Solar for My Home

We should be doing everything possible to develop geothermal energy technologies. This is a largely untapped area of tremendous alternative energy potential, as it simply taps the energy being naturally produced by the Earth herself. Vast amounts of power are present below the surface crust on which we move and have our being. All we need do is tap into it and harness it.

At the Earths’ core, the temperature is 60 times greater than that of water being boiled. The tremendous heat creates pressures that exert themselves only a couple of miles below us, and these pressures contain huge amounts of energy. Superheated fluids in the form of magma, which we see the power and energy of  whenever there is a volcanic eruption, await our tapping. These fluids also trickle to the surface as steam and emerge from vents. We can create our own vents, and we can create out own containment chambers for the magma and convert all of this energy into electricity to light and heat our homes. In the creation of a geothermal power plant, a well would be dug where there is a good source of magma or heated fluid. Piping would be fitted down  into the source, and the fluids forced to the surface to produce the needed steam. The steam would turn a turbine engine, which would generate the electricity.

There are criticisms of geothermal energy tapping which prevent its being implemented on the large scale which it should be. Critics say that study and research to find a resourceful area is too costly and takes up too much time. Then there is more great expense needed to build a geothermal power plant, and there is no promise of the plant turning a profit. Some geothermal sites, once tapped, might be found to not produce a large enough amount of steam for the power plant to be viable or reliable. And we hear from the environmentalists who worry that bringing up magma can bring up potentially harmful materials along with it.

However, the great benefits of geothermal energy would subsume these criticisms if only we would explore it more. The fact that geothermal energy is merely the energy of the Earth herself means it does not produce any pollutants. Geothermal energy is extremely efficient—the efforts needed to channel it are minimal after a site is found and a plant is set up. Geothermal plants, furthermore, do not need to be as large as electrical plants, giant dams, or atomic energy facilities—the environment would thus be less disrupted. And, needless to say, it is an alternative form of energy—using it would mean we become that much less dependent on oil and coal. Perhaps most importantly of all—we are never, ever going to run out of geothermal energy, and it is not a commodity that would continuously become more expensive in terms of real dollars as time passes, since it is ubiquitous. Geothermal energy would be, in the end, very cheap, after investigation and power plant building costs are recouped.

Some people are concerned about the strain and cost they will encounter on their electric utility if they were to purchase a hot tub.  Ingenious creators, eco-friendly, friends of the planet have come up with an option that will give you all of the amenities that a hot tub will afford you and they’ve made it so the tub is heated by solar power, not from a plug!

The first thing to consider when you’re looking into purchasing a solar-heated hot tub is understand that this is a unit that will need to be outdoors. If your idea of the perfect hot tub setting is in a room of your home, there is likely to be an absence of sunlight that you will need to heat your tub.  That said; the other consideration is the area where you live.  If you live in a region that sees little sunlight then the solar-heated hot tub is not something that would work.

Let’s say you live in an area that will sufficiently accommodate the solar-heated hot tub and you are comfortable with the idea of having it outside of the house, what next?  Do you fill the hot tub and wait for the sunlight to heat it up?  What about when the sun goes down, what happens to the heat that has accumulated during the daylight hours?

It is recommended that instead of having to wait for the sun to come out in order to enjoy a hot temperature of water, there are types of solar heat equipment that will allow you to store the heat that is solar generated in order to be used later when it is time to enjoy the benefits of the hot tub itself.  It may appear to be an expense that is not worth it and it is an up-front expense, but the pay off is that by having the solar heated unit; you will never have to plug it in and further drain those resources.  In the end, the cost saving measures that a solar heated hot tub will allow, far out weigh the need for electrical energy or propane gas.

Solar heated hot tubs, like their electric and propane powered counterparts will always benefit from the use of a safety cover that is designed to contain the heat generated, rather than having to waste time and money waiting for the water to heat up itself.

If you are considering an eco-friendly option for a hot tub, the solar heated hot tub is where you want to look.  Keeping in mind that it will need to be outside, that indoors is not an option; you live in a region that is sunny enough to properly heat up the hot tub and you know ahead of time that there is the possibility of the cost for the solar heater, by all means, go solar.  Know that you’ll be able to reap the benefits of the use of a hot tub and you will be doing your part in the effort to protect the environment.