Hobbies And Interests
Heat
The radiant heat inside an enclosure can increase to a level far higher than the ambient temperature outside. This is the reason that plants can grow in greenhouses with outdoor temperatures that would kill them. Because metal is a very heat-absorbent material, metal enclosures in full sun can get extremely hot inside. This fact occasionally leads to tragedy, as when people are trapped inside of trucks or vehicles in the desert and die from the interior heat.
Damage
Prolonged solar radiation can cause damage to everything from skin to metal. UV rays and extreme heat cause materials to deteriorate. The sun will eventually bake the paint off of a metal enclosure over time, leaving it susceptible to rust and eventual deterioration.
Avoiding Solar Heat
People who live in houses with metal roofs in hot, sunny climates are well aware of the effect of the sun on metal. One of the best ways of avoiding the sun's wrath if you live in what is essentially a metal enclosure is to put something, such as a tree, between the sun and the metal. Overhanging deciduous trees can radically reduce the solar heat gain in houses and poorly insulated metal house trailers. Keeping the solar heat from reaching the metal in the first place is much more effective than air conditioning the enclosure after it has become hot.
Using Solar Heat
In some situations, the solar heat that could be a curse can be turned into a blessing. Solar hot water heaters are designed to circulate water through a metal enclosure that is heated by the sun, creating hot water using only solar rays. Solar cookers focus the heat of the sun into a small area and make it hot enough to cook food without the use of firewood, coal, gas or electricity. Viewing solar heat as a resource to be used can create ideas for innovative metal enclosures to accomplish many cooking and heating tasks at low cost and with little resource use.