Solar power can possibly meet all your home power needs. Depending on the place you live, the design of the system and collector size will all influence the amount of energy that can be provided to heat or light your home. Solar heaters come in a variety of styles, configurations, performance levels, complexity and costs. To heat water they may have a back up in place like gas or electricity for the times when there is little or no sunshine as well as the collector, storage tank, circulating pump and controls.
There are basically two types of heating system, both use solar collectors, both have storage tanks, but the forced circulation system will need a pump to circulate the heated water to the storage tank. Most domestic systems are like this.
In a passive system the storage tank is above the solar collector. Using the natural convection of water flow the warmed water is moved to the storage tank. There are several types of collectors. Many can be acquired in kit form or can be purchased from a genuine
Solar systems qld company near you.
A simple kind of solar collector is the flat plate type. It might consist of copper pipes in a rectangular painted box. As solar energy falls on the box it warms the water in the pipes before it is transferred to the storage tank. The evacuated tube collector is another type where the tubes are enclosed in structures similar to vacuum flasks to minimize the loss of heat from the system, increasing the efficiency and cost savings.
There is also an all in one solar energy system for homes. It is a collector that also stores the heated water ready for use within the collector. Also known as a batch water heater, they are great for smaller houses and warm climates where there is no risk of freezing.
Subject: An overview of solar energy systems. 
Sat Jul 16, 2011 3:57 pm
