The Brian Foster Environment Centre Goes Solar!
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Thanks to a grant from Scottish Power Green Trust and the Government’s Low Carbon Buildings Programme, Southern Solar Ltd have been able to fit a solar hot water heating system on the roof of the Environment Centre. On the first day the water reached 44 degrees celsius and since then we have recorded temperatures of over 60 degrees celsius. The solar hot water system has been fitted with a data logger which will soon be linked into the computers and live data will be displayed on this webpage. This will show how much energy has been saved through the heating of the water by the sun. Mr Sandercock is very happy and has been washing dishes with a big smile on his face! If you go in there when he is there he makes you feel how warm the water is from the tap. A big thanks also goes out to to Mick Baker, who has done all the extra plumbing for us!
So why is it so good to have a solar hot water heating system?
Well, after the initial installation costs, there is very little that needs to be done and every time the sun comes out it heats up your water. Heating water in the home accounts for 6% of our energy bills. So if we can heat the water directly using the Sun’s energy then that reduces the amount of energy we use from non-renewable resources and reduces our energy bills. Even if it doesn’t heat it all the way up to the temperature we want, the base temperature in the tank is raised by 30 or 40 degrees celsius this will result in a significant reduction in the amount of energy we use.
How does it work?
There are sensors that detect the temperature in the solar collector (panel) and in the tank. When the water in the solar panel is hotter than the water in the tank a pump switches on. This pumps the water round a circuit which brings the warm water from the panel down through a coil in the water tank. The heat is exchanged and heats up the water to be used. Look at the diagram below to understand more or click here to see an animation.
This technology can be used to heat water for a home but can also be used to heat swimming pools as well which would see a huge saving of electricity use and money.
