Passive energy is natural energy used to achieve a desired goal, requiring little maintenance and reducing overall energy consumption. It can be used for heating, cooling, and air circulation in buildings, and is often integrated into environmentally friendly designs.
Passive energy, a term usually used in reference to passive solar energy, is natural energy that is directly harnessed to achieve a desired goal. Conversely, active energy is the energy that is used to generate electricity. Passive energy systems require little energy or effort to maintain and are designed to replace traditional energy sources, reducing overall energy consumption rather than simply changing the energy source.
A number of systems fall under the passive energy umbrella. Indeed, there is a high probability that the structure you are in now takes advantage of this energy in one form or another. For example, it might have south-facing windows if it’s in the northern hemisphere, so it can use sunlight to warm up. Many people use this type of energy subconsciously, as seen when people orient their furniture in a way that allows them to take advantage of natural light and heat instead of using artificial systems for heating and lighting.
Passive energy can be used for heating and cooling instead of active systems. Passive heating systems can include passive solar tanks to heat water for bathing and cooking, along with sun facing windows, solariums to collect and trap heat that may be lost through a structure and arrays of materials such as tiles which absorb heat and subsequently radiate it, maintaining stable temperatures in a building without the need for an air conditioning system.
Passive energy can also be used to drive air currents to improve air circulation and for cooling purposes. Other examples of passive cooling systems include curtains and blinds that block sunlight during the heat of the day or landscaping to cool a structure. Planting trees and shrubs will keep a structure cool in the summer and can help a structure stay warm in the winter by creating an insulating buffer.
People have been using passive energy in buildings for hundreds of years, and many of the steps taken to harness this energy are common sense. Structures specifically designed to be environmentally friendly often integrate passive systems as part of their design, and passive systems can also be added to the design of a conventional structure. A big advantage of this type of energy is that it usually does not require money or energy to maintain and operate, meaning that once installed the system will run for years. This is in contrast to active systems, which often require periodic replacement or repair and may require regular maintenance.
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