I was on the solar car team back in undergrad, so I have a special place in my heart for solar panels. (I should really share some stories about that sometime, it was quite an amazing part of my life). BTW, funny story - when I was growing up in Phoenix, the HOAs would not allow people to install solar panels because they were unsightly. So I have another special place on the other side of my heart for HOAs.
Anyway, the more I've been reading about other uses of solar, the more amazed I am.
1. This article from Mother Earth News talks about how to build your own solar 'collector'. You add another 'wall' to your south-facing wall, creating a small air gap with vents at the top and bottom and a heat-absorbing material inside. The air heats up and creates a current, blowing hot air out of the top and sucking colder air in at the bottom.
2. Or you can use hot asphalt to collect energy? Coming from Arizona, where you can cook eggs on the sidewalk, I must say this idea sounds like it has a lot of potential!
Here's the coolest thing that I just read this morning...
3. Just putting water in the sun can (mostly) purify it! This slideshow from a Kenya slum has some amazing information about how they are using sewage as fuel/fertilizer, and the sun to purify water. What an amazing piece of survival knowledge!! (Could be very useful if society breaks down after peak oil...)
4. Also I hear the sun is instrumental for growing food... ;)
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