Solar Power Hot Water

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Solar Power Hot Water
By Paul Kapschock

Introduction

Solar water heating systems use sunlight to heat water. Solar energy is a pollution free and rich
energy resource that can be used to complement many of your energy requirements. Solar energy can
be used as a form of heat as in the case of solar water heating.

Solar water heating systems are a combination of solar thermal collectors, a fluid system to pass the
heat from the collector to the point of use, and a tank to store heat for later use. The systems can be
used to heat water for domestic or business consumption, for swimming pools, under floor heating,
energy source for space heating and cooling and industrial uses.

When placed in low latitudes areas (below 40 degrees), solar water heating system can supply around
60 to 70% of domestic hot water consumption with temperatures up to 60 °C. The most frequently used
types of solar water heaters are evacuated tube collectors (44%), glazed flat plate collectors usually
used for domestic hot water (34%) and unglazed plastic collectors largely used to heat swimming pools
(21%).

Solar water heating systems are one of the most cost-effective utilization of solar energy which
supplies hot water for domestic use. Each year, more than a few thousands of solar water heaters are
being installed all over the world.

How it works

To use solar energy to heat water, a collector needs to be fastened to the top of a building or on a wall
which faces the sun. Collectors could also be free-standing. There are two types of solar water heating
systems; active that has circulating pumps and controls and passive that is driven by natural
convection.

The collector can be made of a set of metal tubes surrounded by an evacuated glass cylinder or a
glass covered insulated box with a flat solar absorber made of metal sheet which is attached to copper
pipes and painted black. A solar water heating system pumps cold water required to be heated to a
collector and the hot water flows back to a collection tank. This type of system can supply adequate hot

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water for an entire family.

The working fluid for the absorber could hot water from the tank but usually it is a separate loop of fluid
which has anti-freeze and a corrosion inhibitor which provides heat to the tank through a heat
exchanger. Another method is the 'drain-back' which does not require anti-freeze. Here the piping is
sloped so that water is drained drain back to the tank. The tank is open to atmospheric pressure. When
the pump is switched off, the water flow is reversed and the pipes drain off before freezing occurs.

Central heating is required at night when there is no sunlight and in the winter when sunlight is limited.
Water in the collector could result in high temperatures when the sunlight is good or if the pump fails.
So it becomes important to have designs that take into account to provide relief of pressure and excess
heat with the help of a heat dump.

Benefits

United States expends more than $13 billion every year on energy for domestic water heating. It
equals to almost 11.4 barrels of oil per household.

Solar water heating systems reduces the fuel needed to heat water as the system uses the sun's
renewable energy. Solar water heating systems can also be used for car washes, hotels and motels,
restaurants and swimming pools. The advantages of solar water heating systems are the following:

• Reduces 80 to 95% of the water heating bill
• Reduces your energy bill
• It is environmental friendly and pollution free
• Reduces greenhouse emissions by minimizing the use of electric or gas water heater
• Qualifies for the 30% federal tax credit
• Doubles the amount of hot water available

Selecting a Solar Water Heater

In the United States the typical hot water usage is 15 to 30 gallons per person everyday for home use.
The typical water tank is sized to store a day's worth of use. So for a family with four members you
could use an 80 gallon tank for everyday water requirements of 20 gallons a person per day.

So when choosing a system you should first analyze if freeze protection is required. If the place you
live is freeze-free, a batch heater or a thermosiphon unit is sufficient. If you have larger needs, go in for
open loop direct pump system circulating water from storage tank to flat plat collector. If freeze
protection is required or the water is hard, you can go in for drain back or closed loop systems with
antifreeze and a heat exchanger.

There are different types of solar water heating models and systems available. When purchasing and
installing a solar water heating system you need to do the following:

• Consider the cost of a solar water heating system
• Assess your location’s solar resource
• Find the right system size
• Find out the system's energy efficiency
• Estimate and compare system costs

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• Find out local conventions and regulations.

Installation and maintenance costs

For installing solar heaters one has to take into account the solar resource, climate, your building code
and safety considerations. After the installation it is required to maintain your system well. Passive
systems do not need much maintenance. In active systems the plumbing and other usual water
heating components require the usual maintenance as regular systems. Maintenance is required for
every 3–5 years and the ones with electrical components need to have certain parts replaced after 10
years.

The initial costs of a solar system if financed and evaluated with energy costs, then the monthly cost of
solar heat will work out cheaper than most regular hot water heaters. Also, the federal and local
incentives are high.

Summing up

Solar water heating systems are a highly cost-effective way to produce hot water for your house. They
produce hot water in almost climatic conditions and the only fuel they use is sunlight which is available
free of charge.

The total installed capacity of solar water heating systems as of 2007 is around 154 GW. China leads
in the utilization of solar water heating systems with installed capacity of 70 GW as of 2006 and a plan
to achieve 210 GW by 2020. Israel leads in the per capita usage of solar water heating systems with
almost 90% of homes using this system. In the United States, Canada and Australia, solar water
heating systems are largely used to heat swimming pools with the installed capacity of 18 GW as of
2005.

Paul Kapschock has been involved with the internet for over 10 years. He is CEO of Good Sense Inc.,
a company that own multiple informational websites, and is constantly working to improve his company
products and sites. His latest website is: http://www.solarpowerhotwater.com

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What are the Solar Power Options for the home?
By Bryan Farrow

The use of solar panels is proving to be the only way of getting sustainable and green energy for the
typical family dwelling. Solar Panels comprise a collection of Solar Cells of which there are two
different types: Solar electricity panels plus solar hot water panels. These similar but distinct options
make it possible for us to either get electricity for thehome or to heat up our water.

Increasingly, we see brand new and more effective solar panel designs. This is making the idea o
fsolar power a lot more advantageous for the average home.

It is not likely we shall have corporations using solar generated power for quite some time because of
the far greater power requirements of the industrial sector but who knows the rate at which solar
electricity will improve in the future. As the knowledge concerning the use of cells advance, we are
likely going to enjoy a much wider use of solar cells.

Solar cells provide us with away of getting energy to hard to reach areas where the use of electricity
may be critical, although the installation of power cable isn't practical. One case demonstrating the
worth of solar power to give energy in hard to reach places is for satellites. In recent decades, satellites
have had solar panels to catch the suns rays, in order to give power to the devices on board.

It's entirely possible for you home to generate power by fitting a series of solar panels, although this is
not likely for the majority of homes. The set up costs for supplying an entire household with power from
solar panels would likely be prohibitive for a typicalhome. Nevertheless the use of solar energy in the
typical home is still able to give a significant amount of the electricity needed, reducing future electricity
costs.

Making use of solar panels to provide hot wate ris getting more and more fashionable in different parts
of the world because of the energy and monetary benefits gained..

A good solar hot water energy system should easily provide a typical home with about thirty to forty per
cent of its hot water needs. Whilst this is only a medium sized portion of the required electricity, it will
slash energy costs by a large sum.

And of course, combining the use of a solar panel water heating system with a solar electricity system
can give additional energy savings and lower electricity bills.

The use of solar panels alongside other green technologies, such as a wind turbine system for the
home can work quite well together for giving a source of clean and inexpensive energy to our homes:
'combining' technologies is the key to getting the most outo f a solar energy system, so please bear
this in mind when considering solar power systems.

Article submitted by Bryan Farrow of Plumber in Plymouth and low cost Bathrooms Plymouth supplier
in the South West of England

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Related eBooks:

What are the Solar Power Options for the home?
Solar Power Systems
Solar Power Training - What You Need to Know About Solar Power
The Benefits Of Solar Water Features
Solar Powered Homes Are Becoming More Popular

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