The Concept Behind A Solar Thermal Heating System Is Simple

The Concept Behind A Solar Thermal Heating System Is Simple

The concept behind a solar thermal heating system is actually quite simple; it is based on learning how water being left out in direct sunlight will get hot. Using this concept a well designed solar thermal heating system can effectively heat water to more than one hundred and fifty degrees Fahrenheit which makes such a system ideally suited for providing sufficiently hot water for all kinds of domestic purposes.

How Does It Work?

The solar thermal heating system starts working once sunlight strikes the solar thermal collectors which will absorb the sun’s energy after which it will transfer the heat energy that it has just collected to a mixture that is non-toxic and which could be water or an anti-freeze solution. A pump is then used to move the fluid through copper pipe closed loops which run into the building which in turn heats the water in a storage tank and this is achieved with the help of heat exchangers.

The loop is then used to return the mixture back to the collectors where the mixture is heated once more.

There are two main types of solar thermal heating systems; the first type is often called a domestic hot water system that obviously provides hot water for domestic purposes such as to take a shower or to wash the dishes. The other type is able to provide sufficient domestic hot water and which is also enough to meet most of a building’s heating requirements.

In case you need to use a solar thermal heating system during freezing climatic conditions then the best bet is to use a system that makes use of closed loops because such systems are able to withstand sub-zero temperatures and they can also handle direct sunlight on especially hot days.

Given the fact that heating a building is a very expensive proposition it makes sense to install a solar thermal heating system which does the heating at considerably lower cost and which also does this without polluting the air.

Passive solar heating is radically different to active solar heating. In the former instance the system will garner the sun’s energy without at the same time using mechanical or even electrical devices. What is used is the building’s structure and making changes to the design of the building which will result in low operation costs and almost negligible maintenance costs.