Solar energy is simply extracting the sun’s energy for power. Just to tell you how powerful the sun is, it can burn scrub lands and give you sunburn if you are out in the sun without any protection. In fact, the Greeks and the Chinese used this to set fire until the 1880’s by Charles Fritts made the first solar cell.

Instead of using a heater to warm up the home, sunlight can be used to control the temperature. You will just need large windows and shades to control the amount of sunlight that will go inside and keep the heat absorbed during the day to remain at night.

Solar energy can also provide warm water as it warms up cold water that passes down through the closed flat panels called collectors.

But solar energy does not only give warmth to the home. It can also be used to help power it which reduces our dependence on non-renewable resources like oil or coal.

This occurs when solar cells are installed on the roof so it will be able to capture as much solar rays as possible and then converts this into electricity.  You will need 10 or 12 to capture at least a kilowatt of power and more if you are powering more than just your home.

The only limitation which challenges the use of solar energy is that it can only generate power during the day. The answer to this is to put an auxiliary system in place that will store the energy and kick when the sun is not available. This comes in the form of batteries which will provide power in the evening or a brownout.

Advances in technology have taken solar energy to the next level. NASA uses it to power satellites in orbit, solar panels installed onboard aircraft allow it to fly across oceans while cars can travel speeds up to 40 miles per hour.  It is used to power a lighthouse so seafarers will be able to find their way at sea while aircraft can land in an airport in the middle of the frozen desert.

Solar energy is safe for the environment since it does not emit any harmful gases or chemicals into the air. It is a renewable resource that has not yet been fully tapped by a lot of countries which makes it very viable for the future.

But is it the only answer to reduce our dependence on oil? No because solar energy is just one of the options. We can also harness the power of the wind, the wave in the oceans, geothermal heat, hydroelectricity and a lot more instead of relying on coal or even nuclear energy that may harm the environment.

It is something we have to push for the next generation.

If you want to make your own solar power to capture the energy for heating its easy to do if you can find a solar collector, which is anything that attracts the heat from the sun in a concentrated amount, such as glass or clear plastic. Getting into your car that has sat out in the hot sun all day long can be extremely hot and you have to roll down your windows to cool it off inside.  That is because the glass has attracted the sun and the objects in your car, including your seats, have trapped the heat not allowing it to escape.  When you roll your windows down you are allowing the heat to escape causing your car to cool down. The same thing is true about greenhouses. The glass or clear plastic can attract the sun and not allow it to escape causing the greenhouse to maintain the heat for the plants to grow effectively.

In order to heat your home using solar energy, you need to know the information on a passive and an active home.  These two types of solar homes offer the homeowner options to choose from and your cost of heating may be down.  Solar energy does not only heat your home but it also heats your water and if you use solar energy lights it can light your home at night.

Passive homes do not use any equipment to heat the home.  Passive homes use windows that are made to allow the maximum amount of sunlight into your home.  The sunlight is controlled by keeping the doors closed in the hottest part of the day not allowing any heat to escape. At night thick curtains may be used on these windows so that the warmth stays inside during the night.  This allows the sun to naturally heat your home without any help.

Active homes do use equipment to help circulate the heat in the home.  Some of the equipment that may be used includes pumps, blowers and an alternative heating source in case the sunlight was not enough during the daytime.  In order to heat the home with sunlight these homes use special boxes on the outside that attract the sunrays to it.  They are made from a dark colored metal to help attract the sun more. The water or air that is carried in the pipes and ductwork is heated by this glass box that has captured the sunlight.  Then the heated water or air is then carried to the rest of the home.

In the long run, solar energy helps to heat the home naturally and without depending on a company to supply it for you. Solar energy can be found anywhere the sun is.

Solar energy is simply extracting the sun’s energy for power. Just to tell you how powerful the sun is, it can burn scrub lands and give you sunburn if you are out in the sun without any protection. In fact, the Greeks and the Chinese used this to set fire until the 1880’s by Charles Fritts made the first solar cell.

Instead of using a heater to warm up the home, sunlight can be used to control the temperature. You will just need large windows and shades to control the amount of sunlight that will go inside and keep the heat absorbed during the day to remain at night.

Solar energy can also provide warm water as it warms up cold water that passes down through the closed flat panels called collectors.

But solar energy does not only give warmth to the home. It can also be used to help power it which reduces our dependence on non-renewable resources like oil or coal.

This occurs when solar cells are installed on the roof so it will be able to capture as much solar rays as possible and then converts this into electricity.  You will need 10 or 12 to capture at least a kilowatt of power and more if you are powering more than just your home.

The only limitation which challenges the use of solar energy is that it can only generate power during the day. The answer to this is to put an auxiliary system in place that will store the energy and kick when the sun is not available. This comes in the form of batteries which will provide power in the evening or a brownout.

Advances in technology have taken solar energy to the next level. NASA uses it to power satellites in orbit, solar panels installed onboard aircraft allow it to fly across oceans while cars can travel speeds up to 40 miles per hour.  It is used to power a lighthouse so seafarers will be able to find their way at sea while aircraft can land in an airport in the middle of the frozen desert.

Solar energy is safe for the environment since it does not emit any harmful gases or chemicals into the air. It is a renewable resource that has not yet been fully tapped by a lot of countries which makes it very viable for the future.

But is it the only answer to reduce our dependence on oil? No because solar energy is just one of the options. We can also harness the power of the wind, the wave in the oceans, geothermal heat, hydroelectricity and a lot more instead of relying on coal or even nuclear energy that may harm the environment.

It is something we have to push for the next generation.

Once you hook up to a power source you are able to have the comforts of home by turning on and off the lights and using the bathroom. If you cannot access a power outlet you may use a generator to supply power to the camper.  These generators are nice in a pinch but you have the problems of running out of fuel to keep it going not to mention the noise that it makes.   If you want to turn your RV into a solar power RV it is simple to do and with little expense. There are a number of different products that you can buy to make camping fun and modern with little or no effort.

You can mount a solar panel to the RV camper in order to charge your energy in your RV.  This is done by purchasing a solar panel mounting bracket that your solar panel will set on.  You can buy RV solar panel kits that include both the mount and the panel. Once it is installed you can power your camper and batteries using the suns warmth that was already there and it doesn’t cost you an arm and a leg to do so.  Run your solar panel wire to the battery compartment and you are ready to go.  Each solar powered kit offers different wattages and sizes so you can select the right one for your RV size and what you will be using.

When you are out on a camping trip you can feel good knowing that you can go anywhere you need to go.  Your solar panel on top of your RV will also withstand any type of weather and because a camper is so small it won’t take much solar power to operate the RV.  Another hot solar powered item to buy for your RV is called the Solar Power Ventilator. This provides the perfect ventilation system for small quarters, such as RV’s.  When it is hot in the summer or anytime that the sun is shining it doesn’t take long for the RV to heat up and become very uncomfortable.  The solar power ventilator will run all the hot air out and circulate the air with clean fresh air.

When you take the RV out you want to enjoy your time in the great outdoors without giving up the fact that you have to rely on a power source or go without power completely.  If you have to go without power you may find that it is inconvenient and hard to do, especially when you purchase an RV because of the way that it is convenient.

First of all, learning about the harmful affects of our energy usage today is important for them to understand why there should be another way to produce energy.  Because the electricity that we use today comes from non-renewable resources we are setting ourselves up for a big fall.  When that resource runs out we will rely on an alternative to supply our power.  Scientist are working today to ensure that when we do run out of that resource we will be able to switch over to another way without missing a beat.

The problem with that is we shouldn’t wait until that resource is gone to switch over.  We should be able to switch in the near future and preserve what we have left. Another problem with our energy production today is that it is harmful to the environment.  It pollutes the air and will eventually make it impossible for us to use the sun as a natural resource.  We can’t afford to lose that important alternative. In order to save our environment we need to teach the kids how we can all join together in order to save there solar power.

Solar power can generate energy using natural resources and man made solar sources that will attract the solar power to the source.  In order to make this affective we need to be able to find solar sources that are not expensive but can provide the solar power that we need.  A standard home can benefit greatly to switching over to solar power.  It is easy to do.  Also when you build your home you can build it using solar power as a way to naturally generate electricity into your home, heat your water, and other functions that can be controlled by using solar power.  In the long run, we benefit by not paying for a resource that is slowly taking away from a natural resource.  Our kids will be rewarded for our careful planning.

All ages can benefit from conserving solar power but it needs to start now in order to benefit the future. Teaching the kids the way to save the energy and how we need to come up with a way to save the solar power in the future in order to supply heating, water, and other necessities in large quantities rather than by individual houses, which is how we do it today.  One day we may not need to run power lines through fields, streets and yards because we will all have solar power boxes in the back yard instead.