We’ve all heard of solar energy – energy
from the sun that can be harnessed for all kinds of different reasons. For
example during the summer when you are growing tomatoes in your greenhouse, you
are harnessing solar energy to accelerate the growing process. You don’t need
solar panels to use this energy, since the glass the greenhouse is made from
heats up the space inside as a direct result of the sun beating down on it. But
the process is much the same.
Solar energy for heating
When we think of solar energy we tend to
think primarily of using it to heat our homes. One of the most common questions
people ask is ‘how much are solar
panels’ so they can work out how long it will take to earn back the
investment made in solar panels for their homes. The panels take the heat from
the sun by using photovoltaic cells and convert it into usable heat for the
home.
Using solar energy to grow food
With the cost of many types of food
skyrocketing in recent times, more and more people are going beyond growing
tomatoes as mentioned above. They are growing their own fruit and vegetables at
home, providing better taste and cheaper crops than they would buy in the
supermarkets. If managed properly, this process can make the most of solar
energy to grow good crops with good yields all year round – even during the
cooler winter months.
Benefiting from sunlight
Of course we don’t need solar panels or
green fingers to benefit from sunlight in a much more crucial way. While we
need to protect ourselves from getting too much sunlight, we do need to make
sure we get some sunlight. It helps to lift mood and also generate the vitamin
D our bodies need to help boost our immune system.
So you can see that solar energy is very
powerful and can be used in lots of ways in day to day life. How many ways are
you using it – and what else could you do to make the most of it?
Image Courtesy:
freetricityenergy.blogspot.co.uk, coventrytelegraph.net
Article provided by Lenka from
solarpanels.co.uk