3 Ancient Solar Power Technologies With a Place in Modern Life

These days, when we hear the words, “Solar Power,” the image of rows of semi-conductor panels lining rooftops quickly comes to mind.  But there are actually many older, more simple and elegant (not to mention green plants as the supreme) ways to harvest the Sun’s energy that are still immensely practical today. Here are three time-tested technologies that use direct power of the sun to warm, power, and grow, using materials you can grow or gather yourself:

Earth Building

Homes made from earth are wonderful ways human can partner with the Sun for sophisticated energy design in heating and cooling. Earthen walls absorb and hold the heat of the sun, keeping houses warm in the winter and cool in the summer with the simple placement of surrounding shade trees. This is probably why earth has been a primary building material for people around the world for most of our history. In fact, according to the United Nations, 30% of people globally live in earthen homes today. 

We just stumbled upon this beautiful and comprehensive resource on ancient and modern earth building put together by an architecture professor at U.C. Berkeley: eartharchitechture.org.

Cooking With the Sun

Try sun-dried tomatoes or a home-brewed tea, steeped solely with the warmth of the Sun. Check out the instructions in our blog post, 5 Sun-Powered Summer Projects.

The Old-Fashioned Clothesline

Want to save money and energy, have sweet smelling, longer-lasting clothes, and build a bit more outdoor time into your daily routine? Use the most simple and ancient method for drying clothes: the sun. If you’re short on yard space, we found this cool urban clothesline that mounts on your outside wall.