Solar Water Heating Panels - Practical information for choosing solar panels

1. The solar panel itself, similar to a radiator, which allows you to transfer the heat absorbed from the sun to water tank and thus produce hot water;
2. The storage tank hot water and possibly a pump for the forced movement of water;
3. The hydraulic and electrical connections.

To calculate the size of solar panels to be installed should not be taken into account sqm. of the house, but the number of family members: it is estimated, in fact, that average consumption of hot water is 30-50 liters per day per person.

Other factors are the geographical area and the daily solar radiation.

As guideline, you can consider a production of water at a temperature of 40 ° C, equivalent to 80-130 liters per day for each square meter of panel installed.

To heat water in the tank (about 50-80 liters per square meters. Collectors installed), it should be about half a day of sun in summer and a day in winter.

The temperature reached in the days of full sun is about 40 ° C in winter and around 60-80 C in summer for the glass panels.

Solar panels are able to produce heat even though there is no sun: radiation incident on a panel is not only from sunlight, but also from radiation present in celestial time.

Obviously, if there is sun panels work best.

In order to have hot water always and regardless of climate, it is essential to use solutions integrating solar radiation.

This can be achieved in two ways:

1. If the house already exists a boiler to gas instantaneous electronic control for the production of water heater, you can connect the solar system to the existing heat.

In this case, the solar system that integrates traditional, with a substantial saving of energy and money!

2. If you can not connect to a gas boiler, you must enter a tank in electrical resistance of at least 1 kW with thermostat calibrated to about 40 ° C.

All compact solar systems on the market are equipped with an electrical resistance integrative positioned inside the tank.

Solar glass

They are composites of those classic real panel and a tank of water accumulation (or, in some models, air) together form a complete solar system.

The glass is transparent to sunlight entering, but it is opaque to infrared rays that are so inside. The rays of the sun, which reach the inside of the panel, the heat and the heat is kept inside.

The surface of these panels may be, or not treated with products that improve the performance (the ability to "hold" rays). Similarly, it may be an integrated storage tank, particularly suitable for locations particularly hard.

Solar vacuum

These panels are more sophisticated, expensive but are capable of providing very high. Indeed, as their name, vacuum.

They are as glass tubes containing within an absorber of heat, in which the air pressure is low, to prevent the transfer of heat from the absorber.

The vacuum solar panels have an excellent performance in all the months of the year and are particularly suitable for installation in residential buildings, even in very severe climatic conditions.

Solar panels discovered

Solar panels are found suitable for heating swimming pools, hot water for showers in the bathing establishments, while seasonal in hotels, etc.. They have no glass and the water goes directly into tubes of the panel, which is heated by sunlight and is ready for use.

The limit of these panels is that it is not insulated, is operating with an ambient temperature of at least 20 ° C. Their cost, however, is obviously lower of glass panels and installation is really simple.