For many years, people have been using the sun's energy to make their homes brighter and warmer. Today, we use special equipment and specially designed homes to capture solar energy for lighting and heating.
Solar collectors trap the sun's rays to produce heat.
Covers Many clear materials can be used as covers for solar collectors, but glass is the most common material. Glass can be made quickly and easily. The special glass used in solar collectors resists breaking and scratching. When sunlight passes through glass and hits a surface inside a solar collector, it changes into heat. Although glass allows sunlight to pass through, it also traps the heat produced inside the collector.