Life has slid into such a fast lane that it takes a power cut to make us stop and wonder about our dependence on the power that lights our world. Not so long ago, human life itself used to come to life with the rising Sun and retire into the shrouds of sleep with the setting Sun. Then man learnt that lanterns could light up our world even after sunset. He also discovered warmth during cold nights by burning wood with the help of a matchstick. Thus started the discovery of the alternate energy sources that help the modern world thrive. Hence the dependence on the power that runs though masses of cables and umpteen circuits to reach our homes and every appliance that we use. We have indeed come a very long way.
Today our life domestic life has been modernized to a very great extent, what with mixers, grinders, microwave ovens, washing machines, dishwashers, televisions, computers, etc. Although skeptical in the beginning, we were quick in taking advantage of modern inventions and gadgets to save our own time and manual labour. We love to cook our food today by using ultramodern gadgets like cooking gas and microwave ovens. All this needs a huge amount of energy. Little do we realize that this energy which we are continually using day in and day out is fuelled by resources which are getting depleted slowly but surely. It is imporatnt to realise that these resources are non-renewable. It is only a matter of time before these precious resources dwindle away.
Hence the urgency to find alternative sources for energy. Not only that, we need to save our existing energy resources in whatever way we can. We all know that we can harness solar energy from the sun. We must progressively learn more on how to conserve the solar energy and put it to use for preserving our water supply and other needs. We must learn to recycle our wastes with the help of solar energy. We have already experimented with solar panels and solar cookers for trapping the heat. We must also learn to preserve it and build huge reservoirs of the solar energy.
For this end, we need storing material for solar energy. Thermal energy is trapped using thermal mass systems made of renewable natural earth resources, such as mud and water together with manmade resources like concrete. Presently, thermal mass stores energy though temporarily. This energy can be used to heat water during night or to keep your home warm in winter or after sunset. A lot of work is yet to be done on these for extensive storage of solar power if we are to overcome the energy crisis in the coming years.
Another way to trap the solar heat energy is to use thermo-chemical devices. Paraffin wax is used inside storage tanks. Cold Paraffin wax is solid but hot paraffin is liquid and capable of remaining hot for long. While it cools its surface hardens and traps the heat for long duration.
Eutectic Salts when used in a heater can store and dispurse the heat very slowly and evenly for a long period of time. This results in an inexpensive way to retain the hotness for a long time. Eutectice salts are cheap and non-inflammable. As such they are very useful for captivating the energy from the sun. When the storage tank becomes hot on heating, the salts too get heated and liquify and then the molten salts are used to make steam.
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