How does Solar Water Heating work?
You might ask.. What is solar water heating?
A solar heating system collects the sun’s energy to
heat water or another heat transfer fluid. The water or other fluid then
transfers solar heat directly or indirectly to your home, water, pool or
industrial process. Solar water heaters are a very good investment.
Although
solar water heaters cost more initially than conventional water heaters, the
fuel they use-sunshine-is free. To take advantage of solar energy you need to
have an un-shaded area, such as a roof, that faces north, northeast or
northwest.
Solar Water Heating
Modern
solar heating systems can:
1. Keep
swimming pools warm
2. Heat
your home's water
3. Heat
your home's interior space.
The popularity
of Solar is increasing for several reasons:
1. Solar
heating systems are cost saving
2.
Reliable
3.
Adaptable
4.
Pollution-free because they use renewable energy from the sun.
Modern
systems include sleek, attractive, low-relief collectors that blends in with
the look of the modern house.
A solar heating system is a rewarding investment. It can cover 100% of your
monthly heating bill, ensure hot water during power failures and increase your
property value. When you purchase a solar heating system you are making a
conscious, responsible decision to help reduce harmful emissions from fossil
fuels, while maintaining your quality of life.
Our Manufacturers, ITS Solar, designs and manufactures a range of solar water
heating systems that cater for your every need.
How much will your
solar heating system help the environment?
On
average for every 1kWh of energy produced by a coal power station, 0.966kg of
carbon dioxide is produced. Now, a good quality solar system with 4m2 of solar
collector area will on average generate 8kWh of thermal energy per day.
Therefore, you will personally be responsible for saving our environment of
another 2900 kg of carbon dioxide per year.
Carbon dioxide traps heat in our atmosphere,
contributing to the greenhouse effect, which alters our planet’s climate and
ecological systems. Using solar energy in place of nonrenewable fuels may also
reduce nitrous oxides and sulfur dioxides, which are components of smog.
What maintenance
does solar thermal systems require?
Modern
solar systems are designed to be maintenance free but due to poor water quality
in some areas and dust cleaning is needed.
Therefore,
just like a car, it is recommended that the system has a ''service''.
ITS
recommends an annual check-up of the system to ensure that your system is
providing you with the biggest possible saving. During this check-up the
collector surface can then also be cleaned and de-scaling can be done.
What are the basic components of a solar thermal
system?
Solar water heaters and solar space heaters are
made up of solar collectors, and all systems except pool heaters have some kind
of storage.
In pool systems, the swimming pool itself is the
storage, and the pool’s filtration pump circulates the pool water through the
collectors. Active systems also have circulating pumps and controls, passive
systems work without this added equipment.
Two types of solar collectors are used for
residential applications: flat-plate and evacuated-tube collectors.
Flat-plate collectors
Flat Plate collectors are traditionally the most
common type because they are easy to manufacture. Glazed flat-plate collectors
essentially are weatherproofed boxes that contain a dark absorber plate under a
glass cover.
Evacuated-tube solar collectors
Evacuated tubes can be seen as the newer of solar
collectors. They are made of a copper “manifold” where the water flows through
and a number of evacuated tube heat pipes connected to it.
Evacuated tube solar collectors convert direct and diffused solar radiation
into heat. Infra red rays, which can pass through clouds and are also
absorbed and converted into usable heat. The collectors efficiently collect and
transfer this energy through a special collector plate and a rapid heat
transfer channel ‘the heat-pipe’, situated in an evacuated glass tube, to a
highly insulated manifold heat exchanger.
The collector plate has a special wavelength
‘selective’ coating using a semi- conductor layer. This special absorber plate
converts the maximum amount of solar radiation into heat whilst having very low
radiation losses. The heat-pipe has a very low heat capacity but an
exceptionally rapid conductivity and therefore is a very efficient and speedy
heat conductor.
