The difference between active and passive applications of solar energy is that passive technologies have no components that consume energy. Active solar heating systems, for instance, have a pump to circulate the hot water, so mechanical energy is involved. Photovoltaic cells actively transform solar energy into electricity. Passive systems rely [...]
For householders who are concerned about their carbon footprint and want to reduce their consumption of energy from fossil fuels, solar power can be an attractive alternative. The two most common ways of using solar power in a domestic context are to provide electricity supplies and to heat water. Solar [...]
The earliest use of gas in daily life was as a light source. It was the British inventor William Murdock who first discovered that if coal was heated, it gave off a gas which could be ignited – and Murdock realised the blue flame could be used for illumination purposes. [...]
Imagining a life without a ready supply of electricity is well-nigh impossible for anybody in today’s developed world. We are surrounded by gadgets that use electricity. Electricity is used in the manufacture of most items in the shops; electricity keeps us warm and lights up our world. Electricity is not [...]
Hydroelectric generating stations are generally acknowledged to be the cleanest, cheapest and most efficient method of producing electricity on a large scale. They cause no environmental pollution, use renewable energy and have a very high energy conversion rate. These advantages apply equally to micro-hydro installations; and the chief criticism levelled [...]
It has been estimated that around 30 per cent of the UK’s CO2 emissions are the result of energy used in the home. Most is used for space heating, followed by water heating, cooking, lighting and comfort cooling. Heating Since domestic central heating has become more common, homes have been [...]
Traditionally, the generation of electricity is carried out in a power station designed for that sole purpose, and more often that not fuelled by fossil fuels. A great deal of thermal heat is required to fuel the process of generating electricity, and in the past a significant proportion of that [...]
