The humble fan has come a long way. During its initial years, it was expensive, large and bulky. The fan has been around for so long and has yet not been tagged obsolete. This is certainly due to the constant evolution and refinements according to the changing needs of the people and technological advances in the fields of electronics, material sciences and design. The fan has successfully kept us cool for over a century.

Today, if you decide to venture out to the market looking for fans, you are bound to find a pleasant range of different fans. Based on the functionality, though all fans are designed to keep you cool, each one tries to adapt to a different environment. Conventional ceiling fans keep you cool at home, whereas outdoor ceiling fans aim at providing you a cool breeze while you are out on the porch on a hot summer afternoon. Portable fans are also catching on, providing you cool breeze in places where power supply is either irregular or unavailable.

The battery powered fan is gaining popularity these days. A battery operated fan lasts for long periods of time.  The battery can be easily replaced, which facilitates long life.

Solar powered fans are also in vogue these days. These fans have been in the news for their tremendous reliability and environmental friendliness. In situations where conventional forms of power cannot be provided to the fan, we adopt batteries to power the fan. Sooner or later, the battery would get consumed and come to a standstill. This can be tackled by either carrying backup alkaline batteries or by employing rechargeable batteries. Even in case of rechargeable batteries, a reliable power source is required to recharge the batteries. Considering that there are parts of the world where cooling is essential but are without a constant supply of power, solar power can be harnessed to solve the problem. This provides us with ideally a non-exhaustible source of power to run our fans and other essential electrical appliances indefinitely.

Attic fans can be powered by solar panels placed on the roof. Solar powered fan kits come in all sizes. If the attic has a glass covering that allows sunlight to pass through, enough solar power can be harnessed to turn the attic into a solar-powered attic. If the vent area of the roof is large enough to allow ample sunshine to pass through, the attic can be converted into a solar attic that can power appliances in the home. There are large ones powerful enough to manage a small room. Solar powered fans for greenhouses are a reality even now. And there are ones small enough to fit on the brim of your hat. Solar-powered personal hat fans are a really handy tool. It incorporates portability and functionality in an almost seamless manner.