In discussing
solar energy
Solar energy is radiant light and heat from the Sun that is harnessed using a range of technologies such as solar power to generate electricity, solar thermal energy (including solar water heating), and solar architecture. It is an essenti ...
, the solar savings fraction or solar fraction (f) is the amount of energy provided by the solar technology divided by the total energy required.
The solar savings fraction thus is zero for no solar energy utilization, to 1.0 for all energy provided by solar. The solar savings fraction of a particular system is dependent on many factors such as the load, the collection and storage sizes, the operation, and the climate. As an example, the same solar-thermal water heating system installed in a single-family house in Arizona might have f=0.75 (75%), while in a much colder and cloudier climate, like Pittsburgh, PA, might only have a solar fraction of f=0.3 (30%) or so. Great care is thus needed in designing such systems, and in evaluating their economics.
To increase the solar savings fraction,
energy conservation
Energy conservation is the effort to reduce wasteful energy consumption by using fewer energy services. This can be done by using energy more effectively (using less energy for continuous service) or changing one's behavior to use less service (f ...
measures should be employed first before expanding the size of the solar energy collection system. Doing so reduces the need for hot water or space heating, for example, and typically provides the best economic return on the total investment, including the solar energy system.
See also
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Active solar
Active may refer to:
Music
* ''Active'' (album), a 1992 album by Casiopea
* Active Records, a record label
Ships
* ''Active'' (ship), several commercial ships by that name
* HMS ''Active'', the name of various ships of the British Royal ...
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Passive solar
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Passive solar building design
In passive solar building design, windows, walls, and floors are made to collect, store, reflect, and distribute solar energy, in the form of heat in the winter and reject solar heat in the summer. This is called passive solar design because, unli ...
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Solar power
Solar power is the conversion of energy from sunlight into electricity, either directly using photovoltaics (PV) or indirectly using concentrated solar power. Photovoltaic cells convert light into an electric current using the photovoltaic e ...
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Renewable energy
Renewable energy is energy that is collected from renewable resources that are naturally replenished on a human timescale. It includes sources such as sunlight, wind, the movement of water, and geothermal heat. Although most renewable energy ...
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Autonomous building
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Architectural engineering
References
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Solar Savings Fraction
Renewable energy economy
Solar power
Heating, ventilation, and air conditioning