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With global warming becoming a grave concern for people across the world, more emphasis is given on going green. Solar energy systems help in trapping the energy of sun through different mediums to utilize it for various purposes and at the same time safeguarding the environment. The solar panels are the most widely used solar energy systems and there are basically two types of solar panels that are used for commercial as well as residential purpose: solar water heating collectors and the solar electric panels or photovoltaic. Solar Water Heating Collectors: This is one of the most powerful solar energy systems used in the United Kingdom and the system is connected to hot water. These water heating collectors have the capacity to cater to nearly half of the household's requirement for hot water. There are basically two different kinds of solar water heating collectors: evacuated tubes and flat plates. The flat plate collectors are the simplest form of solar water heating panels that are made of a sheet of metal that is painted in black color to absorb sun's energy. Water is supplied to these panels in pipes that are attached to metal sheets, and this helps in absorbing heat in the metal. The evacuated tube method involves a series of heated glass tubes that are grouped together. These tubes are insulated because of the vacuum created inside the glass. The price for installing the evacuated tubes is dependent on the size of the solar energy systems. Photovoltaic (Solar Electric): Photovoltaic or solar electric is another type of solar energy system that provides the ability to produce electricity in a quiet, clean, and renewable way. There are several applications of solar electric, and the photovoltaic (PV) cells are used in the simple applications such as watches, calculators, and also for the larger residential and commercial applications. The large PV solar energy systems can be integrated into the buildings to make electricity for export to National grid. Photovoltaic applications are more commonly used than we would expect. These days the domestic alarm systems are fitted with the PV panels to keep the battery always charged for security purposes. As the technology advances, several leisure activities of today including TV, nautical instrument, lighting in caravans are associated with the PV panels for back up electricity. Although sun light is free, it may take several years for the equipments to pay back. However in the more remote areas where the grid connection is pricey, the PV panels can be a very cost effective source. Using Passive Solar Design: Passive solar design is perhaps the simplest form of Solar Energy Systems, and there are many buildings that are designed in a way to utilize the sun's energy in the most efficient manner possible. The orientation and the location of the building are key factors for optimizing the passive solar design. This passive solar design can be perfectly applied in the newly constructed buildings where the orientation, size, position, materials used for construction, and density of the buildings are designed in a way to maximize the free solar energy gains.
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