What is Solar Thermal Energy?

Solar thermal is a form of energy in the sun to heat, which can produce are used in many ways. People have been using solar thermal energy for thousands of years for a variety of tasks, and modern technology has expanded the applications for solar thermal energy. This should not be using solar energy, which used the light from the sun to be mixed to produce electrical energy.

Some of the applications for solar thermal systems are very old. For example, the solar drying is a technique, the heat from the sun in food preservation. In this application, foods are placed on rocks, and the warmth of the sun is used to dry them. Evaporation ponds, as they are used to concentrate salt also use solar energy and desalination plants can also apply this energy.



This form of energy can also be used for cooking, sometimes in very creative ways. Solar ovens use solar thermal and solar thermal energy can be used to heat water to generate steam for cooking. Pasteurization can be achieved with the use of concentrated heat from the sun. Another use of this type of energy is used in the distillation of liquids, and of course in hot water heating. Water heated by solar thermal energy can be used for bathing, cleaning and cooking. It can also be used for home heating, hot water can be distributed as under a floor, to warm them.


Solar thermal can also be used for cooling, although it sounds paradoxical to use heat to cool, things. In this application it is in a process as evaporative cooling, which can keep the cooling of buildings known uses. All of these applications for the warmth of the sun can for beginners and advanced, for people in the communities around the world, including the communities in developing countries.

Finally, heat can be used from the sun to generate electricity. This requires some extensive support technology, but an advantage is that since the heat can be stored, a solar thermal system can work to fulfill 24 hours a day to power. These facilities are usually in areas located get much sun, so that the maximum amount to be used in thermal solar energy. Towers and reflective arrays of different kinds can be used, to collect the sun's heat and concentrate it for the purpose of generating electricity.