Posted by admin on Jan 13, 2014 in Posts
People from all over the world want to know whether solar water heaters are worth its price as the initial costs still remain high for a medium budget family. The best thing about this is that they can be used anywhere and are eco-friendly. A few things that one may want to know before going for a solar heater are discussed in this article. Solar water heaters are an efficient and innovative source of hot water as it completely removes the dependency from the cost of your traditional water heater. The heater consists of solar panels or the collector tubes which receive energy from the sun to heat up the water flowing through it. The panels are generally set up on the roofs to have the maximum sunlight possible. Solar water heating (SWH) systems comprise of solar collector and storage tanks in which the process of water heating by using solar energy is done. Mainly there are two different types of solar water heating (SWH) systems: active and passive. Active systems comprise of circulating pumps and controls but passive is not provided with any pumps. Active solar water heating systems are more efficient as compared to Passive solar water heating systems and hence are little more expensive. In comparison to active systems, passive solar water heating systems are typically less expensive, but they’re generally not as efficient. Nonetheless, passive systems are more reliable than active systems as they can work for a long duration of time. We can enjoy the facility of hot water without spending any sort of money, and we do not have to pay any bill as well to get hot water as soon as a person installs a passive solar system. The heat, which is coming, from the sun can be used to make your water hot and by this you can even save your current bills. There are many applications where we can use solar energy. A person can use it to heat up swimming pool water during cold weather and even helps to regulate the aquatic life where it helps to maintain a decent temperature throughout the year. Accompanying so many benefits, a solar water heater always proves to be a good investment with cost savings for a long time. It will also aid to reduce dependency on power grids and a small reduction in the country’s carbon footprint and making the earth a better, cleaner and happier place to...
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Posted by admin on Jan 11, 2014 in Posts
What Is a Solar Water Heater? – The Types and How They Work The solar water heater is an innovation which allows us to utilize the free energy of the sun to fulfill our water heating needs. They have the reliability to be used in any climate condition and anywhere, where the sun rays fall. It can easily satisfy the hot water requirements for a family of four to eight. A solar water heater uses direct sunlight instead of electricity to heat water and supply directly to our taps. It is the best alternative one can find as it uses zero energy and is maintenance free equipment. The basic working principle of a solar water heater is simple. It has a solar collector in which cold water is spread out or sent via pipes the sun rays fall on these solar collectors where it gets concentrated and can take temperature as high as 140 degree Fahrenheit. The two basic parts of a solar heater are an insulated water storage tank and a solar collector. The storage tank is similar in design to a tank type electric heater and performs almost the same functions. The solar collector is the one which heats the water and moves it up into the tank. The hot water is either collected in a storage tank or sends directly to taps for use. Sometimes there is a possibility of overheating of water. The tank drains the warm water so that the whole system can be secure from damage. A solar power water heater can basically be categorized into “Active” and “Passive” systems. The Active system uses storage tanks, electric pumps, reflecting mirrors and is more costly than the Passive one’s. An active system is most commonly used where it is cold all through the year and the temperature rarely goes above 15 degrees. To transport water, the active system uses small electric pumps which are generally run by solar powered panels. Those solar panels always should be at an angle facing the sun to generate the maximum heat and efficiency. The passive system depends upon the natural tendency of hot water to move up the pipes so that the warm water is collected in a tank situated above. They are suitable for most of the houses and demand less structural considerations and cost. One more thing to consider is the hot water requirements of the household, and one should buy the optimal sized tank for that...
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Posted by admin on Jan 11, 2014 in Posts
Earth has provided us different sources of energy, which can be utilized to a great extent if we have the technical know-how. One of the energy sources is the sun, which has huge potentials. It’s completely free and can be used to fulfill all our water heating needs. Solar water heaters exactly do the same thing. Basically, there are two kinds of solar water heaters, the active and the passive type. The only difference between them is the way the liquid is circulated inside them; an active solar water heater consists of circulating pumps and controls, whereas a passive is simpler in design and working. This article will provide detailed information about Active solar water heaters. Active solar water heaters are of two types viz. Direct and indirect. The difference between them is the procedure of heating water. Both of them consist of an insulated tank to store water and a solar collector. In direct system, water is pumped into the solar collector on the roof. The solar collector looks like a solar panel, located on the roof of the house where it can access the maximum amount of sunlight. It is made of various materials and come in a variety of setups, each having unique abilities. When the water is moved into the collector, heat is transmitted from the collector to the water. The water then moves into an insulated tank, from where it can be used for daily errands. During this process the water is heated outside the house, this system is best suited for areas where the temperature doesn’t go below freezing. Another type of the active system is known as the indirect transfer solar system. Here, the water gets heated by exchanging heat with a heat transfer fluid which runs inside the tubes. In place of water, the heat transfer fluid runs through the solar collector and after exchanging heat, water is then transferred into the storage tank. This method is very efficient in colder weathers, as without the water actually coming into contact transfer heat to the water. The water doesn’t need to move to the roof as it can freeze when the temperature is sub-zero. As solar water heaters can save lots of energy and hence costs on electricity bills, they can completely pay for themselves in some 4 to 5 years, after which it will provide nearly free hot...
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Posted by admin on Jan 11, 2014 in Posts
There are two types of solar water heater available for you. Stand alone heater, which supplies all the hot water to your home, is the first type and the second; you can employ it as a pre-heater as it heats the water passed through your existing heater. The stand alone heater usually comprises of a reservoir which stores the heated up water. Pre-heater is different from the existing water heater considered to be its reservoir. Solar water heater comprises of the heat exchanger which is actually used to heat the water from the heat of the sun. Heat exchangers are available in various designs and are used all over the world since it is the key element of the solar heater. Stand alone heater usually consists of a storage tank or reservoir with a heat exchanger and hoses or tubing to combine and connect them. One way valve is provided in some applications so that it can stop the flowing of cold water back into the tank. Due to this some systems have the pump to prevent this flow and make it pass through the heat exchanger. But, if a system is installed properly then there is no necessity of a pump since it can be overcome by the natural occurring convective current. But, in case, if in your system a heat exchanger cannot be placed on the same level as the storage tank is placed due to non-availability of space, then a pump is necessary to circulate it into the system. For such system, you can use a 12 volt pump which is powered by solar panel. It does not require any battery to run since solar heater works on sunlight as solar panel does. The pre-heaters types are connected to the cold water supply line to your existing water heaters. It makes an easy job just to preheat the cold water coming into your heater. This saves energy and pain of your bill by providing hot water to your existing heaters whenever necessary, as sometimes during cloudy days your solar heater may not work. This consists of a heat exchanging unit tied up with cold water supply and water heater which discards the need of a pump. There are many provisions when these heaters are off during winter to avoid damages of outside parts, which are caused from...
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Posted by admin on Jan 11, 2014 in Posts
Since solar water heaters are so useful it is very popular all over the world but not in India. This steady but slow pick up in India is there because few reasons such as installation or cost. Hence a major difference can be found in the price of solar water heater in India and any other part of the world. In case of bulk orders, it may cost around Rs 9000 to Rs 12000 which may depend on usability as it can cost less for industrial purpose since many units are used. Single unit for household usage may cost somewhere between Rs 13000 to Rs 28000. But, in summer their prices are decreased due to the higher production and installation of the device in households. In cold weather conditions, countries like China decrease the cost so that it raises interest in many which is benefited to India. India has a great potential to use solar energy for their needs, but comparatively country is lagging behind others. Now situations are changing due to many reasons such as • National solar mission has been launched this year so that they get more demand due to decrease in price of solar products. This will have a greater impact on several industries because of their reduced prices. • Reduction in government subsidies- there is a reduction even in commercial and rural banks’ interest in a low cost financing scheme, which will cut down the high costs of solar water heater paid by customers in India. The change is instead of capital subsidy one has to pay interest subsidy, which favors in decreasing the cost of solar heaters in India. In 1990, there were less than 6 manufacturers of solar heaters in Karnataka, but due to this change it has increased to 60 in 2005. Hence more manufactures will be available, and there will be greater price competitiveness which encourages lowering in solar water heater price. Though the initial cost is a bit more, but, later it is much useful, worthy and secured lifelong. The prices in India are considerable with low interest rates for rural families, which will serve solar water heating as another product for them. Since wood fired water heaters are used in rural areas, which is less significant in the reduction of costs. But, a solar water heater is pollution free and better than wood fired water heaters or even electrical heaters. The only way of getting lower cost of solar heaters available in India is, more and more people should show interest in installing it in their...
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Posted by admin on Jan 11, 2014 in Posts
Hot water required for commercial/industrial purposes or residential activities can be obtained from solar water heating which makes the water hot by solar energy from sunlight. Solar water heating consists of water storage tank, heat transfer fluid (HTF), and solar thermal collectors. Solar hot water devices are functioning through active (pumped) or passive (compact) ways. The solar collector which is attached on the surface of wall or roof, so that sunlight falls directly on it, and, the water is warmed which is passed through an active SWH or a convection passive process. Batch heaters, Flat plate solar thermal collectors and evacuated tube collectors. Collector consists of water storage tank which stores heat. The solar water heaters are capable to function during sunless days or at a low temperature through a secondary energy source fixed to it. Features of solar water heaters: SWH provides you active (pumped) and passive (compact) to retrieve solar hot water devices from these versions. Water storage tank is provided with an inlet and outlet to store heat. Provide you direct passive solar water heaters, which receive water, and circulate between the collector and the storage tank. SWH provides solar hot water device whose maintenance is cheap and effortless. Provides you non-passive appliances, which are useful for you to heat and retain the hot water. During sunless days, secondary energy source is activated so that solar water heaters functions as usual. It is assembled by experts at a correct place where sunlight falls directly on the surface. Under provision, it is assembled such that there is no variation occurs outside temperature and sun radiation between summer and winter. Collectors are made from a material which is black painted and insulated with a glass cover so that sun rays falls on it will be absorbed by a solar metal absorber that is flat and connected to the copper pipes, or various metal tubes enclosed by a near vacuum (evacuated) cylinder of glass. And much more. Solar water heaters can be used to get hot water for household activities or industrial purposes, anytime during summer or winter. The tank is fixed inside a box with insulated side walls with a glass lid so that no heat wastage occurs when heat is allowed into the storage tank. These solar hot water devices cannot be a better device in cold weather as water in the solar thermal collector can freeze which may damage the...
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