Solar Heating – Does Solar Heating Work?

Solar heating systems have been around since the beginning of time; when man first realized that the heat from direct sunlight would heat up water in a container. Centuries later , a solar heating system would still consist of putting water in a tub or bowl, and then allow enough time to pass for the temperature of the water to warm up enough to take a bath or wash clothing. This was great in the summertime when the sun was at its highest point in the sky. However, often in the wintertime the sun was not strong enough to perform this simple task. Nothing much was thought about how to actually harness the sun’s energy until recently in the past 80 years or so.

Before the 18th century man could only dream of ways to collect the sun’s rays; they did not have the knowledge or the technology that we have today. Today, solar panels can be seen on the roof of many homes and businesses, conducting enough solar thermal heat to produce up to 75% of the buildings hot water needs. They can be seen in some homes for heating both the water in swimming pools and the homes hot water system. It seems that every year people develop new products pertaining to Solar Heating; panels and other items are continuing to get smaller and fit elegantly outside the house.

Issues of Using Solar Heating

Just in the past 50 years, man has advanced enough in technology to begin construction of Solar panels to first collect the sun’s thermal energy and to be able to store it. However, the cost of this technology was very expensive. There have been many private companies that have worked on the improvements of Solar power and the panels themselves. The panels were very large and bulky at first, taking up a large amount of space where ever they were built.

Today, the panels are not as big, and the costs are coming down all the time. The solar power packs are not the only items that a person needs to install. There are other necessary items that must be purchased separately in order to connect the Solar collector panels to a storage unit; such as a  pump, temperature sensors, air vents, pressure gauge, safety valve, expansion vessel and the connection pipes & gaskets. All of these items can be bought as a kit, and you can get different kits depending on your needs.

Solar Heating Works

Solar Heating has now advanced far enough that many people can purchase small Solar panels and packs that are so light-weight that they can be carried by one person. You can now find countries all around the world that have solar power stations which are connected to the power grid producing Heating for many homes and companies.

The Benefits of Using Solar Heating

Solar thermal heating is a lot more efficient and cheaper at producing hot water in comparison to electric solar panels or photovoltaic cells (PV). Conversely, the downside is they can’t produce electricity.

The world has seen what the fossil fuels have done to the earth’s atmosphere, and has just recently begun a world-wide program for cleaning up the pollution and restoring balance to the eco system. Solar Heating is contributing to that clean up. There are no harmful vapors or smog to contend with.

Governments around the world are offering credits and money back for people and companies that use solar heating which can help cover part of the cost of installation. In the very near future we will see many more solar heating units that are much smaller and much simpler to install. Technology will continually advance much faster than it has, and we will see theses changes in our life time.