tuhin4u (Unstopable Lover + Mariana World DIAMOND member): Shuman built the world’s first solar thermal power station in Maadi, Egypt between 1912 and 1913. Shuman’s plant used parabolic troughs to power a 45-52 kilowatt (60-70 H.P.) engine that pumped more than 22,000 litres of water per minute from the Nile River to adjacent cotton fields. Although the outbreak of World War I and the discovery of cheap oil in the 1930s discouraged the advancement of solar energy, Shuman’s vision and basic design were resurrected in the 1970s with a new wave of interest in solar thermal energy. *
06-10-14 - 05:39:21

tuhin4u (Unstopable Lover + Mariana World DIAMOND member): Solar energy refers primarily to the use of solar radiation for practical ends. However, all renewable energies, other than geothermal and tidal, derive their energy from the sun. *
06-10-14 - 05:42:14

tuhin4u (Unstopable Lover + Mariana World DIAMOND member): Solar technologies are broadly characterized as either passive 0r active depending on the way they capture, convert and distribute sunlight. Active solar techniques use photovoltaic panels, pumps, and fans to convert sunlight into useful outputs. *
06-10-14 - 05:43:29

tuhin4u (Unstopable Lover + Mariana World DIAMOND member): Passive solar techniques include selecting materials with favorable thermal properties, designing spaces that naturally circulate air, and referencing the position of a building to the Sun. Active solar technologies increase the supply of energy and are considered supply side technologies, while passive solar technologies reduce the need for alternate resources and are generally considered demand side technologies. *
06-10-14 - 05:45:02