Solar Power to Heat Your Home

One of the most basic applications of Solar Power is the use of the heat produced by the sun in order to warm up water. Since most heating systems in homes use hot water running through radiators, this is a very easy way to directly cash in on the use of solar energy.

Solar Heating in Cold Climates

A common misconception in regards to the use of solar energy and solar water heaters, is that "one has to live in a warm climate in order to benefit from solar power." This is a complete falsehood. In fact, a large majority of the solar water heaters currently in use are located in Scandinavia and other parts of northern Europe.

While it might be true that you can get more solar energy in Texas than you can in Alaska, the fact remains that even in Alaska you would save a significant amount of money on your heating bill during most part of the year, if you used a solar heating system. Your savings on heating and energy would be such that you would recover (in savings) the cost of the installation, within only a few years of using a solar heating system.

Using Solar Energy for Solar Heating

There are many ways to use solar power for heating purposes.

The most rudimentary form which has been implemented is using a water storage tank which has ben painted black and placed in the sun. This has been efficient enough to supply hot water for most parts of the day, in warmer climates.

This method was in use over a century ago. But today we have far more effective systems. The most up-to-date and effective way of doing this is through the use of a "flat plate collector system". A solar panel which heats up water is called a "flat plate collector" simply because of it shape. It is usually a sheet of metal with copper tubes connected to it, which water can circulate through.

The larger surface of metal serves to collect heat from the sun. The heat is then conveyed to copper tubes. The tubes are attached to a metal surface, which in turn then heats up the water flowing through the tubes.

Usually these systems are encased in an insulated box, which helps retain heat and makes it more effective. These are the basic principles that the flat plate collector system follows. Naturally, current systems use more advanced materials in order to improve efficiency. But, in their fundamental elements, these systems follow the same basic structure.

Such systems are usually installed on the roofs of houses. They can also be installed on the ground, or hung on external walls. Only about 10 to 12 square meters (roughly 100 to 120 square feet) of paneling are needed, in order to heat the average family home throughout most of the year (and to supply hot water for showers).

As you can see, it is easy to incorporate such a system into the roof of a single standing house.

What Happens To My Solar Energy On A Rainy Day?

As the sun doesn't always shine, solar energy systems can be combined to work together with conventional heating systems. The conventional heating system takes over when needed. This is programmed to happen automatically, at the moment that water drops below a predetermined temperature.

It should be noted that such solar energy systems have been in use for decades in several northern countries (such as Sweden, Denmark, Germany and many others). These are not used nearly as much as they could and should be. Solar energy can be considered to be in the pioneer stages, from a consumer viewpoint - but not from a technological viewpoint.

Solar Power Store

You can also visit our Solar Power Store to find a wide variety of solar panels, solar battery chargers, and other solar-powered equipment.

Related Article: Electrical Solar Energy