Solar thermal energy is the utilization of energy obtained from shortwave solar irradiance, transferred to a heat carrier medium. It also offers large-scale possibilities, such as high-temperature hot water for steam production and power generation. Interesting applications for urban energy planning include installations at building level or a possible connection with district heating networks.
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General information
The simple definition for power is P = E / t
E = energy
P = power (watts)
T = time
A 1000 watts is 1 kW. If you use a device that consumes 1 kW for one hour, you have used 1 kWh (kilowatthours). That is the unit an electricity company will bill you with.
If we consider 1 kWh costs CHF 0.20, how much does it cost you to run a 2000 W oven for 45 min?
Written by Kolja and Michael
So my house is being heated by wood chips. This may sound strange at first, but its efficiency is really interesting.
What is the point of heating with wood chips?
We heat our house with resources from the region and the value creation process is being held in Switzerland. Wood is a price worthy resource and very stable with its price. The new modern heating systems cause a bit of particulate matter which stays way below the given limit. The electricity needed is below 1 % of the energy output. You will be heating CO2-neutral with this system.
Most systems are fully automatic and the cleaning is not very time-consuming. One big negative is the logistic behind it. You will need a storage room and a direct driveway towards it.
How does it work?
Our property is part of a commonhold ownership (Stockwerkeigentümergemeinschaft). Therefore the heating is organized for the whole community. The wood chips heating is not on commonhold ground (gemeinschaftlicher Grund) but the heat comes from a local entrepreneur. He has a giant construction that burns wood chips and leads the energy to households through the whole community. When we changed the heating system a few years ago, we had to connect to his separate pipe system. Unfortunately, I cannot show you the heating system with a picture because it is locked away.
Have you ever wondered how much energy we consume indirectly in our lifespan? I think you might be surprised by the answer.
The following data was calculated for a human life in an industrialized country with a lifespan of 80 years.
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So I was asked to publish an article with my top three articles published on dontwastemy.energy. Here is my choice:
Formula E: How fast can you go? (dontwastemy.energy)
I think this article is very informative. I have a personal interest for this topic since I am a big fan of the Formula racing in general. Even though this article is not very in-depth, I learned some new aspects. More...