How Do Solar Panels Heat Water

One of the most complex and often confusing areas of solar power in recent times has been the plethora of options available for heating water in any home.

How do solar panels heat water.

The temperature of the water may exceed 60 degrees celsius a requirement to kill bacteria. As heat rises the hot water delivering to the tank from the solar collector comes from the top for use in the house. The non freezing fluid then cycles back to the collectors. Solar thermal panels use heat from the sun to warm fluid passing through them as the diagram below shows.

The sun s thermal energy heats the fluid in the solar collectors. In order to ensure a safe temperature at the taps a tempering valve will reduce the temperature to around 45 degrees. On average it can heat water up to 212 f though you won t require more than 130 f. Solar thermal collectors directly turn the sun s energy into heat where it s collected and tranferred to a hot water tank in your home.

Solar water heating systems are different than solar electric systems. Then this fluid passes through a heat exchanger in the storage tank transferring the heat to the water. One solar heater is sufficient for the entire house. In the simplest panels sun heats water flowing in a circuit through the collector the panel on your roof.

An immersion heater unvented hot water cylinder might be needed as a back up heater or to get the water to the temperature you want. We know how easy it is to use solar power to do a lot of things including heating our water. You ll still need a supplemental heat source so you won t be able to scrap your furnace or boiler. Using solar hot water for space heating won t supply 100 percent of your heating needs.

Solar water heaters use the energy of the sun to give hot water. Heating water using solar power is very affordable and can be installed with minimal effort. Closed loop or indirect systems use a non freezing liquid to transfer heat from the sun to water in a storage tank. Choosing to heat your water using solar power is a wise choice and a first step in making a choice to help preserve our environment.

Where solar electric systems use the sun s energy to generate power for your home like your refrigerator or lights solar water heating systems pump hot water heated by the sun into your home. This is then used to heat your water which is stored in a hot water cylinder. It provides hot water for your bath as well as in the kitchen and washing machine. The traditional hot water heater can be powered by the sun or combined with a solar thermal hot water system or with a tankless system.

Solar panels or photovoltaic cell technology has come a long way in the last seven decades to produce enough electricity to power a home in the second decade of the 21st century.