Robert Consuel
Herman Germano
Science Period 2
22 January 2013
Testing Insulating Paint on Solar Air Heaters In a world exhausting our natural recourses, we need to depend on solar power. A solar air heater is a mechanism that harnesses the Sun and heats a room. A simple solar air heater can be very effective, but in order to improve its capabilities, the heater must be experimented with. I am testing the effect of insulating paint on this solar machine. To begin, the Sun offers a large source of energy, which can be used cleanly. Per square meter, the Earth receives approximately 1000 watts of energy from the Sun. Solar panels are an example of using the Sun’s energy. Mechanisms such as solar panels can convert energy – without any pollutants. Most solar machines do not create pollutants (like the homemade solar air heater). A disadvantage to solar panels is that they are expensive. Other solar harnessing mechanisms can be made cheap, right at home. Furthermore, homemade solar air heaters are known to be effective. The heater is most effective when facing south, for the Sun’s rays come most directly from there. The heater has pathways for the cold air to escape and the warm air to enter. The Sun is necessary to these solar devices and makes them possible. A solar panel can’t fully work on a cloudy days, nor can this solar air heater. Black paint and gesso, a paint mixture, coat the heater. What would happen if a different substance were to replace the regular black paint? Lastly, solar products are fairly new and ill tested, so the results of applying insulating paint on a homemade solar air heater remains unknown. Insulating paint on the heater is a variation to the