Solar collector for heating: reviews of specialists

People constantly thought about the effective use of solar energy. Therefore, over the last ten years in Europe, actively began to use solar systems, which allow heating the room at the expense of sunlight. At first glance this idea may not seem very plausible, but it is not so. Today, the solar collector for heating can completely warm your house. Despite the fact that this is a very expensive equipment, it is increasingly used in the private sector.

General information

As noted above, today solar systems are gaining popularity. First of all, this is due to consumers' mistrust of such equipment. In principle, this is understandable, but if we look more closely at this topic, it becomes clear that all this is real and quite effective. Another limiting factor is the high cost of installation and equipment. Indeed, the solar collector for heating is worth a lot, but it pays off quickly enough. You probably thought that in places where bright sunlight appears rarely, it's pointless to use such technique. But it is not so. Absorbing abilities and power plates are usually enough to warm the house even on cloudy and rainy days. But, naturally, the efficiency of work in sunny places is much higher.

Device of domestic collector

The coolant can be water, air, antifreeze or any other liquid with a high heat transfer coefficient. After heating, the carrier circulates through the collector and transfers the stored energy to a special tank. Already from there the consumer receives hot water. In the simplest version, water circulation is natural, which is achieved due to the temperature difference in the storage tank and the collector. In a more complicated version, a pump is installed, which ensures forced circulation along the contour. Of course, one must understand that with increasing temperature of the coolant, the collector efficiency decreases, and if the power is insufficient, it makes sense to install an electric heating element that will bring the air to the desired temperature.

Freedom or not?

Solar collectors for the house make the owners completely independent. First, there is no need to use an electric or gas boiler. If the latter option is even more acceptable, then the prices for electricity in our country are so great that it is problematic and expensive to heat a big house. The solar system, although dependent on electricity, consumes its minimum amount. This is due to the fact that solar energy is converted into thermal energy without direct participation of electricity. Of course, in order to stay without heating in the event of a power outage, it is recommended to install a generator and a rectifier. Many nowadays solar collectors for the home are considered as an alternative source of heat, since they are completely dependent on climatic conditions, which is not their strength.

Flat solar collector and its features

Such systems are among the most popular. Let's briefly review their design and operation. We have an absorber, an element that absorbs solar energy. It has a special transparent coating, as well as an insulating layer. The absorber is connected directly to the heat-conducting system. The color of the surface is usually black, which makes it possible to increase the operating efficiency somewhat.

The tubes, which are necessary for the transfer of the coolant, are made of copper. In the event of a collector inactivity, water can be heated up to 190 degrees Celsius. Naturally, the higher the intensity and the amount of solar energy, the higher the efficiency of such a solar system. Nevertheless, often a flat solar collector is equipped with optical instruments for more efficient collection of energy. The absorbent must have a high thermal conductivity, so copper and aluminum screens are often installed.

Air solar collector

This solar system is used to heat indoor air. By and large, this is an ordinary flat collector, which is used to heat the room. The air passes through the absorber. The process can take place both by forced and natural convection. But the absorber with installed forced ventilation looks more profitable against the background of the usual one. This is due to the fact that excessive turbulence of the flow increases its thermal conductivity, which is what we need to achieve. But there is no need to expect something extraordinary from such systems. They can warm the air 17 degrees above the outside temperature. The advantages of such a solar system are its simplicity and reliability. With proper care, an air solar collector can last more than 20 years. But to use such a system as the main heating is not recommended.

About vacuum heliosystems

This is one of the most expensive solutions. The design of such a product is rather complicated, therefore installation is carried out only by specialists. Such a system allows achieving a coolant temperature of up to 300 degrees during idle time. Of course, it was very difficult for specialists to get such high rates. First, we tried to reduce heat loss due to the multilayered glass coating and creating a vacuum in the system.

In our case, the solar tube is somewhat similar to a conventional household thermos. Only the outer part is transparent, and the inner tube has a special coating, which allows to capture solar energy. Between the tubes vacuum, through which it is possible to achieve minimal heat loss. In the end, we can speak of a high efficiency of such systems in comparison with flat and air. At the same time, such a collector is able to function in conditions of low illumination.

What do consumers say?

We have already sorted out a little with what a solar collector can be. Customer reviews are almost always different. Someone is very pleased with the innovation systems, while others, on the contrary, feel sorry for the wasted money. But in general, the picture looks good. Approximately 75% of buyers respond well to the system. By the way, air collectors are rarely bought, at least on the territory of Russia, so there is nothing to say about them. But vacuum solar systems have proved to be reliable suppliers of heat to the house. But here it is worth noting that much depends on specialists who install such complex and expensive equipment. If something is done wrong, then the system performance will be lower. In Europe, the situation is somewhat different. People gladly install solar systems, as the prices there are somewhat lower, and the prevalence is higher. However, they are rarely used as the main source of heat, as it can not be said that the best alternative to gas or coal is the solar collector. Reviews, by the way, and say that this is very expensive and not always appropriate.

About application in Europe and Russia

As noted a little bit above, an air solar collector for heating in a number of European countries has been actively used for several years. But solar systems have found their application in industry. In particular, we are talking about the textile and food industries, where such a solution looks particularly potential. So, by 2000 the total area of solar collectors was about 14 million cubic meters, while in the whole world this figure reached 71 million m ³ .

In Russia, the situation does not look so good. The fact is that such systems allow heating of approximately 100 liters of water per day with a probability of 80%. This is due to a small daily amount of solar radiation. The best regions for the installation of reservoirs were Transbaikalia, Siberia and Primorye, where the daily amount of solar radiation is higher than in the central part of Russia. In principle, there is a certain tendency of a slight increase in demand.

About solar towers

Ironically, the idea of obtaining energy from the sun and its further use in industry was first proposed to Soviet scientists in 1930. In fact, this is a large tower, which has a central receiver at the top. The system represented a certain number of heliostats, which were controlled simultaneously by two coordinates. However, this device was used as a reflector of the sun's rays directly on the receiver, which greatly increased the efficiency of such a system. Only now they began to build such towers in the USA. But all was built a pair of solar towers. Today it is extremely important to properly perform the calculation of the solar collector for heating. Only after this, you can count on the high efficiency of the installation.

Conclusion

So we talked with you about what a solar collector is for heating. Comments, as you can see, differ depending on the correct installation and placement. One thing is for sure - this is a good solution, but only as an alternative source of heat. The fact is that you can not fully rely on solar energy, for this simple reason, technology that depends on climatic conditions is not very popular. Heliosystems are gradually gaining popularity, if only because it is completely wasteless and, most importantly, an ecological way of heating and receiving hot water. Solar collector self-made for heating is ineffective, so it's better to buy a quality product. Remember that such collectors require specialized regular maintenance and do not tolerate mechanical damage. Therefore, if you are going to install such a luxury, be prepared for the costs.