The ancients used skylights for light in lieu of electricity. Light was used for drying, even cooking foods and drying clothes. Solar clocks/sun dials were once popular but now we have battery operated clocks. Where have we tapped into any of these resources since the outdated solar clothes drier nicknamed the 'clothes line'?
As your question notes, there are other ways to derive power from solar energy other than just using solar panels. One such way that has grown rapidly in recent years, is solar thermal generation. Solar-thermal uses mirrors to collect sunlight and concentrate it at point to generate intense heat. This heat is used -- just as in traditional fossil fuel plants -- to boil a fluid, thereby creating steam pressure, which drives a turbine that generates electricity. Solar thermal has some advantages over traditional solar panels. It's collectors (i.e. mirrors) are cheaper to manufacture than solar panels and last longer.
Crikey yes, all these terms should be googleable Solar chimney Solar cooker Passive solar Solar trough Solar water heating Double glazing I'm sure there are more, I thought clothes lines were powered by the wind?
Have you seen the industrial solar power tower they built in Spain? It has a very large collection of mirrors which direct sunlight toward a single point at the top of a large tower. There a boiler turbine generates a lot of electricity! It is a genius concept that could easily be installed in North American deserts.
For simple starters, look to the gigantic strides technology has made due to the science of the laser. Its light power at its most extreme.
