Solar Thermal
Active solar heating is one of the primary ways for buildings to use solar energy. This technology uses solar collectors to transform sunlight into heat to provide space and/or water heating. Solar water heating is the most common application of active solar thermal in Europe. A correctly sized solar water heating system can cover 50-60% of your hot water heating requirement with free solar energy.
A solar thermal system providing space and water heating is generally referred to as a solar combisystem. It is generally sized to cover 30 to 40% of the annual heating requirement of a house in Northern Europe. In Ireland, a solar combisystem using air as a heat transfer medium is gaining in popularity. It has the advantage of combining solar heating and ventilation through the same system. It is particularly suitable for low-energy houses.
By 2005, over 3,000 households used a solar heating system in Ireland, compared to about 5 million households in Europe.
Are there different types of solar panels?
Yes there are two types at the momentFlat plate collectors are a single plate of glass set over an array of copper/plastic pipes in a shallow box. It uses radiation to transfer heat to the water in the pipes.
Evacuated tube collectors are tubes which come in a set of double walled glass cylinders. Air is removed and replaced with a fluid which then boils, condenses and heats liquid flowing through a loop connected to each tube which is transferred to by water to your cylinder. Evacuated tubes are more efficient than plates.
What size solar panel do I need?
You ll need roughly one square metre per person in the household. Each metre of panel will heat between 30 and 60 litres of water. For plate collector this is 1.2 to 1.5 m per person.