Solar Heating

A Standard Solar Thermal Hot Water System – Project example

• 2 flat plate collectors – 3.66m2
• 1 unvented 210 litre solar cylinder
• 1767.78 kwh produced per year
• CO2 savings 760kgs/year (207kgs carbon equivalent)
• 60% - minimum hot water supplied by solar
• 60% - minimum saving on water heating bills

Solar panels such as these can also be ‘built-in’ to the roof.

A typical Solar Thermal Hot Water Systems Installation

Can solar heating work in the UK? Yes! Far more solar energy falls on the UK than most people realise. Each year, every square metre of the British Isles receives 60% of the solar radiation found at the equator. Solar panels do not require direct sunshine to work. On cloudy days they will work using diffused radiation. During the summer months it is quite usual for the solar thermal system contribution to be 100% of demand.

The solar panels collect energy from the sun via specially designed heat absorbing material which in turn heats a glycol based fluid within an integrated network of pipes. When the fluid in the collectors is hot enough the pump station circulates the hot fluid around the system and transfers the heat to the solar cylinder (hot water tank). The boiler will only fire up heating the top coil if the system needs a boost to top up the water temperature. The solar controller manages the solar system throughout daylight hours (see illustration).