Comments on: Which is more efficient: electric or solar heating? http://www.homewindpowerkits.net/which-is-more-efficient-electric-or-solar-heating.php Build a wind power generator and save money on your electric bills. Tue, 07 Sep 2010 04:36:10 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 By: Gary H http://www.homewindpowerkits.net/which-is-more-efficient-electric-or-solar-heating.php/comment-page-1#comment-5350 Gary H Thu, 01 Oct 2009 06:03:48 +0000 http://www.homewindpowerkits.net/which-is-more-efficient-electric-or-solar-heating.php#comment-5350 Don't confuse "green" or cost with engineering efficiency. The efficiency should be calculated as the amount of energy converted into temperature increase of the air or the water (total mass of, say, water times the specific heat of the water time the delta T) divided by the amount of heat put in. If your experiment uses the same mass of water for the solar heater and for electric heater, then heat gained is directly proportional to the delta T (higher delta T = higher efficiency). Then the hard part is figuring out how much heat was put in. With the electric heater, this is straight forward, just calculate Kw-hours or joules. For the solar heating, it is a little more difficult to measure how much heat went in. I would guess that Electric could be more efficient because, with a good design, virtually all the electric power could be converted directly into heating water (with some heat going into the container and some going into radiation heat loss). With solar, there may be more heat going into the container and maybe more radiant heat loss. On the "green" side, the sunlight is free. hope this helps Don’t confuse "green" or cost with engineering efficiency. The efficiency should be calculated as the amount of energy converted into temperature increase of the air or the water (total mass of, say, water times the specific heat of the water time the delta T) divided by the amount of heat put in. If your experiment uses the same mass of water for the solar heater and for electric heater, then heat gained is directly proportional to the delta T (higher delta T = higher efficiency). Then the hard part is figuring out how much heat was put in. With the electric heater, this is straight forward, just calculate Kw-hours or joules. For the solar heating, it is a little more difficult to measure how much heat went in. I would guess that Electric could be more efficient because, with a good design, virtually all the electric power could be converted directly into heating water (with some heat going into the container and some going into radiation heat loss). With solar, there may be more heat going into the container and maybe more radiant heat loss. On the "green" side, the sunlight is free.

hope this helps

]]> By: Samanwita http://www.homewindpowerkits.net/which-is-more-efficient-electric-or-solar-heating.php/comment-page-1#comment-5351 Samanwita Thu, 01 Oct 2009 06:03:48 +0000 http://www.homewindpowerkits.net/which-is-more-efficient-electric-or-solar-heating.php#comment-5351 solar heating is more efficient as it cost less and is largely available solar heating is more efficient
as it cost less and is largely available

]]> By: guru http://www.homewindpowerkits.net/which-is-more-efficient-electric-or-solar-heating.php/comment-page-1#comment-5352 guru Thu, 01 Oct 2009 06:03:48 +0000 http://www.homewindpowerkits.net/which-is-more-efficient-electric-or-solar-heating.php#comment-5352 what do you mean by more efficient? any heating system, the energy has to come from somewhere, solar is somewhat available, whenever it is available. now if you add storage devices to have energy when the sun is not there and if you need to have the output (like the temperature in your home) to be regulated, = constant then it becomes a bit more difficult if you measure efficiency in terms of cost, then solar is far more expensive for now in some areas of the world. But this is changing eventually it will be affordable everywhere. Guru what do you mean by more efficient?
any heating system, the energy has to come from somewhere, solar is somewhat available, whenever it is available.

now if you add storage devices to have energy when the sun is not there and if you need to have the output (like the temperature in your home) to be regulated, = constant
then it becomes a bit more difficult

if you measure efficiency in terms of cost, then solar is far more expensive for now in some areas of the world.
But this is changing
eventually it will be affordable everywhere.

Guru

]]> By: kasab http://www.homewindpowerkits.net/which-is-more-efficient-electric-or-solar-heating.php/comment-page-1#comment-5353 kasab Thu, 01 Oct 2009 06:03:48 +0000 http://www.homewindpowerkits.net/which-is-more-efficient-electric-or-solar-heating.php#comment-5353 Efficiency is one thing and cost is another. Efficiency is one thing and cost is another.

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