| Throughout history, the sun has been a subject of | | | | the use of a building's architecture to capture the sun's |
| worship and speculation. Most ancient cultures have in | | | | heat and light. In 200 B.C., the Greek scientist, |
| fact deified the sun, due to its life-giving and | | | | Archimedes, used concentrated solar power |
| energy-giving qualities. Thus, the subject of solar | | | | technology, by combining reflective properties of many |
| energy is one of the oldest subjects on Earth. It has | | | | polished bronze shields, to focus sunlight and thus set |
| gone through many evolutions and has been the | | | | fire to an invading Roman fleet while it was besieging |
| subject of many schools of thought - starting with | | | | Syracuse. (In 1973, The Greek Navy recreated this |
| religion, and ending up in the field of science. In fact, | | | | scenario as an experiment, and succeeded in setting |
| though not many people know this, a large portion of | | | | fire to a wooden boat 50 meters away.) Socrates and |
| the western civilization celebrates the returning of the | | | | the Romans Even the famous Greek philosopher |
| sun each year, just as the ancients did thousands of | | | | Socrates has commented on the benefits of facing |
| years ago. I am referring, of course, to Christmas - | | | | one's house toward the south, in order to make use of |
| which dates back to the celebrating of the winter | | | | the heat provided by the sun in the winter. |
| solstice, the point in time when the Earth has reached | | | | The Romans also used this technique of positioning |
| its furthest point away from the sun, and starts | | | | their houses facing southward, but they took it a step |
| returning. Of course, the story of Christmas has | | | | further, by installing more windows on the south side, |
| radically changed from its original meaning. It has gone | | | | allowing heat and light from the sun to freely enter the |
| through its own evolution. Originally being a celebration | | | | buildings. Throughout the first four centuries after Christ, |
| of the sun's return, it then became the celebration of | | | | Roman bath houses employed passive solar heating. |
| the birth of Christ, and eventually wound up with a | | | | The Romans built the bath houses with large, |
| friendly old man bringing Coca Cola on Christmas Eve. | | | | south-facing windows, to let the sun's warmth in. This |
| But this last point is simply modern marketing at work. | | | | aspect of passive solar technology is still used by |
| The First Uses of Solar Energy It is almost impossible | | | | architects today. With these methods, they were able |
| to exactly date the first uses of solar energy. But we | | | | to reduce the amount of fuel they needed to heat their |
| do know that the ancient Greek and Roman | | | | buildings. And considering that you had to go out and |
| civilizations, among others, made use of "passive solar | | | | chop your own wood in those days, it was well worth |
| energy" in their building designs. Passive solar energy is | | | | it. |