In the solar system the source of all energy is the sun. Millions of years ago all living creatures in existence became buried beneath the earth’s surface and created the fossil fuels we use today. The use of fossil fuels to produce electricity, power transportation, and cool or heat our homes originally came from the sun. The water heated to produce steam for power or to bath ourselves is primarily created by the burning of fossil fuels. This is an expensive process while the source of that process is free for use. It would make good economical sense and an environmentally friendly practice to go to the source, the sun, for today’s heating needs. Solar power, after its initial investment of harnessing, is free and readily available to us all.
Instead of using costly fossil fuels to heat water it just makes good sense to use solar power. The use of solar water heaters is quickly catching on as a practical way to supply hot water. It is an investment that in short time will pay for itself. Solar power is a clean non polluting energy source that will help reverse the effects of global warming. In places like Tempe, Az. where the sun shines throughout the year, it is a benefit that should be taken advantage of. The use of fossil fuels to provide hot water is an unnecessary expense. Solar water heaters are available and its power source is free.
The mechanics of solar water heaters is a combination of solar energy collectors and an insulated storage tank to keep the water hot. The tank can be horizontally mounted above the solar collector on the roof area of a building. Water automatically fills the tank using a technology called thermosiphon flow. Hot water, like air, naturally rises and will flow into the tank mounted above the solar collector. As the water cools it flows back into the collector and is reheated. This provides a continuous supply of hot water. In a floor mounted water tank system a circulating pump is required to move the hot water from the collector to the storage tank.
The sun shines everyday and at some locations on this planet it even shines in the night hours. The power of the suns light is what heats the water not the air temperature. There are two circulation systems that can be employed depending on where you are located. The direct circulation system heats the water and then it is used in the facility. This system works well in areas that rarely experience freezing temperatures. The indirect circulation system uses a nonfreezing heart transfer liquid which runs through the collector and sent to a heat exchange unit that heats the water. This system works in climates that experience temperatures below freezing. Either way hot water can be produced by solar water heaters anywhere the sun shines. In warm climates such as Tempe, Arizona or in the colder places like Nome, Alaska. Diminishing resources, the rising cost of energy, the problem of global warming, can all be addressed with the use of solar water heaters.