Division of Energy
Using Solar Energy - How Can Solar Energy Be Used in Missouri?
Solar Energy Main Page | What is Solar Energy? | How Much Solar Energy is Available? |
How Can Solar Energy Be Used in Missouri? | Energy Efficiency |
Daylighting and Passive Solar Building Design | Solar Water Heating | Backup Systems |
Collector Positioning | Active Systems | Net Metering | Designing a System | Siting | Installation |
Solar Contacts | Solar Thermal Equipment Performance Ratings | Bibliography
When deciding whether to use any energy source, three components need to be considered: the energy source itself, the reason energy is needed, and the technology that will best match the available energy source to the needs of the user.
As mentioned earlier, solar power can be captured either as light, electricity or as thermal power (heat). Discussions of solar energy systems are often divided into the categories of passive systems and active systems. In the case of solar water heating systems, the additional categories of direct and indirect are also used. However, before we describe solar energy systems further, we need to consider the importance of energy efficiency.
