2. Solar Water Heater
There are two types of solar technologies that can serve the same purpose as traditional water heaters powered by electricity or gas. Active solar hot water systems feature mechanical circulating pumps that divert water or another fluid from the rooftop heat collector to the storage tank. Passive hot water systems do not require mechanical pump components; they operate on the fundamental physics of heat naturally rising.
There are two types of active solar water heating systems:
- Indirect circulation systems – they use a non-freezing liquid and are ideal for climates where there are frost conditions.
- Direction circulation system – they feature a pump that moves water through solar collectors into a storage tank.
Passive solar water heating systems are far less expensive than active systems, although they are usually less efficient. There are two main types of passive systems:
- Thermosiphon systems – they use a design in which the storage tank is positioned higher than the solar collector.
- Integral collector-storage passive systems are usually used in areas that rarely see freezing temperatures, and they have the solar collector integrated right into the storage tank.
It goes without saying that installing a solar water heater can be quite expensive. However, doing the math may show that it’s a cost-effective idea when you calculate the costs of operating a traditional water heater over 20 years or more.
