The Best System For Solar Water Heating Panels
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by: MaxMatthews | Total views: 17 | Word Count: 618
There are two solar energy systems that you can choose between. One is to get a solar hot water system which uses solar water heating panels. The other is to generate electricity using PV solar panels. This article is going to explore the possibilities associated with the former option, a hot water system.
Solar Panels
One of the first decisions to make is whether you want to get flat-panel solar collectors or evacuated-tube solar hot water panels. A brief description of them will be given here, and a conclusion as to which is better.
The flat-panels are, as they sound, panels which are flat. They collect the solar energy in absorber plates which run along the bottom. This heat is then transferred to pipes which run through the solar panels, which will contain either the water to be heated or a heat transfer substance.
With evacuated-tubes, they use an absorber plate as well, but in this case it is running around the inside of the tubes. These tubes are set next to each other, and the reason that they have an evacuated portion around the outside is so that cold air will not cool them down and heat will not escape and be wasted.
Due to the fact that evacuated-tubes have the absorber plate running around on the inside, they are the better sort of solar water heating panels. The positive consequences of this are that they have a larger surface area, meaning more heating possibilities, and also they are able to collect the heat from the sun whatever angle it is at.
Circulating the Water
It's not just the kind of solar thermal panels that you can choose between, there are also different options when it comes to how the water is circulates as well as how it is heated. These options will now be explained and, again, a determination will be made as to which is better.
If you're using evacuated-tubes usually the water is not fed directly inside. Instead a heat transfer substance, whether that is simply air or something else, is heated inside the tube. This then raises to the top, and it is there that the circulating water is heated.
Some flat-panels work like that as well. You can also have them set up so that the water is running through the solar panels to be heated directly though. Although that probably sounds more efficient, it does raise the possibility that on particularly cold days the water could freeze in the panel.
When the water freezes, or there is some other reason for the system to stagnate, getting it all going again is made much more difficult when the water is going through the solar panels directly. Which is the reason that indirect systems are recommended usually.
That deals with how the water is heated then, now it just remains to discuss how the water is circulated. In that case there are two options again, either a passive system in which no pumps are used, or a direct system in which the water is circulated by pumps.
In this case it is cheaper to have a passive system in which pumps are not needed. One of the problems with a system of this kind though is that when it is being designed, everything has to be positioned in just the right place in order for it to work properly. It's also not as efficient.
If you want the most efficient circulation method, that's the active system which uses pumps. The problem there is that they will need maintenance occasionally. Not very often though, and the greater efficiency is probably worth it.
Overall
If you want the most efficient system then you should get evacuated-tube solar panels with an active circulation system. And for safety an indirect heating system.
About the Author
Author Jake Butler writes more regarding solar energy at solar water heating panels. Discover the amount of money it's possible to make, as well as how all of it works. If you happen to be interested, you can also obtain a free solarinstallation quote.
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