Solar Thermal for Heating
Overview
Often when people think of Solar energy, they think of the electricity producing Photovoltaic modules. Less is known about Solar Thermal collectors, which use the sun’s energy to heat buildings and/or hot water.
A solar thermal collector can be made in a few different ways, but the most common designs on the market today are flat plate collectors and evacuated tube collectors. Flat plate collectors use a simple design that is made up of copper tubes inside an insulated box. When the sun shines, the copper pipes are heated up and a heat exchange fluid is passed through the pipes to carry the heat to the desired location (usually a hot water tank).
Evacuated tube collectors are a bit more complicated in the design. They still fluid to take the heat away from a pipe, but the pipes that are exposed to the sun are contained within vacuum sealed glass. The vacuum in the glass does not allow the heat from the pipe to escape into the environment, and more heat is transferred to the transfer fluid.
Applications/Markets
Solar thermal has many applications for heating. It is most commonly used for hot water heating, but space heating is also becoming more common. It is scalable from small residential applications with one or two collectors all the way up to hundreds of collectors providing heat for airports, commercial buildings and industrial facilities. Solar thermal collectors usually store heat in a tank that allows them to distribute the heat to different systems. Some systems use the heated water for showers, but others may pump the heat into hydronic floor systems for space heating.
Applications for Solar Thermal Include
Benefits
Besides being environmentally friendly and reducing the amount of fuel burned for heating purposes, solar thermal is usually one of the most cost effective renewable energy systems. The simple design fits in well with existing mechanical systems as a compliment. The simple method by which heat is absorbed by the collectors allows them to be more efficient at extracting the energy from the sun than Photovoltaic modules.
Sources
DMDC Solar. (2009, 2 24). DMDC Solar Systems. Retrieved from Solar Water Heating: http://www.dmdcsolar.com/prod04.htm
solardirect.com. (n.d.). solardirect.com. Retrieved from Inside solar collector: https://shop.solardirect.com/images/p_active_collector_inside.gif
Often when people think of Solar energy, they think of the electricity producing Photovoltaic modules. Less is known about Solar Thermal collectors, which use the sun’s energy to heat buildings and/or hot water.
A solar thermal collector can be made in a few different ways, but the most common designs on the market today are flat plate collectors and evacuated tube collectors. Flat plate collectors use a simple design that is made up of copper tubes inside an insulated box. When the sun shines, the copper pipes are heated up and a heat exchange fluid is passed through the pipes to carry the heat to the desired location (usually a hot water tank).
Evacuated tube collectors are a bit more complicated in the design. They still fluid to take the heat away from a pipe, but the pipes that are exposed to the sun are contained within vacuum sealed glass. The vacuum in the glass does not allow the heat from the pipe to escape into the environment, and more heat is transferred to the transfer fluid.
Applications/Markets
Solar thermal has many applications for heating. It is most commonly used for hot water heating, but space heating is also becoming more common. It is scalable from small residential applications with one or two collectors all the way up to hundreds of collectors providing heat for airports, commercial buildings and industrial facilities. Solar thermal collectors usually store heat in a tank that allows them to distribute the heat to different systems. Some systems use the heated water for showers, but others may pump the heat into hydronic floor systems for space heating.
Applications for Solar Thermal Include
- Residential homes
- Schools
- Hospitals
- Recreation Centers, especially pools
- Multi Unit Residential Buildings
- Carwashes
- Fire Halls
- Fitness Centers
- And Many Others
Benefits
Besides being environmentally friendly and reducing the amount of fuel burned for heating purposes, solar thermal is usually one of the most cost effective renewable energy systems. The simple design fits in well with existing mechanical systems as a compliment. The simple method by which heat is absorbed by the collectors allows them to be more efficient at extracting the energy from the sun than Photovoltaic modules.
Sources
DMDC Solar. (2009, 2 24). DMDC Solar Systems. Retrieved from Solar Water Heating: http://www.dmdcsolar.com/prod04.htm
solardirect.com. (n.d.). solardirect.com. Retrieved from Inside solar collector: https://shop.solardirect.com/images/p_active_collector_inside.gif
