What components comprise SHW Systems?
All solar thermal water heating systems contain some basic common components. 1.The solar collector (evacuated tubes or flat panels) 2.Heat transfer medium (antifreeze mixture or water), and circulatory system (pumps and pipes) 3.Hot water cylinder with or without secondary heat exchanger 4.Control units and safety features How much energy can I expect a SHW system produce? This depends mainly on the energy availability to the system (collector area, orientation and local conditions) and the amount of water needed to be heated (demand). If little hot water is used, the SHW system will only be able to provide a small amount of energy. If a large quantity of hot water is used, then the SHW has the potential to provide a lot of hot energy into the hot water cylinder, especially in summer. Shading of SHW systems is less critical than with PV. A properly designed and installed system should be capable of providing between 50% – 70% of the annual hot water demand of the household; up to 100%
