Explanation Text

How a Solar Hot Water System Works

Solar Hot Water systems comprise several innovations and many mature renewable energy technologies which have been accepted in most countries for many years. Solar Hot Water has been widely used in Greece, Turkey, Israel, Australia, Japan, Austria and China.

            A solar hot water system collects and converts solar radiation into usable energy for the purpose of heating water. The use of solar radiation for heating water is an inexpensive and environmentally responsible substitute for heating by gas of electricity.The main parts of a solar hot system are a collector, a hot water storage tank, and a distribution system. The main steps in the process of heating water by using the sun’s rays are trapping the sun’s energy heating and storing the hot water, and dispensing  the water at points of us.

            The first step is to capture solar radiation. That is the sun’s energy must be absorbed by a solar heat collector, which is usually built on a facing the sun roof. The colletor has several layers of material. It has a glass plate and absorber plate which is painted black to increase its ability to absorb heat. Next to the absorber plate are copper tubes, which are filled with transfer fluid. The tubes are surrounded by foam insulation and alumunium casing to help hold the heat them. The process of trapping the sun’s radiation is as follows. As the sun shines through the glass plate its thermal energy is absorbed by the copper absorber plate. This heat is conducted from the plate to the tubes. The heat from the tubes is then conducted to the fluid flowing through them.

            After trapping heat from the sun the second step is to transfer this heat to water which is stored in an insulated tank. The hot fluid from the collector is circulated by a pump through copper coils inside the tank. The heat is conducted by the coils to the water. When the supply of solar radiation is reduced on cloudy days an auxiliary system can take over.

            Dispensing the hot water is the final step in the process. The water flows from the outlet valve through pipes to faucets throughout the house.

            In summary, the process of collecting and converting solar energy for use in a solar hot water system involves three step. First, collectors absorb the sun’s energy, which is then transferred to fluid in copper tubes. These tubes run from the collector to a tank where the water is heated and stored. Finally, the hot waqer is distributed through pipes to wherever it is needed. Although initially expensive to install, solar heating systems are economical in the long run – at least until utility companies figure out how to charge us for sunshine!
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