Solar hot water in Fort Worth

Solar hot water and heating in Fort Worth, Texas
Solar energy can be used, not only to generate hot water, but also to support the heating system in winter, which translates in significant fossil fuel savings.

here are different types of solar panels or plates.

On the one hand, there are the photovoltaic, also called modules, which are composed of solar cells, consisting of a semiconductor, silicon, which converts photons from sunlight into electrons.

Then, there are plates, panels or thermal collectors, these three terms being synonymous.

Thermal plates can be, in turn, of different types. The most common are flat plates. There are also high-performance or vacuum tube collectors. The flat plates that we can see in these images, are crossed by pipes with a liquid inside that is heated as it crosses the plate. The appearance of solar vacuum collectors is different. They are not box like, as these, but each tube is wrapped in a glass cylinder which is in a vacuum. This way the isolation of the tube is much greater and the water reaches higher temperatures. These two types of plates are used in highly technical installations and they require an engineer or highly qualified personnel to program them.

Then, there are more simple choices. One is the thermosyphon, which is a flat plate with a built-in reservoir and it operates 100% mechanically, without hidraulic pumping or electrical control. It is much easier to plan and install.

Finally, we have plates made from plastic, which are used for heating outdoor swimming pools. They are basically, plastic plates with small holes through which, the water circulates. They are not used to generate hot water for sanitary reasons.