What are the processing techniques for solar energy?

Answer 1

Processing? I presume you mean ways of capturing it and using it. There are a number:

* Solar photo voltaic - The sun's energy is turned into DC electricity. Amount of light determines current. Usually the energy is stored in batteries. Least efficient technology of these mentioned here.

* Solar hot water - the sun heats water circulated in tubes. For warmer climates, batch heaters will do, mild can use glazed flat plates, and in cold climates they use evacuated tubes with an anti-freeze solution (food grade glycol) and an exchange tank. * Solar air - if the temperature in the collector is warmer, air from the house is circulated in a glazed plate solar collector, and then sent back to the house. Although it doesn't usually collect more energy than a well placed window, it doesn't suffer the heat loss of windows and can be placed on the roof or walls.

* Passive solar heating - By simply putting windows on the south side of your house, and opening the blinds, you can collect free heat from the sun. When the sun isn't shinning, you should close the blinds to retain the heat (windows are not good insulators). Fancier applications may use the heat from the solar air or solar water to heat another something else, like a sand bed under the house, or some large rocks buried beside the house, during the summer. Then during the winter this heat is used to heat the house until it cools too much, and finally then a heat pump is used to extract even more heat.