Are solar curtains a new gadget or just old fashioned common sense?
Well, that depends on which type of these curtains you're talking about.
There are actually two different variations of solar energy curtains and they each attempt to accomplish very different things.
The first type of curtain takes advantage of a pretty simple idea. It uses a reflective material to keep sunlight from entering your home and heating things up like a solar oven.
This is an idea we have looked at before with solar window shades and solar window screens. The only difference with these curtains is the reflective nature of the material.
These curtains can make it look like your windows have been covered in tin foil or some other 'space-age' material (as the infomercials say). Although this might not be exactly the look you're going for, you should be able to save some money on air conditioning costs.
The idea is that the shiny material reflects the sun's light so it doesn't get the chance to enter your home and get converted into heat energy.
Less heat in your home means that your air conditioner won't have to run as often and you'll save money on your electric bill.
It is also claimed that these curtains can prevent heat loss during winter. This is accomplished by reversing the curtain so the heat reflects back in and doesn't escape from your house.
These shiny solar curtains may not be as exciting as a new solar electric array on your roof but here are two things they have going for them:
They are cheap. These curtains are featured on Amazon and other websites from $3.49 to $9.99 so even if they don't live up to your high expectations, you're only out a few bucks.
They've got good user reviews. I always suspect that a product gets some of its good reviews from employees of the company (I'm quite a cynic), but solar curtains seem to have satisfied quite a few real customers.
Overall, these curtains seem like a cost-effective way to add a little energy efficiency to your home.
Are you looking for a more high-tech solar power curtain that won't just save you energy but will actually produce power?
Well in that case you should check out the curtains developed by Konarka Technologies and Arch Aluminum And Glass.
These 'curtains' cover the entire side of a building with plastic solar film encased in glass.
One installation is expected to provide 1.5 kW of power to a facility and the panels have an efficiency level of about 3 percent.
These solar curtains sound like a pretty cool idea too, but I don't think you'll be finding them on Amazon for $3.49.
