| Tapping into the Sun |
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| Ceri Balston | |
| Monday, 31 October 2005 | |
It's completely and utterly amazing how much energy the sun produces, for example did you know that each day more solar energy reaches the earth than the total amount of energy that our planet's 6 billion inhabitants can consume in 25 years! And yet amazingly the amount of energy we actually harvest from the sun and use compared to other non renewable sources is a measly 2%. Think about it, take a look out the window now and the chances are that it's a beautiful day, the sky's blue and the sun is scorching the earth. Yep, we have a whopping 250 days of sunshine a year (350 if you believe some global branding campaigns that our government has been doing!) and apart from having the odd braai, splash in the pool and laze on the beach we really don't make as much use of it we should. Mankind has been harnessing the power of the sun for over two thousand years. The Greeks and Romans used large mirrors on their ships to focus the sun's energy into a weapon of war, the ancient Chinese used mirrors to light torches in religious ceremonies and Leonardo Da Vinci drew up plans for industrial scale solar power to heat water. In recent times we've seen satellites launched into space, powered entirely by large solar wings and only a few years ago solar powered cars scorched across the desert in Australia. Now the world's economy might not quite be ready for you to pop down to your nearest car dealer and purchase your very own solar powered automobile but there are some very practical and affordable uses of solar power that as a home owner you should seriously be considering. For a start you can very easily use solar power to replace your geyser and heat all of your household's hot water. Systems are also available for domestic use to turn solar radiation into electricity via the use of photovoltaic cells. Other very popular uses for solar power include providing under floor heating in homes and the heating of swimming pools. Solar Water systems Studies have shown that providing hot water for your household accounts for a whopping 30% of your total electricity bill, higher in some cases especially when teenagers are involved! Installing a system like SunTank's 300 litre solar heating system, which is designed for family of four, will initially set you back about R13,000, this includes the cost of installation. The savings that you'll make in the long run however will mean that you could recoup this cost in just 3 years and could save a much as R4,000 a year thereafter. Systems like SunTank's consist of a hot water storage tank and solar heat collector panels that are fixed onto the roof of your house. They make use of two natural phenomena for their operation: black objects absorb heat and hot water rises. It is a simple system, and the only moving part is the water. Solar water heaters are fitted with hail resistant glass and can have anti-freeze solutions added to them meaning that they are suitable for any weather conditions in South Africa. A typical SunTank system also requires no professional maintenance, comes with a 5-year guarantee and has an expected lifespan of around 20 years. Adding a system like this to your home also adds value to it, makes it more marketable and if you ever experience a power cut your hot water supply won't be interrupted. Photovoltaic Cells In the 18th Century it was discovered that sunlight freed electrons in silicon and could therefore be used to generate electricity. It was only in the 1950's however, with the advent of the space race, that this discovery was given a practical commercial application and could be used to generate significant amounts of electricity. The resulting, photovoltaic cells, consists of flat glass panels that are coated with a thin layer of silicon. Currently these cells are costly to produce as silicon is a relatively expensive element and the processes involved in making it into a usable product for the cells results in a significant amount of wastage. Although photovoltaic systems are currently too expensive to be a viable option to make you completely independent from the national power grid it is worth considering using it to reduce your bills and cover basic needs such as lighting. Let's hope that its cost comes down quickly so that we can all start farming our own electricity. The future Surely it won't be long until all new houses are built with their own solar water heating systems that provide both hot water and under floor heating. They'll all have their own photovoltaic farms to be self-sustaining from the national electricity grid and each household will sell and buy their electricity according to their needs. Maybe I'm just dreaming... |
This is the powerful story of the author's struggle with Multiple Sclerosis and how a healer's unusual prescription of mindful altruism - to 'give away 29 gifts in 29 days' - ignited her energy, her happiness, and invited more abundance into her life.
