With our gloomy economy the emphasis is on saving money but, along with that we are all concerned in saving the planet, which comes right down to saving energy and water conservation. Solar power is the topic of the day. We know we can conserve energy with bringing solar powered electricity into our homes, but many people are still hesitant about that. However, we already have solar powered water heaters to help with the conservation of water and cost effectiveness.
If you have invested in a solar system then the solar hot water system is perfect in order to make your solar system investment more cost effective. Solar powered water heaters reduce carbon emissions and they reduce our dependence on foreign energy besides being low cost.
The solar powered water heater uses solar thermal energy rather than solar electric (photovoltaic) energy to heat the water and solar uses long wave and short wave energy. The solar collector should be mounted on your home or near your home facing south. When the sunlight hits the glass it will also hit a metal or rubber material that will absorb that sunlight. This material will convert the sunlight to a long wave heat. The glass will keep the heat from running out, working much like a greenhouse. The temperature of the solar cell can reach three hundred degrees Fahrenheit. Because they are simple, cost effective and high performance the collectors used in solar heaters are a glass flat plate. These are made of a shallow box, generally rectangular in shape, with a transparent glass window covering a black plate or one with a chrome coating. The plate is attached to whichever type of tubing the water passes through. Whether it’s a series of tubes or a serpentine tube, the plate is attached to this. Heat is then collected and transferred to the storage tank and the water is then heated. The solar heated water is then stored in a storage tank until you need it. The storage tank of the solar water heater to accommodate more heated water as heat is only collected during the day.