The United States now boasts a staggering two million solar installations. That’s an incredible 20-fold increase from the 100,000 installations back in 2010.
Now, this may come as a surprise, but you can actually harness the sun’s energy without solar panels. In fact, certified houses save 75% on their total energy use with passive design. Such homes rely on passive solar energy instead of active solar power.
Both passive solar design and active solar power rely on the sun’s thermal and light energy. However, they differ in terms of how they “collect” and “distribute” the sun’s energy.
Don’t worry, though, as we’re here to tell you all about how both types of solar power work. Read on to learn more about active and solar energy and how these two differ.
What Is Passive Solar Energy?
Passive solar energy refers to the direct use of the sun’s power to heat and illuminate a building. It relies on passive solar designs based around the building structure itself.
Such designs revolve around a building’s materials, location, and the area’s climate. For this reason, window orientation, insulation, and ventilation are crucial elements.
The primary goal of passive solar energy use is to reduce energy consumption. Passive solar homes use at least 30% less energy than traditional houses. However, some passive solar houses can have heating-related savings of up to 60%.
Either way, a passive solar home takes advantage of the sun’s heat and light to cut electricity bills. One way it can do so is by allowing solar heat and light to enter through skylights and windows.
In the above example, the sun’s light is enough to illuminate your home, so you don’t need to switch on the lights. Keep in mind that lighting accounts for about 5% of the residential electricity use in the US. That may not be a lot, but that still translates to a yearly $100 if you have an annual electricity bill of $2,000.
You can also use passive solar heat energy as-is without the need for special equipment. For instance, you can use the sun’s heat to dry freshly-laundered clothes you hang outside. The sun streaming through skylights and windows can also provide enough interior heating.
How Is Passive Solar Different From Active Solar Power?
With passive solar energy, you don’t need fancy equipment to take advantage of the sun’s power. However, active solar power relies on external equipment to harness the sun’s energy.
For starters, active solar systems require a “collector” to capture the sun’s energy. The collecting media itself can be in liquid or air form, or it can also be solar cells in photovoltaic panels.
The system then converts the sun’s “collected” power into electricity or heat.
In solar PV systems, an inverter turns the direct current (DC) into alternating current (AC). You can then use the converted energy just like electricity. You can use it to power up your household appliances, electronics, and lights.
According to https://PoweredPortableSolar.com, solar generators also run on active solar power. After all, these devices collect solar energy through PV panels. They then store the energy into batteries or convert it into electricity.
Another example of active solar energy is solar water heating.
These devices also come with a collector that absorbs sunlight and converts it into heat. The converted energy then flows to a water tank and heats the stored water there. These solar water heaters can cut water heating bills by 50% to 80% on average.
What Are the Advantages of Passive Solar Design?
The biggest advantage is that you don’t need to spend thousands of dollars on pricey equipment. Again, this is due to how passive solar designs take direct advantage of the sun’s heat and light. You can already save on energy by simply opening your curtains to let as much sunlight and heat into your home.
Do note that solar energy is now cheaper than many other fossil fuel-based energy sources. The price of today’s solar PV panels has dropped by 99% since the 1980s. Experts project costs to drop even lower with more photovoltaic technological improvements.
Despite that, active solar energy systems are still expensive, even with tax incentives. In the US, the average cost to install solar panels (after the federal credits) is about $12,000.
Passive solar energy is mostly free, so long as your house features the right design. You may still face some costs, though, such as for installing skylights or extra windows. Still, these will only cost a fraction of what you’ll otherwise spend on active solar energy systems.
What About the Drawbacks?
Passive solar energy systems can’t eliminate your reliance on on-grid electricity. They can only reduce it to a certain extent, seeing as they don’t generate usable electricity.
Active solar energy systems can eliminate your need to tap the grid. For example, whole-house solar PV systems can generate 100% of your energy needs. In fact, high-quality PV panels can even generate much more than what your household needs.
You can then send the “surplus” solar energy to a utility company. The electricity facility “credits” you back for all the surplus energy you send their way. You can also store the excess power in batteries for later use, such as during power outages.
If you don’t have enough for a whole-house active solar energy system, consider a mix of the two. For example, you can install fewer solar panels designed to supply 50% of your home’s energy needs. You can then invest some of your funds in adding skylights, windows, or a sunroom to your home.
Both Passive and Active Solar Energy Can Save You Money
Whether you go with passive solar energy or active solar power, you’ll be able to save on energy. The main difference is that with passive solar, you can cut your energy use without equipment. With active solar, you can save on energy by producing and using clean, sun-derived energy.
Either way, passive and active solar are huge money-savers, so be sure to consider both.
Looking for more guides to make your home healthier, safer, and greener? Be sure to check out the rest of our home improvement guides and strategies then!
