Heating Water using SOLAR POWER

Photo  by WalterPro4755 

When you decide to convert your main power source over to solar power you will need to make some adjustments to the appliances that carry the power source.  When you use solar power to heat your water you may find that you will need to purchase a solar-powered water heater in order to do that. You may be able to make adjustments to your existing one but whatever steps you take to turn it into solar power it will be worth it.

There are several different ways to heat your water using solar power. You can even make your own solar power source.  The water runs through pipes before it enters your home. Heating water using solar power will occur before the water gets into your home as it passes by the solar source that attracted the light. You may also have a tank to store the water in that can heat the water up. In order to heat your water successfully, you will need to have both a solar collector and a storage tank.

A flat plate collector is the most common collector. It is designed to be a thin, flat rectangular box that has a see-through cover and it can carry fluid to be heated.  This fluid could be the water or it may be a solution, such as antifreeze that will prevent the water from freezing. Next, the water moves through the tubes to an absorber plate.  This plate is painted black to attract and absorb the heat from the sun.  When the collector gets hot, it will heat the fluid that passes through the tubes. As the water passes through the tubes it goes into the storage tank. The storage tank holds the heated water.  It is usually well insulated so the water will stay warm longer.  Then the water flows into the home on demand.

Solar water heating systems are divided into two groups: Active and passive.  When the heating systems are active, that means that they rely on the pumps or another mechanical device that can move the water between the flat plate collector and the storage tank.  Active is the most common because it is quicker and more efficient.  The passive system relies on gravity to feed the water from the flat plate collector to the storage tank.  This may be slow at times and may not be sufficient enough to keep up with the demand.  Both ways are logical and may be more of a choice of preference for you.  Another thought that you need to consider is that if your flat plate collector and your storage tank are not angled right it may be hard for the gravity to feed the liquid through.

Heating water using solar power is very affordable and can be installed with minimal effort.  Choosing to heat your water using solar power is a wise choice and a first step in making a choice to help preserve our environment.  We know how easy it is to use solar power to do a lot of things, including heating our water.

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Are There Any Problems With SOLAR POWER?

Photo  by Clownfish 

The question "Are there any problems with solar power?" is one that comes up quite often when people are investigating the possibility of investing in solar energy.

This all comes back to one of the major problems with solar energy in particular and renewable energy in general, and that is the lack of knowledge and information about these incredibly powerful alternative forms of energy. While this problem is gradually being addressed as more and more people track down the information they need, it's still not as readily available as it could, and should, be.

So, let's go some way to redressing this situation and give some answers to the question "Are there any problems with solar power?".

Basic Understanding

As already mentioned, one of the major obstacles to the widespread embrace of solar power is the lack of knowledge of just how it works. Most people, if asked the question, "What does solar power mean to you and what can you tell me about how it works?", would probably answer that it's all about having solar panels put on your roof and getting electricity as a result.

Well, that's part of it, but what about the type of electricity that solar panels generate? How do the solar panels actually generate that electricity? If you're connected to the grid, how does the electricity get to the grid and then to your appliances? etc.

There are myriad questions surrounding solar power, and its use, but how many people have the answers to these questions to be able to make an informed decision as to whether or not they might be able to benefit from solar energy themselves? The answer, sadly, is probably not as many as there should be.

Initial Investment

There's no denying that purchasing a PV (photovoltaic) system can be a fairly expensive undertaking, but what most people fail to take into account is that this is not an investment that will help them turn a profit overnight and then they can move on to the next investment opportunity. This is an investment in their - and the environment's - future that will repay the initial cost manyfold in both tangible and intangible ways.

The most immediate benefit will be to the environment, because the home with a PV system will draw less power from the grid, meaning fewer fossil fuels burned, and, therefore, less pollution. The long-term benefit for the homeowner will be that, once the system's paid for itself, usually within 5-10 years, they will be getting their electricity free of charge, and that electricity will be there each and every day from when the sun rises to when it sets.

The Nighttime's NOT The Right Time

And there is another of the problems with solar power, the fact that there's only so much sunlight each day. Granted, depending on where you live, such as areas like the so-called Sunbelt states in the U.S. (including Florida, Arizona, New Mexico, etc.), you could receive massive amounts of sunlight during the day, especially in the summer months.

But, still, night comes, and then what happens? How do you get electricity from your solar panels then? Well, the answer is, you don't. Once night time hits, or it's very cloudy or overcast, solar panels generate little or no electricity, so, if you're on the grid, that's when you draw power from the grid. The great thing here, though, is that, with grid-tied systems, your solar panels have been feeding energy into the grid, giving you "credits", during the day, which you can then withdraw at night. If you're off-grid, you need batteries to store energy, which you then draw from at night.

So, the answer to the question, "Are there any problems with solar power?" is "Yes, there are". But, the good news is that these problems are far from insurmountable, and, with greater knowledge and awareness, what once were seen as problems can eventually be seen as benefits.

Grab your FREE report, and click here to look for more answers to the question, "Are there any problems with solar power? Ray Boreham suggests you'll find a wealth of information and tips on solar and renewable energy at http://www.all-you-need-is-solar.com/ Article Directory: EzineArticles

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