Hi , as we all know , The sun is a giant energy source. For many years, people have been using the sun’s energy, called solar energy, to make buildings brighter and warmer. Today, we use special equipment and specially designed buildings to capture solar energy for lighting, to heat our living spaces and our water, and even to produce electricity.

Capturing and using solar energy has become more important than ever. Traditional fuels like natural gas and oil are limited, and as these fuels become more scarce, their cost increases. Solar energy also is non-polluting and thus helps us achieve a cleaner environment.

If you collect enough solar heat, you can use it instead of heat from a furnace. One way to collect heat is to trap solar energy with solar collectors. Solar collectors allow sunlight in through plastic or glass, absorbing that sunlight and convert it to heat.

Because the heat is unable to pass easily through the plastic or glass, it is trapped inside the collector. An example of how a solar collector works is a car that has all its windows closed tightly.

When sunlight passes through the windows of the car, it is either absorbed by the seats and other surfaces inside the car, or it is reflected back out through the window.

Light that is absorbed changes into heat. Darker colored surfaces absorb more sunlight than lighter colors. Similarly, different materials hold heat more efficiently than others and are thus better suited to store solar energy.

Solar collectors come in many shapes and sizes. Passive solar collectors move heat from the collectors to other spaces naturally, without the use of fans or pumps. An attached sunroom or a south-facing room with a large window area and a tile floor (which serves to collect, retain, and then release heat) are examples of passive solar heating systems.