LOG IN WEDNESDAY 29 AUGUST 2018 RENEWABLE SOURCES PLANTS » SOLAR THERMAL Home services design maintenance Renewable sources plants Solar Thermal Micro-Wind Photovoltaic Who we are Contact us our plants Check your system Check out GSE incentives DOWNLOAD THE BROCHURE SOLAR THERMAL Hot water and heat from the sun A solar thermal system essentially consists of two fundamental parts: the solar collectors (or panels) and the storage tank. The solar collectors are the heart of the system and consist of a series of small pipes placed under a dark metal plate, capable of collecting the energy of the sun and heating the "water" inside them. A glass on the front and a thermal insulator on the other sides ensure that the panel does not disperse heat to the outside. There are flat glazed panels, vacuum panels (which work like a thermos) and uncovered panels, very cheap and useful for summer pools. The hot water produced by the panels moves to the storage tank (the classic water heater), where it is better protected, thanks to the greater insulation and from where it will be taken when we need to take a shower or heat our apartment. The solar system is always connected to the traditional boiler, so that, even if there is no sun or there is not enough sun, the boiler turns on just enough to ensure that hot water arrives. Basically, even if there is no sun, hot water always arrives at the shower and everything happens automatically, without us having to move a switch or intervene in any way. Natural circulation systems exploit the principle that the water contained in the panels, as it heats up, becomes lighter and naturally rises towards the tank which must be positioned higher than the panels. In systems (forced circulation), circulation is activated by a pump and a control unit. Therefore, the tank does not need to be higher than the panels. A final warning: the system collects the maximum of the sun if it is placed towards the south and inclined by 30 °, but if we want to give it, for aesthetic reasons, a different arrangement, for example equal to that of the roof, we lose is very little. What can I do with a solar thermal system? Solar thermal systems use solar energy to generate heat in the form of hot water. It is often thought that these systems are only capable of producing hot water for sanitary use in individual apartments, but, in reality, their possible applications are much more extensive and also include hot water for collective uses (condominiums, gyms, hospitals , barracks, sports centers, hotels, agritourisms, hostels, retirement homes, prisons, etc.), as well as the heating of rooms and swimming pools. Furthermore, solar terrmic is already used today by some industries, such as dairies, which use the hot water produced by the sun to heat the milk and pasteurize it. In Germany, district heating networks powered by solar thermal systems have been in operation for several years. These systems often have a seasonal accumulation of heat, that is a huge reservoir capable of replacing in the cold season what is stored in the summer. The "solar cooling" systems are also interesting and fascinating, thanks to which we can even obtain air conditioning from solar thermal (without, therefore, a consumption of electricity), that is to produce cold from heat, thanks to the use of absorption refrigeration machines. . Copyright (c) 2018 MGM Energia Privacy Terms of use