How Do Solar Panels Work ?
It may seem like a simple question to those of you who have solar panels or work with solar panels on a daily basis, however, if you are looking at solar panels for the first time then it is important to understand how the system is going to work for you.
Evergreen Energy solar panels form part of a hydraulic heating system that remains separate from the main boiler heating system in your house. The panels are mounted on a roof surface (or other surface if roof orientation is not correct) that is selected for its exposure to sunlight and then connected, via stainless steel pipe work, to the lower coil of a twin-coil solar cylinder in your hot press.
The radiation, or energy, in the sun’s rays are absorbed by the panel and the heat is transferred into the pipe work in the absorber plates/evacuated tubes. The pipework is filled with a heat transfer liquid, most commonly a food grade glycol and water mix, which is circulated by a pump through the lower coil in the hot water cylinder. The heat is deposited in the storage cylinder from the coil and the glycol returns to the panel to absorb more free solar energy. The system is equipped with a simple unit to control the flow of energy from the panels to the storage cylinder.
On average, the solar panels can provide between 50 - 70% of the hot water required in the home over a year. A boiler or electric immersion heater is used to supplement the hot water demand when necessary