Solar Water Heating Panels: Quick Introduction

When choosing a solar water heating system for your home you will have two general types of solar heating system to go for. They are active and passive solar heating. The difference is that passive solar heating simply collects heat when the sun shines on it to heat your water, whereas active solar heating collects sunlight and converts it into heat via electricity. There are different benefits and costs with both types of solar water heating system.

Here we will introduce the solar water heating panel, which is commonly used in both passive and active solar heating systems.

Solar Panels

The three general kinds of solar water heating panels:

Flat Plate Collector – An insulated, glazed flat plate which contains a black heat absorbing plate underneath the glazing. Another kind type is made from a metal sheet instead of a glazed surface. These are generally used to hear larger volumes of water like a swimming pool.

Integral Collector – Also known as the Batch system. This type of solar heating system uses a glazed box instead of a plate. The box contains either a black tube or tank, in which water passes and gets heated up. This complements the hot water storage tank backup heater and save a lot on your electricity or gas bill.

Evacuated Tube Solar Collector – This sort of solar water heating system is implemented more so in the commercial world than in a residential setting. The evacuated tubes are made of glass and are arranged in rows. The tube contains a metallic inner tube and is encased in a heat absorbant outer tube. The tubes absorb the heat and transfers it to the water passing through the tubes.

Solar heating panels are the initial stage of a solar water heating system, each collects heat in a similar manner and heats the flowing water within the system. The heated water is actively or passively transported to a storage tank to be used or subsidized, and then used in a commercial building or in your own home.