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Chapter 13RENEWABLE ENERGYSYSTEMSNow that weve looked at the essentials of organic food, place, efficiency, and thenatural insulation of straw bales, we are ready to look at some of the more activerenewable energy systems. These are covered in the following order because this isin general their typical effectiveness relative to cost. For this reason we start withsolar hot water which has been in use for centuries. In countries like Cyprus over90% of the homes have solar hot water heaters. This dire ct means of thermal heattransformation is one of the most direct and thus efficient. Photovoltaic solar panelstransform sunlight into electricity. Wind turbines convert the mechanical power ofwind into electricity using a turbine. Other renewable energy systems include waterturbines, wave power, heat pumps, and geo thermal.Solar Hot WaterOne of the most prevalent and proven renewable energy systems for homes is thesolar hot water heating system. Many proven models exist. Most of these systemshave seen extensive use for many years in places like Cyprus, the Middle East, andother areas with similar climates like the Caribbean. These systems can be added toconventional hot water systems fairly easily.Typically solar hot water heating systems are composed of several majorcomponents. First are the solar panels that transform sunlight into heat. Thesepanels come in a variety of configurations. Most are based on the idea of circulatingglycol (to prevent freezing in colder climates and reduce problems related tominerals in water even in warmer climates) through tubes in the panels to transferÜ 90% of homes in Cyprus have a solar hot water heatingsystem.165