Solar Panels
How Does It Work?
A household solar water heating system uses solar collectors to capture solar energy and uses such energy to heat water for household use.
Water from the cold supply provides water for the dedicated solar pre-heat storage, which is heated by the solar collectors. The pre-heated water is then heated to the required draw off temperature by a domestic hot water appliance, such as a gas / wood boiler or electric immersion heater. Evacuated tubes are the absorber of the solar water heater. They absorb solar energy converting it into heat for use in water heating. Evacuated tubes have already been used for years in Canada, and Sweden. Our collectors use the "twin-glass tube". This type of tube is chosen for its reliability, and performance.
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Why a vacuum?
As you would know if you have used a glass lined thermos flask, a vacuum is an excellent insulator. This is important because once the evacuated tube absorbs the radiation from the sun and converts it to heat; we don't won't to loose it!! The vacuum helps to achieve this. The insulation properties are so good that while the inside of the tube may be 150°C / 304°F, the outer tube is cold to touch. This means that evacuated tube water heaters can perform well even in cold weather (in Scotland) when cheaper flat plate collectors perform poorly due to heat loss (in England). These collectors are not like the ones sold in your local DIY store, which will freeze up in the winter becoming unusable. The collectors we use are state of the art vacuum tubes which will produce heat even if the outside temperature drops below freezing (similar to the technology used to cool laptop computers).
These panels can be connected to your existing hot water tank (if suitable) or to a new dedicated hot water store.
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