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How It Works The most common application of solar thermal energy is solar water heating. Solar panels, generally located on a south-facing roof, transform solar radiation into heat. The heat produced during the day is stored in a large hot water cylinder, so that it can be used at any time. Solar water heating systems are generally sized to cover 60-70% of a household's hot water requirements. Such a system will provide almost all of your house's hot water needs during the summer.
A solar combi-system or solar contribution system is based on the same type of components but sized to make a useful contribution (30-40%) to total heating requirements of the house (space and water heating). For an average house, this requires between 10 and 20m² of solar panels and a storage tank of 800-1,000 litres. The sizing and design of the solar combi-system requires a careful analysis of the heating requirement of the house by an experienced technician.
As it is not feasible to depend on solar energy at all times in Ireland, a solar water heater or a solar combi-system requires a back up heating system like a boiler (oil, gas or pellets), a heat pump or an electric heater. |
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