SPARE in Kyrgyzstan has implemented a bigger project on solar water heating in rural regions of the country. In 20 villages a number of families have got the possibility to be trained on how to build low cost solar water heaters. The project has met great interest all over Kyrgyzstan, and in total more than 300 persons has been trained on solar water heaters.
Solar Energy
The sun has produced energy for billions of years. Solar energy is the sun’s rays (solar radiation) that reach the earth. Solar energy can be converted into many forms of energy, such as heat and electricity. In the 1830s, the British astronomer John Herschel used a solar thermal collector box (a device that absorbs sunlight to collect heat) to cook food during an expedition to Africa. Today, people use the sun's energy for lots of things.
*Heat water – for use in homes, buildings, or swimming pools.
*Heat spaces – inside greenhouses, homes, and other buildings.
*Photovoltaic (PV devices) or “solar cells” – change sunlight directly into electricity. PV systems are often used in remote locations that are not connected to the electric grid. They are also used to power watches, calculators, and lighted road signs.
*Solar Power Plants - indirectly generate electricity when the heat from solar thermal collectors is used to heat a fluid which produces steam that is used to power generator. Out of the 15 known solar electric generating units operating in the United States at the end of 2006, 10 of these are in California, and 5 in Arizona. No statistics are being collected on solar plants that produce less than 1 megawatt of electricity, so there may be smaller solar plants in a number of other states.
