Solar Thermal uses heat from the sun to heat water for use within the property. A solar collector panel is installed either onto or set into your roof, or evacuated tubes are placed above the roof.

 

Flat Plate Collectors

Flat plate collectors can either be mounted onto the roof i.e. on top of the tiles/slates or mount “in-roof” which involves removing the roofing material i.e. tiles and setting the panel(s) into the roof and sealing all around it with a flashing kit.

 

Evacuated Tube Collectors

These consist of a large number of glass tubes. When the heat from the sun hits the tube, it passes into an absorbing fluid which then passes on the heat in the heat exchange, leaving the fluid to be reused. The glass tubes are surrounded by a vacuum which means significantly less heat is lost through convection. The vacuum means the evacuated tube collectors continue to function well in colder conditions. They will need to be situated on a sunny angled roof to work at an optimum level.

 

How it Works

Sunlight passes through the glazing of the panels and strikes the absorber plate which heats up, changing solar energy into heat energy. The heat is transferred to a Glycol fluid (a mixture of anti freeze and water) passing through pipes attached to the absorber plate. This liquid then travels via a pumping station, which circulates the fluid and checks the pressure and temperature, down to your hot water cylinder and passes through a coil in the cylinder, transferring the heat from the liquid to the water in the cylinder which is then stored until you use it.

 

What the system consists of

• Panel collector(s) (with sensor cable)

• Flexible solar pipe (insulated)

• A pumping station

• Water cylinder

• Expansion vessels

• A control unit

• Glycol (anti-freeze)