Water Heating Using Solar Power

There are several different ways to heat water using solar power.  You can even build your own solar hot water system.   Heating water using solar power is like your cars radiator only the heat is saved in the water and not released into the air.  The water gets hot and is stored in an insulated storage tank.  Your old hot water heater can work but a better option is an 80 gallon insulated tank to store a larger volume of hot water for cloudy days or night time.

A flat plate collector is the most common and simple design.  It is a thin, flat panel (a flattened radiator) inside an insulated box and has a see through cover to collect sunlight.  The fluid heated could be the water itself or it may be a solution, such as antifreeze that will prevent the water from freezing.  The water flows through the tubes in the absorber plate panel.  The plate is painted flat black to attract and absorb the heat from the sun.  When the collector gets hot, it will heat the fluid or plain water that passes through the tubes.  As the water passes through the tubes it goes into the storage tank.  The storage tank holds the heated water.  The water then flows into the home on demand.

Solar water heating systems are divided into two groups: Active and passive.  When the heating systems are active, that means that they rely on pumps or other mechanical devices that move the water between the flat plate collector and the storage tank.  Active is the most common because it is quicker and more efficient.  The passive system relies on gravity to feed the water from the flat plate collector to the storage tank.  This may be slow at times and may not be sufficient enough to keep up with the demand. Both ways will work and may be more of a choice of preference for you.  Another factor that you need to consider is that your flat plate collector must be angled and positioned correctly to get full sun a majority of the day.

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Heating water using solar power is very affordable and can be installed with minimal effort.  Choosing to heat your water using solar power is the first step in a total solar/wind home alternative energy solution.