Solar Heating?

[bnd063011]

So my PB has my deposit, I am waiting on them to break ground. I am getting a pool heater with my build but am concerned with electrical bill prices for the future. It is for this reason I am also installing solar panels at the house. The finance payment is less than my current electrical bill. I will produce a lot solar because I am in sunny southwest Florida and no shade trees in my projected panel area. I have a large yard (2.5 acres) so my panels will be ground mounted. I had them account for the extra power that will be consumed by pool equipment and heater. The Solar Panel guy mentioned that he HIGHLY recommends having a dual system of solar panels and solar heating to help off set the cost of heating the pool. He broke it down in terms of "either you buy extra solar panels for the extra power needed approx 2000kw or you buy a solar heater which will not require your electric heater to work as hard or to draw as much power thus needing less solar panels". The solar heater will need to be mounted to my roof. I HATE the idea of drilling anything into my 3 year old roof. I get a 5 year "leak proof" guarantee but I still am uncomfortable. I hear that the panels can leak over time too. Has anyone had experience with solar panels and solar heater combo? Any advice is greatly appreciated. Pool specs 15x33 with 5x7 Spa. Thanks

 

[MSchutzer]

I'm in California in the San Francisco bay area and I've had solar thermal panels for pool heating for 30 years years now. Our climate is much cooler than Florida but solar thermal panels in combination with a bubble cover keep the pool above 90 degrees from May through late October here. Right now the pool is at 81 degrees as it's still early in the season but it was warm enough for the neighbor kids to come over this last weekend. I installed the panels in 1992 and they are copper panels made by SunEarth, but today those panels would be outrageously expensive. But being copper they will last forever with proper water chemistry. I've just had to repaint them flat black every 10 years or so.

Seven years ago when I replaced the roof I added a 7.25kW array of Solar electric panels to the roof. This supplies all the electrical needs for the house and pool and I even have a surplus at the end of the year. Last year I replaced the motor on my single speed WhisperFlo pump with a variable speed Vgreen 165 and that resulted in even more excess power at the true up time.

I do have a 400k BTU gas heater also but I only use that for heating the spa.

I do think you are better off with Solar thermal panels in addition to the Solar Electric panels. The efficiency of solar electric panels is 14 to 20% at best where solar thermal panels are in the range of 40 to 45% efficient. So you will get better heating efficiency with Solar thermal panels rather than Solar electric panels.

Having a combination of both types of systems works well.

 

[mas985]

The solar heater will need to be mounted to my roof.

Why?

They can also be rack mounted on the ground as long as you have space for them.

 

[Rocket J Squirrel]

There is new technology that combines photovoltaic and thermal solar into a single unit. I only recently learned of this so don't have a lot of good pointers for you and you should search around. Examples:

A Combination of Photovoltaic & Solar Thermal Technologies Works Better

A study by the DLR shows that the combination of photovoltaic & solar thermal technologies generates better results - lower cost & emissions.

solarmagazine.com

Solar flair: how combined PV and solar thermal technology won a CIBSE product award - CIBSE Journal

Naked Energy’s VirtuPVT technology was a clear winner in the CIBSE Building Performance Awards in the Product or Innovation of the Year – Thermal Comfort category. Phil Lattimore looks at how combining solar photovoltaic and thermal technology offers an alternative solution for low carbon...

www.cibsejournal.com

 

[zachbauer]

After rising electricity rates and financial pressure on households, many are looking for alternatives to reduce home energy consumption. Increasingly, the option of purchasing solar panels has begun to be considered. Sunlight is one of the most widespread and freely available energy resources on our planet. The amount of solar energy that reaches the Earth's surface in one hour exceeds the planet's total energy needs for an entire year. Solar panels are a good way to save money. I am aware that there are certain rules for the care of such batteries. Therefore, I turned to the experts dragonsbreathsolar.co.uk , and consulted. This is the first time I will be using them. Do you have any recommendations?

 

[Barkyman]

Check out H2otsun and their roof attachments. I am going to be buying solar panels and using their attachments.