Technology Fundamentals in Solar Water Heater System

Solar thermal energy can be captured by solar panels, made by solar water heater manufacturers. There are two main types of solar panels, which use completely different technologies to make use of the energy from the sun. Solar water heating collectors are panels that absorb the energy from the sun and transfer it to heat water. Photovoltaic, PV (or solar electric) panels transform solar radiation directly into electricity.

Heating water using solar thermal energy

Solar water heater systems use panels connected to a domestic hot water system to reduce or eliminate the need for the boiler to run in warmer or sunnier weather. Until the introduction of feed-in tariffs (internal link) for PV, they were the most popular form of small-scale renewable energy with many thousand successful installations. Solar water heating systems typically provide around 40% of a household's hot water requirements over the year. There are two main types of solar water heating collector: flat plate and evacuated tubes.

Flat plate collectors

Solar water heating panels in their simplest form are made from a sheet of metal painted black, which absorbs the sun's energy. Water is fed through the panel in pipes attached to the metal sheet and it picks up the heat in the metal. The pipes are often made of copper for better conduction. The metal sheet is embedded in an insulated box and covered with glass or clear plastic on the front. The system is usually installed on the roof. Some, more expensive systems, integrate the collector plates into a unit that can be fitted flush with the roof, as a form of solar tile, and these may be acceptable on listed properties or in conservation areas where traditional solar systems are deemed unsuitable.

Evacuated tubes

The evacuated tube system is a series of glass heat tubes grouped together. The tubes are highly insulated, due to a vacuum inside the glass. Evacuated tubes generally have a slightly higher output than flat plate systems, offsetting a higher purchase price.

 

Applications of solar thermal

The main use of this technology is in residential buildings where the demand for hot water has a large impact on energy bills. This generally means a situation with a large family or a situation in which the hot water demand is excessive due to frequent laundry washing. Commercial applications include Laundromats, car washes, military laundry facilities and eating establishments. The technology can also be used for space heating if the building is located off-grid or if utility power is subject to frequent outages. Solar water heating systems are most likely to be cost effective for facilities with water heating systems that are expensive to operate, or with operations such as laundries or kitchens that require large quantities of hot water. Unglazed liquid collectors are commonly used to heat water for swimming pools but can also be applied to large-scale water pre-heating. When loads are large relative to available collector area, the bulk of the geyser can be done at low temperature, lower than swimming pool temperatures where unglazed collectors are well established in the marketplace as the right choice. Because these collectors need not withstand high temperatures, they can use less expensive materials such as plastic or rubber.

 

Author’s Bio

 Williams Fred educates his passionate readers on some of the fundamentals of the solar water heater systems and how the geyser or water heater is used is most residential areas.