How Your Solar Collector Works

Your solar collector will consist of these main parts: a container of air, a transparent surface to let the sun shine in, surfaces covered with various materials to help them absorb sunshine, insulation to prevent hot air from escaping, and a thermometer to measure the temperature of the air inside the container.

When placed in the sun, the sun's rays will shine through the transparent material into the collector. Once inside, the sunlight is absorbed by the material lining the surfaces of the collector. The light energy that is absorbed turns to heat energy and moves from the warmer sides of the collector to the cooler air next to it. When this happens, the temperature of the air inside the collector goes up. As sunlight continues to shine into the collector, it is absorbed by the inside surfaces of the collector, changed to heat, and transferred to the cooler air next to it. This continues to make the temperature of the air inside the collector go up. The more sunlight the inside surfaces of your collector absorb, the hotter the air inside will get, and the more the air temperature will go up. Of course, you need to be sure that your collector is completely sealed so no cold air can get in and that it is insulated so no warm air can escape.

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