Solar Water Heating

Solar water heating is the energy efficient method of warming fluid for a multitude of functional purposes.  Whether taking a bath or funding the central heating, solar power can save the environment and your wallet.

How solar water heating actually works can take a while to get your head around, especially if you are as scientifically challenged as the majority of us.  The key processes evolve around thermal heat collectors that are positioned in areas likely to catch sunlight; these are the huge flat panels that often survey the rooftops of large buildings.  These thermal layers absorb the sun's heat, warming a pool of fluid lying just beneath the surface, which is then pumped through a series of passive systems before settling at a specially designed hot water tank.  This tank can hold the hot water in it for a number of hours without compromising its temperature.  Therefore, night or day, you can always enjoy a nice hot bath.

Once the hot water arrives in the previously mentioned tank, it can be used for one of two major resources.  The most basic of these, is simply to be used as hot water for bathing, washing or showering.  This is the most frequently used, and the primary function of solar water heating.  The other purpose, requiring a little more technology in the system, is to generate electricity with the hot water gathered.

The history of solar water heating stretches back to the 1920's in Florida and California, whereupon the first flat panels were designed.  The sunshine states proved a fitting starting point for solar energy, blending in with their terrific weather and liberal undertones.  However, it was actually in Israel where the advent of solar water heating began to take off.  Levi Yissar, a Jewish entrepreneur, produced the first prototype of a solar water heating system in the late 1950's.  Yissar used the backing of Israel's sunshine rich climate to market the invention through his company NerYah.  So popular was the demand for the installation, that by the latter stages of the 20th century a quarter of Israel was dependant of the new form of energy.

The development of solar water heating in Israel has not gone unnoticed by other world forces, fortunate enough to be blessed with a large degree of sunshine.  Solar power is now increasingly popular in countries such as Spain and China, with customers realising the potential in savings by switching to solar power.

The association with solar water heating and the care for the environment is on that has always gone hand in hand.  Obviously, the invention of a renewable energy that doesn't pump thousands of kilograms of C02 into the air, is going to be more than welcome on the green bandwagon, but it is the cost effectiveness of solar energy that is truly remarkable.  Installing a solar water heating system can save masses on electricity, water and gas bills.  Even in a country with weather so bleak as the United Kingdom, you can save hundreds of pounds on electricity alone. 

The fundamental cost cutter of solar energy is that as soon as you are set-up, there are very few running costs, meaning that you are no longer at the mercy of national gas and electrics companies for skyrocketing utility bills.  This revelation is why a number of countries, especially those in hot climates, are now rapidly becoming more dependant of solar energy.

Of course there are the added moral implications that accompany solar water heating.  This method of generating energy is entirely renewable, not relying on the resources from ground, which will eventually cease to be available.  The creation of such energy is also free of any environmental damage, unlike the use of oil or natural gas, which omit large quantities of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.

The initial cost of getting setup for solar water heating however, can be quite expensive.  The installation of a typical domestic system can range from £3,000 to £5,000, although once the thermal panels are installed, you begin saving immediately and are under guarantee for a minimum of five years.

Solar water heating is one of the few renewable energy alternatives that can live with the big boys.  Already being highly sourced by the Spanish and Chinese, the technology behind solar power can only get better with increased demand and funding.  In a world running thin on natural resources, solar water heating is the first step to a bright future.