Main Page > Energy > It’s Raining OIL! - Solar Water Heating Systems
| It’s Raining OIL! - Solar Water Heating Systems |
By Renew iT Energy Solutions | Published: 13th Jun, 2007 | Viewed 1707 times
Now that the sun is finally shining, many of us are starting to think about installing solar collectors to gather this “free” energy. If it was raining oil we would all have buckets on our roof and unbelievably, one square metre on your roof receives the equivalent of more than 100 litres of oil in free solar energy per year- so grab those buckets!
So, it’s not quite that simple, but it is simple enough all the same. Grants are available from Sustainable Energy Ireland (SEI) (www.sei.ie or 1850 734 734) for the installation of solar water heating systems under their Greener Homes Scheme. SEI also provide grants for other energy and cost saving technologies such as pellet boilers, heat pumps, and pellet stoves.
Solar Water Heating Systems. What are they? How do they work? Lets take a look.
SOLAR WATER HEATING SYSTEMS
Solar Water Heating Systems use mounted solar collectors to gather solar radiation. A solar collector is a “panel” that converts solar energy to heat. The sun’s rays are absorbed by a special material in the solar panel, and this material becomes hot as a result. This heat is used to heat a fluid which passes through the panel, and this fluid in turn is used to heat your hot water tank.
Solar panels work throughout daylight hours, even if the sky is overcast and there is no direct sunshine. Solar panels can also be used to contribute to space heating demand and even heat swimming pools.
A solar water heating system is composed of:
• A solar collector which absorbs solar radiation (sunlight) and changes it into heat;
• A pump which transfers the heat from the collector to hot water in a storage tank/cylinder
• The storage tank accumulates the hot water produced by solar energy so that it can be stored for use when needed;
• A number of accessories which ensure the regulation and the safety of the system;
• A back-up heater (gas, oil, or wood fuelled boiler, immersion heater or heat pump) which will bring the hot water to the temperature required when there is not enough sunlight to do so (mostly in winter).
How much hot water will they produce?
Your solar panels will provide you with approximately 60% of your hot water needs in the year. This will be up to 100% in the summer and about 30% in the winter. In general your solar panels will remove the need to turn on your heating for hot water only or using your immersion in the summer for generating hot water.
Is my house or building suitable?
Almost all buildings will benefit from the introduction of a Solar Water Heating System. You will need space to put your solar panels for example a south-facing roof. Your will also need to ensure that there is no over-shadowing caused by nearby buildings or trees. Finally, just remember that in an existing house your hot water cylinder will need to be replaced with a solar water cylinder which will be a little larger in size.
Can I use solar to heat my house?
Yes, by using more panels the “extra” heat generated will be diverted into a buffer tank which will feed your radiators. This buffer tank will also be heated by your back-up heating system e.g. oil/gas/pellet.
How many panels do I need?
A good rule of thumb is to put at least 1m2 of solar panel per person. For example in a house of 3-4 people you would install 4m2 of solar panels for domestic hot water only.
What grants are available?
There is a grant of €300 per m2 of panel installed. So for the example about of 4m2 of panel a grant of €1,200 is available.
So you see- it may not be a bucket you use, but the sky can provide you with free energy all the same!
Next week we will look at using wood pellets for space and central heating and look at key issues such as pellet supply. For further product information, and SEI grant forms you can contact Renew iT Energy Solutions on 094 9621921, info@renewit.ie; www.renewit.ie or visit their showroom at Ballindrimley, Castlerea, Co. Roscommon.
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