they will help homeowners reduce the cost of cooling by exhausting hot air from attic spaces and other areas. Traditionally, the exhaust fans are wired into the household electrical current, which somewhat defeats the energy-saving purpose. Now, however, you can buy self-contained roof vent fans that will feature a small solar panel of photo-electric solar cells that operate the fan motor with no need for household electrical current at all. Small roof-mounted solar power units are perfect for keeping one’s garage or shed cool in the summer. There are also free-standing solar-powered systems for fans' use on a patio or a kid's play area.

Solar Energy Water Heater

There are two types of solar-powered systems that homeowners can use to replace traditional water heaters that are powered by gas for electricity. Active water heating solar-powered systems can make use of mechanical circulating pumps that circulate water or another fluid from rooftop heat collection solar panels down into a storage tank. Passive hot water solar-powered systems don’t have any mechanical pump components, operating by the simple physics of the heat that is naturally rising.

Active Water Heater Solar-Powered Systems

There are two types of active solar-powered system for active solar-powered systems.

Direct Circulation Systems have a pump that circulates household water through solar energy collectors and into the home. These solar-powered systems work well in climates where it never freezes.

Indirect Circulation Systems make use of a non-freezing liquid that circulates through the solar power collectors to a heat exchanger, where the solar energy is transferred to the water that will then flow into the home. These solar-powered systems are commonly used in climates where there are freezing temperatures.

Passive Water Heater Solar-Powered Systems

Passive solar water heaters are a lot cheaper than active solar-powered systems, but they aren’t normally as efficient. Passive water heater solar-powered systems also have two different types of systems.

Integral collector-storage passive systems are used more often in regions that will rarely see freezing temperatures. These systems work well in homes where hot water needs are substantial. In these systems, the solar power collector is integrated right into the water storage tank. The sun’s solar power will heat the water storage tank much like the way a room gets warmer when the sun shines directly on the windows.

Thermosiphon systems use a design in which the solar energy collectors are positioned lower than the storage tank. As the collector heats the water, it naturally rises into the storage tank. Installation must be careful since the heavy tanks that are usually rooftop solar-powered system installations.

There can be a substantial investment in installing a solar water heater. Yet doing the math might prove that a cost-effective idea when you calculate the energy costs of the operating a standard water heater over 20 years or more.  

Solar Power Heating for Swimming Pools

In the summertime, one of the greatest joys is the swimming pool. Regardless if it is children or adults going swimming, a private or a public pool, everyone enjoys a refreshing dip in the pool, but if the pool is too cold to jump in, it could ruin everyone’s day. But there are some easy solar energy fixes to the problem, you can add a solar power blanket that will warm the pool's water. The basic floating solar energy blanket is a passive heating solar energy device that works simply by absorbing the sun’s solar power and the hearing as well as transmitting it to the water.

But, if you want to get a little more high-tech, you will also install full-fledged water heating solar-powered systems. This utilizes the heating solar panels that are mounted on one's roof to collect the sun’s heat, which transmits the water through a series of tubes looping through the solar panels. As the water is slowly circulated from the pool up through the heating solar panels and back to the pool, the water temperature in the pool is gradually increased.