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There are lots of reasons to opt for solar power. Our customers commonly enjoy significant financial
incentives, stability and independence from rising power costs while having a cleaner,
environmentally sound way of generating power to do their water heating or swimming pools and spas.
Other customers enjoy being on the cutting edge of technology.
Why should you install solar? Plainly put, it saves you money! The solar energy that you generate
will not just be available during the day, but also during the night, cutting your monthly electricity
bill by more than 50% (often up to 100%).
In the long run, you're saving yourself a significant amount of money, AND you're helping out the
environment. What can beat that?
Residential and Commercial Solar Water Heating
One of the most cost effective ways to incorporate renewable technologies (such as solar energy) into a
home or building is by incorporating solar hot water. A typical system will reduce the need for conventional
water heating by about two-thirds, minimizing the expense of electricity or fossil fuel to heat the
water and reducing the associated environmental impacts.
Most solar water heating systems for homes and buildings have two main parts: a solar collector and a
storage tank. The most common collector used in solar hot water systems is the flat-plate collector.
Solar water heaters use the sun to heat either water or a heat-transfer fluid in the collector. Heated
water is then stored in the storage tank for use as needed, with a conventional system providing
additional heating as necessary. The tank can be a modified standard water heater, but it is
usually larger and very well insulated. Systems that use fluids other than water usually heat the
water by passing it through a coil of tubing in the tank. The tubing is full of hot heat-transfer
fluid. Solar water heating systems can be either active or passive, but the most common
are active systems.
Active Systems
Active, indirect systems are often used in climates withfreezing temperatures.
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Active systems use electric pumps, valves, and controllers to circulate water or other heat-transfer
fluids through the collectors. There are three types of active systems:
Direct systems use pumps to circulate water through the collectors. These systems are
appropriate in areas that do not freeze for long periods and do not have hard or acidic water.
Indirect systems pump heat-transfer fluids such as a mixture of glycol and water antifreeze through
collectors. Heat exchangers transfer the heat from the fluid to the potable water stored in the tanks.
Drainback systems, a type of indirect system, use pumps to circulate water through the collectors. The
water in the collector loop drains into a reservoir tank when the pumps stop, this makes drainback
systems a good choice in colder climates.
Passive Systems
Passive systems rely on gravity and the tendency for water to naturally circulate as it is heated, allowing
water or heat-transfer fluid to move through the system without pumps. Because they contain no electric
components, passive systems are generally more reliable, easier to maintain, and possibly longer-
lasting than active systems.
Batch heaters or integral collector storage systems consist of one or more storage tanks placed in an
insulated box with a glazed side facing the sun. During the winter, they must be drained or protected from
freezing.
Thermosiphon systems rely on the natural convection of warm water rising to circulate water through the
collectors and to the tank, which is located above the collector. As water in the solar collector heats, it
becomes lighter and rises naturally into the tank above. Meanwhile, the tank's cooler water below flows
down pipes to the bottom of the collector, causing circulation throughout the system.
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Solar Swimming Pool & Spa Heating
Using solar water heaters to heat swimming pools and spas is cost-effective. Payback can be as low as
2 years, and utility bills are much lower than they would be using a conventional heating system. And
because the fuel (solar energy) is free, you are cushioned from future fuel shortages and price increases.
The pool's existing filtration system pumps water through the solar collectors, and the collected heat is
transferred into the pool. Because solar pool heating collectors operate just slightly warmer than the
surrounding air temperature, these systems typically use inexpensive, unglazed, low-temperature
collectors made from specially formulated plastic materials. Glazed (glass-covered) solar collectors
usually are not used in pool-heating applications, except for indoor pools, hot tubs, or spas in colder
climates. In some cases, unglazed copper or copper-aluminum solar collectors are used.
Off-the-shelf packages are generally appropriate, and maintenance of solar pool heating systems is
minimal. The systems are pre-engineered, and can be sized for any pool by adding additional solar
panels for an adequate solar collector area.
The only moving part on a solar pool heating system is the diverting valve. This valve controls whether the
water circulates through the collector loop. When the collector temperature is sufficiently greater than the
pool temperature, the water is diverted from the filter systems through the collector loop. The water
bypasses the solar collectors during nighttime or cloudy periods. Some smaller systems are operated
manually or with timers, but larger systems are operated by electronic sensors and controls.
Adding a swimming pool cover will further enhance the temperature of a swimming pool, and should be
considered along with the solar pool heating system to prevent loss of heat to the atmosphere.
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