How Solar Heat Panels Work

Fitting this type of water heating system isn t cheap so before you invest you need to find out whether solar thermal panels are right for your home and your needs.

How solar heat panels work.

Solar panels work by absorbing sunlight with photovoltaic cells generating direct current dc energy and then converting it to usable alternating current ac energy with the help of inverter technology. A solar water heating system uses solar thermal panels on your roof to heat water to use around your home. These systems work by capturing the sun s heat in collectors that heat the home s water supply. There are collector pipes that are connected to an insulated tank.

Solar water heating systems work in one of 2 ways. Ac energy then flows through the home s electrical panel and is distributed accordingly. How do solar water heating systems work. Solar photovoltaic technology or pv is less efficient at converting its fuel into electricity than say a wind turbine.

The sun heats the water in the pipes and the water then flows into the tank. And solar heaters work well in all parts of north america. Solar panels are usually made out of a material called monocrystalline crystalline silicon in other words and are typically about 5 5 feet by 3 25 feet and weigh anywhere from two to four pounds. Luxuriously warm solar heated water flows back into your pool until it s heated to the desired temperature.

It needs to become heat. In the simplest panels sun heats water flowing in a circuit through the collector the panel on your roof. The water leaving the collector is hotter than the water entering it and carries its heat toward your hot water tank. Simply put solar panels are devices that convert sunlight into electricity.

Here s a simple summary of how rooftop solar hot water panels work. It may seem counter intuitive but solar panel efficiency is affected negatively by temperature increases. If you can put an amount of solar panels equal to at least 50 of the pool surface area and mount them in a southerly direction you ll have more heat than you can imagine. Simply put a solar panel works by allowing photons or particles of light to knock electrons free from atoms generating a flow of electricity.

Again it all depends on how many panels you have and how much sun exposure you get. Fafco s polymer solar collectors use the sun s energy to heat to your cool pool water as it moves through the panels returning the water to the pool with a significant temperature gain. But when you re talking about heating water as opposed to powering light bulbs or stereos the sunlight doesn t need to become electricity.