ABSTRACT

Solar heat can be used to heat air, either for drying crops (Section 6.3) or for heating buildings (Section 6.4). Both these applications are of major economic importance. Much of the present world grain harvest is lost to fungal attack, which could be prevented by proper drying. Keeping buildings warm in winter accounts for up to half of the energy requirements of cold countries (see Fig. 16.2). Even a partial contribution to this load, by designing or redesigning buildings to make use of solar heating, could save billions of dollars' worth of fuel per year.