Solar power is becoming more popular around the world, as consumers become more interested in sustainable energy solutions and applications. Solar power devices include a wide range of different technologies, including the solar collectors used in solar hot water systems, and the solar cells which use photovoltaics to generate electricity for homes. solar collector (Solaranlage) devices are normally designed using computer software, where their geometry and design can be finely tweaked before the manufacturing stage begins. While the majority of engineers use expensive commercial computer aided design (CAD) applications when they are designing this technology, there are a number of free open source programs that are also available. The evolution of open source software has continued and advanced in recent years, and the kinds of applications that are available for free has diversified according to user needs and requirements.
solar collectors (Sonnenkollektoren) need to be used together with other related technologies, so that the generated energy can be stored and used as efficiently as possible. Open source operating systems like Linux can be used in conjunction with free design programs, making it possible for engineers to use totally free software systems if they desire. It is possible for entire hot water systems to be designed, developed, and manufactured using freely available open source software, although the choices available to engineers will not be as big as when commercial titles are also an option. The placement of solar collectors on roof tops and dedicated frames is also one application that would be possible using free software, where the geometry of the surrounding buildings and landscape could be factored into consideration.
CAD applications come in a wide variety of different types, from those that are able to perform simple 2D models right through to those that can handle the design of integrated 3D environments. Most product design these days is carried out in a digital environment, so that people can tweak and perfect their designs before a product has to be actualised in a physical form. Solar collectors are one of these products that is regularly designed using computer software, some of which is available free of charge and available through the Internet. The active community of users involoved in open source applications, their ease of use, and the non-existent cost factor, are just some of the reasons why free applications are being used by product designers and engineers on a regular basis.
