5 Questions to Ask When Choosing a New Water Heater

Being a well-informed consumer can be really hard in any context, especially when you have so many choices. It’s even harder to make smart purchases when you’re looking for big ticket items like a water heater.

Next time you need a new water heater, we recommend asking yourself these five basic questions. Once you can answer these, you’ll know exactly what type of heater is ideal for your home.

Are you interested in a conventional or a tankless water heater?

Conventional water heaters have shorter lifespans, but cost less to install up front. A conventional heater and a tankless heater of similar size will cost approximately $1 vs 3 thousand respectively.

Conventional heaters are better for people with budget or time restraints when it comes to installation. Tankless heaters fit into smaller spaces and they’re more ecologically-friendly, but they’re also more expensive.

What size tank do you need?

The size of the tank you need if you go with a conventional water heater depends on a number of different factors. You should consider how much water you use, how many people live with you, and the size of your previous tank.

The average size chosen for an in-home water tank ranges between twenty and fifty gallons. If you’re unsure which size you should buy, we recommend asking a professional.

What is the warranty like?

A brand new water heater isn’t likely to have any problems, especially for the first few years of use. However, it’s still important to know about warranties before you make a purchase.

An average water heater lasts five years. Tankless heaters typically have longer warranties. If you are concerned about warranty length, there are also extended warranty offerings from many manufacturers. Make sure you ask about warranties before you commit to a purchase.

What brands should I look into?

The best way to learn about water heater brands is to ask the professional installers. They’ll have knowledge of how the different brands work that the manufacturers may not give you.

Make sure you work with plumbing companies that give you a wide variety of water heaters to choose from. Ask them for their opinions on each of your options and learn to their experiences. That will allow you to feel confident that they’re not trying to shoehorn you into purchasing a particular heater.

Who am I going to hire to install my water heater?

Take the time to do some research and find the best option for you. The ideal water heater installer is a local service with years of experience delivering high-quality service. Taking your time to make an informed decision will always pay off in the long run. Properly installing a water heater is absolutely crucial for ensuring its health and longevity.

Primary Advantages & Disadvantages of Solar Water Heaters

Alot of energy is used in the home to heat water. In fact, about 18 percent of home energy use goes towards heating water, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. It is possible to reduce energy use and the associated costs, by switching to a home solar water heating system.

Such a system does not depend on fossil fuels and takes energy from the sun to heat stored water. It, therefore, saves money, which is a major advantage of solar heating systems. Energy from the sun doesn’t cost anything, so no charge from electrical utilities is needed.

Advantages of Solar Water Heaters

The advantages go beyond cost savings and the availability of power, which are also realized with solar electric systems. Here are a few unique perks of home solar water heating products that may convince you to upgrade your home.

Types:

Active systems: These come in two forms. Direct circulation systems pump household water through collectors, which is then delivered to where needed in the house. They have automatic controllers that sense when sunlight is available. However, the systems are ineffective in temperatures below freezing.

Indirect circulation systems heat water by pumping it through a heat-transfer fluid that doesn’t freeze. It’s then sent through collectors and a heat exchanger. Operational in freezing temperature and in multiple heating applications, they’re often more expensive than direct circulation systems.

Passive systems: Two types are available here as well. An integral collector-storage passive system consists of a storage tank, solar collection unit, and pipes that pump cold water into the collector. It suits a home that needs hot water in the day and evening but also doesn’t work as well in cold outside temperatures.

A thermosyphon system works on the principle of warm water rising and cold water sinking. Warm water in the collector rises into the storage tank, which is a reliable configuration. A downside is the weight of the storage tank, which can be a challenge for contractors working on the roof; the system is a more expensive option as well.

Other advantages include:

  • Choice of size: Proper sizing is essential, as homeowners must have enough storage to meet 90 to 100 percent of their hot water needs. Storage volume is also a consideration. A 50- to 60-gallon storage tank is fine for up to three people, an 80-gallon tank for up to four people, and a larger one for as many as six people.
  • Less space: Solar thermal panels are usually less space-intensive than photovoltaic panels. Fewer are required to heat water than in an array used to produce sufficient power for a home.
  • High efficiency: About 80 percent of the sun’s radiation is turned into the heat energy needed to obtain hot water at home.
  • Cost savings: The cost of two or three panels is cheaper than larger domestic installations. You also save on fuel bills for supplying gas heating systems.
  • Low maintenance: After installation, little maintenance is required, and a solar water heater can run for up to 20 years.
  • Lower carbon footprint: A home can be eco-friendlier, plus tax incentives may be available for using renewable energy.

Disadvantages of Solar Water Heaters

Maintenance is one disadvantage, although most systems don’t require a high degree of care. However, scaling occurs when there are minerals suspended in domestic water, which build up as calcium deposits in the system. Adding water softeners or mild acidic substances such as vinegar can avoid scaling. It only must be done every three to five years, but this can vary depending on the water quality.

Corrosion is another concern. In open loop hydronic solar systems, oxygen can rust any iron or steel part. The plumbing components are more resistant if they’re made of copper, brass, bronze, stainless steel, plastic or rubber. Storage tanks should be lined with glass or plastic to resist corrosion as well.

Also, active systems can overheat if the size of the storage tank isn’t appropriate for the collector. The general rule is that for each square foot of collector, there should be 1.5 gallons of storage. With that in mind, such a disadvantage can be avoided.

Other disadvantages:

  • Compared to photovoltaic panels, solar thermal panels only heat water.
  • Solar heaters require sufficient roof space to accommodate them.
  • Solar water heaters require direct sunlight to function.
  • The system does not function on cloudy, rainy, or foggy days.
  • Annual maintenance is recommended to check the pump and antifreeze.
  • Installation requires the use of a new hot water cylinder.

Also, heating is only provided in the daytime. That does not mean hot water won’t be available at night. An insulated storage tank can maintain water temperature so that the water heated during the day can be used during nighttime hours.

Cost can be another disadvantage. Oftentimes a solar water heating system costs more in terms of purchasing and installation, compared to other types of water heaters. The savings come over the long run because water heating bills can be reduced by as much as 50 to 80 percent. Price hikes, fuel shortages, and other issues with utility-based heat are not a concern either.

Getting the Most Out of a Solar Water Heater

There are many advantages to using a solar water heating system, and many of the disadvantages can be averted through professional installation. Installers can check the roof to see if it can support the panels. They can also look at shading and other factors that might impact efficiency.

Professional installers can also help you get more out of the system. In addition to a more optimal configuration, they might be able to optimize roof space so water heating elements can be combined with photovoltaic systems. Electricity from these can contribute to additional heating capacity. In fact, combining different types of panels contributes to a high degree of energy efficiency.

Solar water heaters have their advantages and disadvantages, but they are reliable and efficient. Planning and proper installation help homeowners get the most out of them and avoid some of the disadvantages while reaping all the benefits the right system and size can afford.

5 Reasons Every Home Should Get a Solar Water Heater

Electricity consumption is going higher day by day as the population growth. We need to find ways to decrease electricity usage daily is by using a solar water heater. The solar water heater uses solar power or sunlight to generate heat, which is then used to heat water for your household and several other applications. The heater is generally installed on the terrace of the building or any open area where sufficient sunlight available to heat the water during the day, and stored in a tank for later usage. Some of the advantages of solar water heater are protecting yourself from rising energy costs, heating water using free energy from the sun, saving up to 90% on your water heating bills, accessing hot water 24/7 and decreasing your household’s carbon footprint.

The solar hot water heating system or solar hot water heater is capable of providing up to 90% of your hot water for free using the sunlight without generating greenhouse gas emissions, which depends on the climate that you live. You can even see how much difference such a solar water heating system can make and by avoiding the conventional geysers and immersion rods. Stainless steel for small tanks is used in the water heater, whereas mild steel tanks with anticorrosion coating inside used for large tanks. Furthermore, the solar water heater for home uses for bathing, washing, cleaning and some other purposes.

Let’s discuss with the top 5 reasons why every home should get a solar water heater.

Get hot water even on rainy or cloudy days:

The solar water heater is the best device that helps you to provide hot water even on rainy days. On cloudy days if it is for a day or two, you still get warm water as the water gets heated by solar water heater due to the absorption of diffused radiation available in the atmosphere. Therefore, the solar water heater system is either connected to an electric solar water geyser in the house or an electrical back-up. It provides in the storage tank of the system, which gets switched on when the water is not hot enough. Thus, you get hot water all the time even on rainy or cloudy days.

Protect water quality:

According to the Natural Resources Defense Council, it has proved that several power plants and other toxic heavy metals are being released into the environment each year. Apart from this, carbon and other particles are also responsible for burning fossil fuel. These substances may come in the water of rivers, streams, lakes, and hence, they consider a major threat to the health of human beings, when they consume water from these sources. The solar water heater is one of the best hot water solutions, which we can take to put a stop to mercury contamination of our watersheds.

Protect air quality:

There are several homes even today’s time use electricity to heat the water for their varied purposes, and an ample amount of electric power comes from burning coal. The major drawback of burning coal is to pollute our air and contribute to several health effects as well as negative environmental impact. However, the solar water heater is an appropriate solution to heat the water by using solar energy and helps you become a part of the solution to any of the public health problems – one of the advantages of solar water heater.

Requires no maintenance:

The foremost advantages of solar water heater are not to require any maintenance when they get installed. You do not face any maintenance costs for a long time as the installation process of a water heater is very simple. However, the collector tubes of water heaters may need annual cleaning to remove accumulated scale and sediment deposits if your area belongs to hard water.

Saves money on water electricity bills: 

A best solar water heater can help you save electricity bills on water consumption! It can provide up to 80 percent of your hot water needs, even in a moderate climate, which is capable of saving major utility bills for several months. For example, a solar heater with a capacity of 100 liters (suitable for 3-4 people of a family) can save up to 1500 units of electricity in a year, and that depends on the amount of hot water used.

Solar water heating system pays for itself in just four to eight years, but it is expected to last for at least 40 years or more. This is how we can save a lot of free energy, and avail a lot of savings from the water bill.

advantages of solar water heater - save money                                                           (Image Source: Glesolar.com)

Salient characteristics of solar water heater

  • Helps in turning cold water into hot water with the help of the sun’s rays.
  • It helps in attaining around 60 deg. – 80 deg. Celsius temperature and that depends on the solar radiation, weather conditions, and solar collector system efficiency.
  • Ideal for homes, hostels, hotels, hospitals, restaurants, dairies, and industries to provide hot water.
  • Suitable to install on roof-tops, building a terrace, and open ground where no shading, south orientation of collectors, and over-head tank above solar water heating system are available (SWH system generates hot water on clear sunny days (maximum), partially clouded (moderate) but not in a rainy or heavy overcast day).
  • Benefits in providing indulgent and filtered water to the users.
  • Solar water heaters (SWHs) of 100-300 liters capacity suit for domestic application and the larger systems use in restaurants, guest houses, hotels, hospitals, and industries.

The Pros and Cons of Hot Water Heating

Some Points to Consider Before Winter

Now is the time of year to go apple picking, watch horror movies and get your fill of pumpkin spiced treats. But with winter on the horizon, you might already be thinking about the cold days ahead.

Reliable heat is a necessity for homes in and around Chicago. But people who grew up using a furnace may be apprehensive about buying or building a home with a hot water boiler. We’re here to allay any of your fears. The warmth of a radiator heated home simply cannot be matched.

In addition to providing furnace installations and furnace repair in Wilmette, IL, and nearby communities, we also install, repair and maintain boilers. Hot water heating might be less popular to modern builders than forced-air heating, but it will keep your home feeling cozier all winter long.

The Pros of Hot Water Heating:

  •  Longer lasting heat. When a furnace shuts off, the warmth disappears and you’re more likely to feel drafts. But with hot water heating, the radiators add hours worth of heat because they retain heat from the water in them. The boiler retains so much heat that you can still feel warmth coming from the radiators three to four hours after the system shuts off. This gives your home that consistently cozy feeling that people want during the winter months.
  • No breeze. Even though furnaces distribute warm air, the forced air can feel uncomfortable during the winter. The air movement alone can cause you to feel cool when you should be feeling warm. With radiator heat, you will feel warmer at a lower temperature because there’s no breeze.
  • Quieter operation. Furnaces can make quite a bit of noise as they blow warm air throughout the home. Since there’s no forced-air component to hot water heating, these systems work much more quietly.
  • Better air quality. Forced-air furnaces circulate everything in the air, including dust and other allergens. Because boilers involve no air movement, this will reduce the amount of dust and debris circulating in your home. You also won’t have any air ducts to clean and there will be fewer allergens in the air to purify.

The Cons of Hot Water Heating:

  •  More expensive to install. Hot water systems are more expensive upfront. However, given the many benefits they provide, we here at American Vintage Home encourage customers to consider everything they stand to gain from hot water heating.
  • Cannot add an air conditioner to a boiler. Furnaces are convenient because they can use the same ductwork as air conditioners. To add air conditioning to a radiator-heated home, you must consider alternative duct systems such as SpacePak or Unico or a ductless system. 

What If I Already Have Forced-Air Heating?

If your home currently uses forced-air heating, you can still experience radiator heat without investing in a boiler. The answer is radiant in-floor heating. Providing improved comfort and unmatched energy efficiency, with radiant heating your floor essentially acts as a radiator, warming all of the surfaces in the room. Compared to traditional heating systems, radiant heating has less heat variance from ceiling to floor and is more efficient. In fact, it’s the single-fastest growing segment in the heating industry.

Click here to learn more about radiant in-floor heating and its benefits.

Let’s Discuss Your Options Together

With so many heating and cooling options, the process can feel overwhelming. That’s why we’re here to help.

If you aren’t sure which type of heat is right for your home, give us a call. We’ve been installing furnaces and boilers for many years and will help you make an informed decision.

Overall, experience has taught us that you simply can’t mimic the warmth and comfort that boilers provide. Their mechanisms are intrinsically different from furnaces. For customers who want to experience the greatest level of warmth at home, hot water heating can’t be beat.

Trust the experts at Aztec Solar Water Heating Home Improvement Contractor to keep your home nice and cozy this winter. Whether you need to purchase a new system or schedule furnace repair , and beyond, we’re here for you.

5 Tips That Will Help You Find The Best Solar Water Heating System

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Many people are switching over from electric water heaters to solar water heating system due to its so many advantages. This has brought out a lot of competitors for solar water heaters in the market. Even though most people go by recommendations from other people to choose a product for themselves, a solar water heating system should be bought after a lot of consideration. Given below are some tips that will help you choose a good solar water heating system.

Do Research

This is the first step and the most important one to know which one suits your needs best. The internet will come in very handy for this. You can easily search the topmost competitors of a solar water heater in your location. Search each of them and see which one has the benefits to offer.

Check The Reviews And Recommendations

Always choose at least 2-3 competitors from the internet that are the best in the market. While choosing from them you can check their reviews on the internet. Go through their websites and see if their clients are satisfied with their services. Most companies are transparent enough nowadays to let you know about their reputation in the market. If your chosen competitor has a lot of good reviews and recommendations, you can choose them.

Contact The Manufacturer

Once you have come down to one option, you can take the next step and contact the manufacturer. You can easily contact them through their websites or any other listing site. Talking to them will give you a more clear idea of whether choosing them has been the right step or not.

Ask About The Installation Process

The whole installation process should be taken care of by the company itself. Make sure you learn beforehand what kind of services they provide and if they are willing to install it for you at your home. They will also be able to tell you the best place to install it at your residence once they check out the place to help you get the best from your solar water heating system.

Check The Warranty Period

A solar water heating system is usually a long-time investment. So, lastly, check out the warranty period your company is giving you. Usually, a solar water heating system tends to work smoothly for at least 15 years. If your company is providing you with a satisfying warranty period, you have chosen the perfect system for yourself.

So, check out all these things and choose your solar water heating system very carefully.

How Solar Water Heaters Industry Benefits the Local Economy

Heating and cooling account for nearly half of global final energy consumption, but most of the energy use is currently generated from fossil fuels. With the declining costs of renewable energy, solar has become especially attractive for water heating. Just like other renewable energy technologies, solar water heaters have a role to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, create jobs, improve healthcare and communications, and drive local commerce through the market and industry they build at the local level.

The case for local industries is especially pertinent in the time of COVID-19, when countries experience disruptions in the supply of materials and workforce, and domestic supply chains have proved to be very essential for the economies.  Policies are therefore crucial to strengthen local industries, consequently expanding benefits along all segments of value chains by leveraging local capacities to create domestic value.

Solar water heaters are a mature technology that has been successfully deployed in several countries for more than 30 years, mostly in the residential sector, providing an affordable solution for many households. It is assumed that a four-member household uses about 300 litres of hot water per day. Given that heating water accounts for about 18% of household energy use on average, and that demand for hot water is growing with household incomes, the decarbonization of water heating in particular becomes a key element of the on-going energy transition.

In its latest addition to the Leveraging Local Capacity series, IRENA examines beyond the environmental benefits of solar water heaters by outlining the ample opportunities for the creation of local socio-economic value presented by domestic solar water heaters industry. The Renewable Energy Benefits: Leveraging Local Capacity for Solar Water Heaters examines the kinds of jobs created and suggests ways for policymakers to build on existing solar water heaters industry.

Project planning for solar water heaters takes place in the households. As solar water heating involves a relatively simple technology, local manufacturers in most countries—often small to medium enterprises—can produce, install, and maintain the systems themselves. The potential to create value mostly lies in the following phases of the value chain: manufacturing, wholesale distribution, sales and installation, as well as operation and maintenance. Some of the technology’s main components—such as the collector, the pump, or the storage tank—can be manufactured locally, thus creating local jobs.

The skills needed to manufacture, install, and maintain a solar thermal system are easily transferable from occupations in manufacturing, construction, and plumbing. The manufacturing, planning, installation, and decommissioning of small-scale solar water heater systems for 10,000 single-family households requires more than 460,000 person-days, and the labour requirements vary across the value chain. Complete assessment of the human resources requirement for the entire value chain can be seen in the figure below.

Domestic value creation can be maximized by leveraging and enhancing capabilities in existing industries along the value chain, or developing them through policies and measures that stimulate demand for solar water heaters and later enhance capacity along the value chain. To further drive domestic solar water heaters industry, policy makers can implement the following measures:

  • Setting ambitious targets for the number of systems, collector surface or thermal capacity.
  • Issuing obligations and mandates to install solar water heaters.
  • Providing financial incentives such as grants, low-interest loans, and tax incentives.
  • Setting technical standards for product quality through certifications and warranties.
  • Implementing appropriate training and retraining programmes for the proper, efficient, and safe installation and maintenance of solar water heaters.

In addition, initial measures to enhance consumer awareness of solar water heaters benefits are key to overcoming non-economic barriers. The environmental benefits are clear; reduced greenhouse emissions lead to a climate-safe world and improved healthcare. But if the public understands how the technology also benefits them economically, a competitive market will be created, starting at the local level and scaled up to national level.

5 REASONS YOUR HOME SHOULD HAVE A SOLAR WATER HEATER

“If there is magic on this planet,” wrote anthropologist and naturalist Loren Eiseley in 1957, “it is contained in water.”

If Eiseley were still alive, he would surely applaud the fact that more and more people in today’s society are waking up to the importance of conserving our water supplies. Yet he would doubtlessly point out that the magic of water includes even more than its life-giving properties.

Water: the magical transporter

Part of what makes water so essential to life is its ability to be a carrier for other things. Called the “universal solvent” in scientific circles, water can readily transport nutrients and wastes in, through, and out of living systems. Yet one of the most important things water is capable of holding and carrying is not a substance at all. It is heated. Our vast oceans of water absorb and hold the sun’s energy, regulating temperatures and weather on our planet.

Were you aware that there is a way to benefit even more from that magical ability of water to retain heat? It’s true — and you can do it right in your home, by installing a solar water heater.

The “other” kind of solar energy

Solar Water Heater: Boy Washing DishesThe solar water heater is a solar energy system that uses the sun to heat your domestic hot water. Just like a solar electric system, it uses panels to collect solar energy. However, these panels contain a water-based fluid that carries the sun’s heat down to your hot water tank.

Without mixing the fluids, the system transfers the sun’s heat into your hot water supply using a device called a heat exchanger. The cooled fluid returns to the panels to pick up more heat — and you have emission-free hot water you can use to shower, do laundry and wash your dishes.

Benefits of solar hot water

While a solar water heater won’t directly reduce your water consumption, it does carry with it many benefits. Here are just a few:

1. Fighting climate change.

Water heating accounts for 17 percent of a typical home’s energy use. Many North American homes heat water with natural gas or other fossil fuels. That’s many tons of carbon going into the atmosphere. Switching to solar hot water is a great way to reduce carbon and other greenhouse emissions and protect our climate.

2. Protecting air quality.

Many additional homes use electricity to heat their water. Over one-third of U.S. electric power comes from burning coal. Particulates and other byproducts of burning coal pollute our air and contribute to a number of negative environmental and health effects. When you heat with solar hot water, you become a part of the solution to these public health problems.

3. Protecting water quality.

Carbon and particulates aren’t the only byproducts of burning fossil fuels. The Natural Resources Defense Council has identified power plants as the primary source of mercury and other toxic heavy metals being released into the environment each year. These substances are a major threat to the health of our rivers, streams, and lakes — and to human health as well. Solar water heating is one practical step we can take to put a stop to mercury contamination of our watersheds.

4. Monthly savings.

A solar water heater can provide up to 80 percent of your hot water needs, even in temperate climates. This translates to major utility bill savings, month after month. In fact, a solar hot water system typically pays for itself in just four to eight years and can be expected to last for 40 years or more. That’s a lot of free energy and a lot of savings.

5. Increased home value.

Studies show that homes with solar sell faster and at higher prices than those without. Thus, adding solar hot water to your home is an investment that will pay back whether you stay or sell.

The magical side benefit of solar hot water

Of course, the sun doesn’t shine all day, every day. Solar water heaters typically have a backup gas or electric water heater that kicks in during periods of little sun. However, many solar water heater owners prefer to use backup heating as little as possible. Instead, they make a game out of using their hot water when it’s most readily available. Small habit changes such as doing laundry on sunny days can add up to even bigger environmental and financial savings.

Does the side benefit? Many of these homeowners say that paying attention to their hot water use has made them more aware of how they use all their resources. Even though their solar water heater doesn’t save water directly, they find they are using less water — and saving even more — overall. Thanks to the power of water!

One final note

Some utility companies offer rebates for installing solar water heaters. Contact your service provider to find out if they have a rebate program and how to qualify.

Advantages of solar panels

1. Renewable energy

Solar power systems derive energy from the sun. Panels on your roof help reduce carbon emissions and bring down our collective dependence on fossil fuels. By installing solar, you’re not only reducing your carbon footprint but also doing your bit to increase renewable energy generation when you export energy from the panels to the grid.

2. Reduce what you pay for electricity

You will meet some of your energy needs with the electricity your solar power system has generated. This should mean you will pay less for the power you use. How much you save will be dependent on the size of your solar system and your electricity usage.

Not only can you reduce what you pay for your electricity, but you can also get paid for any surplus power you generate by supplying it to the grid. This is called a ‘feed-in-tariff’.

3. Property value increase

If you’re looking to sell your home, the installation of solar power systems can increase its value. Based on surveys, most Australians think that solar panels add value to a property, and estimates suggest that a 5kW solar panel installation could add around $29,000 to the value of a house. That’s a bright investment.

4. Low maintenance costs

Solar power systems generally don’t require a lot of maintenance. You only need to keep them relatively clean; cleaning them a couple of times per year will do the job. After covering the initial cost of the solar system, you can expect very little spending on maintenance and repair work. The average cost of an annual inspection with a qualified inspector is about $150.

Aztec solar water heating home improvement contractors customers enjoy:
  • a smartphone app and online usage tools that can help you gain better insights into your electricity usage;
  • solar feed-in tariffs greater than the government recommended amounts; and
  • for those with smart meters, access to a heat map of your solar output through so you can know more about your solar energy system’s performance.
Thinking about installing solar but don’t know where to start?

Head to Aztec-solar-water-heating.com  and we can help take the stress out of looking for a quality solar installer. Get an estimate on whether installing solar will save you money and roughly what these savings could be.

For more information about Aztec-solar-water-heating.com visit our solar energy page

2.0 Solar Technology

Although most forms of energy have the sun as their ultimate source (see box), the term solar energy is generally used to refer to methods of collecting light and turning it directly into a useful form of energy. Technologies such as:

  • Passive solar gain
  • Solar thermal (for heating)
  • Concentrated solar power (for electricity)
  • Solar Photovoltaics (electricity)

The Ultimate Source of Energy…

Hydro-electric power: heat from the sun evaporates water, which falls as rain in high places, then flows down to a dam and drives turbines which generate electricity.

Wind power: winds are created by temperature differences caused by heating from the sun.

Wave power: driven by the wind.

Solar energy: light is turned directly into useful energy.

Heat pumps: extract heat absorbed from the sun by air, water or shallow ground.

Biomass: (plant material e.g. wood). Plants turn carbon dioxide and water into carbohydrates (a chemical store of energy) using light energy to drive the process.

Fossil fuels: petrol, gas and oil are simply biomass that has been subject to great pressures underground for thousands of years.

Exceptions to the rule: nuclear fission (moderated chain reaction splitting radioactive isotopes extracted from earth’s crust), tidal power (driven by the orbit and gravitational forces of the moon), deep geothermal (left over heat from the formation of the earth, plus radioactive decay) and nuclear fusion (like in the sun but still proving tricky to arrange on earth)

2.1 Passive Solar Gain

how passive solar gain works

This form of energy is often taken for granted; but can contribute a significant amount of the energy demands of a well-designed building in the heating season. Sunlight enters a building through windows, and warms the inside. In an average house in the UK, passive solar gain contributes 14% of the heating demand.

Thoughtful design can improve this figure further with very little, if any, increase in the cost of building the property:

  • Orienting the house so that the more often used rooms face south;
  • Larger windows on the south side, smaller on the north;
  • Using building materials that store heat by adding “thermal mass” to the house and
  • Laying out housing developments so that buildings do not over-shadow each other

Care needs to be taken to avoid causing overheating in summer through the provision of too much glass, measures such as overhanging eaves and brise-soleil can provide shade in summer months (when the sun is high in the sky), while still letting the light into the building in the heating season (when the sun is lower in the sky).

Highly optimised passive solar design can provide 40% of the space heating load of a property.

2.2 Solar Thermal

solar water heating system

A solar thermal panel is simply a black surface that absorbs light, heats up and transfers the heat into a working fluid. It can be unglazed or glazed. Glazed panels can be flat, or made up of a collection of glass tubes. The working fluid moves the heat to a place where it is useful – perhaps a hot water store, swimming pool or directly to space heating for a building.

Panels with higher levels of insulation, such as a glazed cover above and thermal insulation behind do not require direct sunshine to operate and will collect heat on a cloudy day. Most commonly, the energy is used to provide for low temperature applications such as hot water for washing, space heating, feeding heat into district heating networks or providing heat to industrial processes.

In recent years, progress has been made using heat from solar thermal panels as an energy input to drive air conditioning plant, though these implementations remain largely experimental in nature.

More about solar thermal

2.3 Concentrated Solar Power

concentrating solar system

If the sun’s rays are concentrated by mirrors, much higher temperatures can be created. The light is focused onto a central point with a carrier fluid such as oil flowing through it. The oil heats up to around 400C, hot enough to heat water and make high pressure steam that can drive a turbine and generate electricity.

Solar concentrators only work in direct sunshine. The mirror is held on a support that can turn to follow the sun as it moves throughout the day, adding to complexity and cost. Because of this, they are only used in areas benefiting from a sunny climate, with more clear-sky days.

Utility-scale projects in countries such as Spain concentrate light from whole fields of mirrors onto a tower (image).

2.4 Photovoltaic Solar

solar photovoltaic cell

Photovoltaic (PV) cells, which convert light directly into electricity, first found application in space before becoming commonplace on devices such as calculators and watches and also providing power to locations without a connection to the electricity grid. As costs have fallen and efficiencies of PV materials have risen, governments (notably those in Germany and China) provided generous support that has seen the levels of solar deployment soar. Efficiencies of scale and fierce global competition drove the cost down, creating a virtuous circle of lower prices driving higher levels of demand and leading in turn to even lower prices that has been the defining feature of the industry in recent years. Solar PV has now reached a point where without subsidy it can compete with the retail cost of electricity in developed economies, and with wholesale electricity in sunny climates.

The most common technology uses thin wafers of silicon semiconductor materials, connected in series in a photovoltaic panel or module.

The direct current (DC) electricity the solar PV panels produce needs to be converted to alternating current (AC) for grid-connected applications. A solar inverter performs this trick, enabling any energy generation in excess of local demand to be exported to the grid and used elsewhere.

WHY IS SOLAR ENERGY IMPORTANT?

importance-of-solar-energy

We have all heard of solar energy by now. Whatever your opinions on it are, it is a simple statement of fact that it is probably one of the best methods we have for reducing carbon emissions. The importance of solar energy is first that it is clean, it is renewable and with the latest technologies available, it could have the capacity to supply a much more significant proportion of our energy requirements.

At the moment, solar energy production accounts for about 1% of the global electricity generation. This might seem small but the technology is already showing potential for a much larger take-up, both commercially and privately.

CLEAN ENERGY IS VITAL FOR THE ENVIRONMENT

The environment is under threat. The amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is growing and if we are serious about avoiding the worst of climate change, it is incredibly important that we rapidly reduce carbon emissions. Solar panels are ideal for this.

Though solar panels do have a carbon footprint, it is significantly smaller than other energy production methods. Solar panels use photovoltaic cells to capture energy from the sun. As you would probably guess – this is a renewable energy source and doesn’t produce any further carbon emissions.

SOLAR WORKS COMMERCIALLY AND PRIVATELY

One of the best things about solar energy is that it is viable on a commercial and a private basis. It is worth the investment for a private homeowner to put solar panels on their roof in the same way that it is worthwhile for large energy companies to increase solar energy production on a commercial scale.

Solar panels may be expensive as an initial investment, but they do provide a return – usually over a set number of years. After this point, the energy they produce for the rest of their lifespan is effectively free.

Though the initial cost may be off-putting for many businesses, many consumers are now much more concerned about the energy efficiency and green credentials of the companies they deal with. An investment now could be what makes a business stand out for all the right reasons in a few years time.

SOLAR DOESN’T THREATEN ENVIRONMENT

Energy production methods such as mining for coal, drilling for gas and fracking are all threatening the environment – particularly areas that have remained wild, natural habitats for a wide variety of plant and animal species. The invasive nature of this type of energy production has a massive, lasting impact on the land.

Solar panels are easy to install in lots of different places. Rooftops are a natural choice as they tend to get a lot of sunlight and the panels won’t get in the way. However, farmland is also a viable option as sheep can graze safely between the solar panels and many crops will flourish here too.

FIND YOUR SOLAR ENERGY SOLUTION AT SOL-UP

As the climate changes, we need to do as much as we can to avoid catastrophic change. Solar power is a simple, feasible and affordable solution that everybody needs to take seriously and can start today with Sol-Up USA and move towards a brighter future.