SOLARFREEPOWER

SOLAR ENERGY TECHNOLOGY for WATER HEATING
The intense energy of the sun has long been used to heat liquids. Collecting heat from the sun can be used in various ways within homes and businesses.
Example; Sunlight can be used to heat water for domestic hot water systems, or the sunlight can be concentrated and water temperatures increased to make steam and generate electricity.

For domestic hot water there
are three main components

solar energy panels
normally positioned on roof
a heat transfer system
uses liquid inside pipework which flows from solar energy panels to a hot water storage tank
and a hot water storage tank
with free heated hot water that flows from your taps

Solar panels - or collectors - are fitted into your roof. They collect heat from the sun's radiation. The heat transfer system uses the collected heat to heat water. A hot water tank stores the hot water that is heated during daylight and supplies it for a later use.

Solar Energy is a clean environmentally friendly source of free power. In 40 minutes of daylight The SUN releases upon the Earth the amount of energy that is consumed by the entire population of the planet in ONE YEAR. Each day more solar energy falls to the Earth than the total amount of energy the planet's 6 billion inhabitants would consume in 27 years. Currently we harness about 1% of this energy.

How it works
Solar water heating is where heat from the Sun is used to heat water in solar panels on your roof. This means you do not need to use so much oil, gas or electricity to heat your water. Water is pumped through pipes to the solar panels. The pipes get HOT when the sunshines on them. The solar pump keeps the system circulating. This helps out your central heating system and cuts your fuel bills for water heating. However, in the UK you must have anti-freeze to stop the system freezing in the winter.

Among pumped options, there is an important distinction to be made regarding the sustainability of the design of the system. This relates to what source of energy powers the pump and its controls. The type of pumped solar thermal systems which use mains electricity to pump the fluid through the solar panels are called low carbon solar because the pumping negates the carbon savings of the solar by about 20%, according to data in a report called "Side by side testing of eight solar water heatings" by DTI UK.

However, zero-carbon pumped solar thermal systems use solar electricity which is generated onsite using photovoltaic´s to pump the fluid and to operate its control electronics. This represents a zero operational carbon footprint and is becoming an important design for innovative solar thermal systems.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION
Solar hot water systems and size are determined by the solar panels area and the storage tank volume of hot water required.
Advantages
Solar energy is free - it needs no fuel and produces no waste or pollution.
Can provide typically 70% of the hot water requirements for a normal household of 4 people, as well as lowering the energy needed for space heating.
Disadvantages Does not work at night or if solar panels are in the shade.