Yes, You Can Go Solar Sans Panels

Our electrical grids aren't the way they used to be - therefore, solar energy is an option that's rising in popularity. But didn't you know that you can get solar energy without large, messy and cumbersome solar panel systems?

The concept of solar gain is what is used to allow solar energy to work for your home without panels. While you may associate panel systems with any mention of solar power, they are not a component of this approach. It isn't, and in fact it is a great deal cheaper and more convenient than your conventional solar panels.

The concept of solar gain, believe it or not, has been around almost as long as modern man has. Earlier civilizations obviously didn't have electricity. Early civilizations would use the sun's heat to keep themselves and their structures warm. It is fairly humorous when archaeologists marvel at the fact ancient structures are always oriented to the sun. If they knew anything about solar gain, they would realize the structures were being used to produce thermal heating through masonry, openings and so on. In a nutshell, this is how solar gain was "invented."

Let us use a very simple example to explain the modern concept of solar gain. Assume your car is safely parked in the lot in the summer heat, with the windows up. What happens when you open the door to get in? You get stunned by a smothering burst of solar heat, that's what. Now if your seats happen to be black or of a dark color, you'd be screaming gibberish and jumping like a kangaroo due to the heat when you sit down. Your car is hot because it has acted as a platform for solar gain. The sun was able to penetrate the windows, then proceed to heat up your car's surfaces and jack up the temperature inside. And since the heat couldn't leave your car quickly enough due to poor ventilation or other factors, this results in unbearable heat. Through this very quick everyday example, this is how solar gain works, and you can apply it in your everyday home life.

Now that we know how it works in everyday life, solar gain works by maximizing the sun's penetration into your home, then converting this into heat, and circulating the heat throughout your home. If you're renovating your home with solar gain as an end, start out the process by going to the south side of your home and having windows placed there to get as much sunlight as you could. Thermal storage materials, such as masonry, are placed below the windows to capture and store heat after the sun goes down. Until the collected amount of heat is exhausted, your home could be sufficiently heated for as long as possible. Yes, it even works in winter.

Thanks to solar gain, you can heat up your home in a cheap and effective manner that dates back to the ancient times. Do extra research on the Internet if this does indeed suit your fancy.


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