Solar Power

How do solar panels work?

You need to place the solar panels outdoors, somewhere where they’ll get the maximum exposure to sunlight possible. The sun’s ray’s energy is then absorbed by the solar panel and the heat is transferred to the pipe work in the absorber plates. The pipe work is filled with a ready mixed liquid which contains glycol and water. This is circulated by a pump to the coil in the hot water storage cylinder. The heat is deposited into the storage cylinder and the glycol returns to the panel to absorb more free solar energy.

The solar heating system is equipped with a simple unit which controls the flow of energy from the solar panels to the storage cylinder. On average, the solar panels can provide up to 60% of the hot water required in a home over a year. The boiler is used to supplement the hot water demand when necessary.

Worcester Solar Panels

Worcester have a range of both high and standard efficiency solar panels used for solar water heating called Greenskies. Greenskies solar water heating panels are put into use converting the energy into heat, in both direct and diffused sunlight, to produce hot water for your home.

If you were to go with a well-sized solar water heating system it could provide up to 60% of your annual hot water requirements. The Greenskies solar panels are designed to fit with existing heating systems that use a cylinder to store hot water.

There are high efficiency solar panels and standard efficiency solar panels. Both types have versions of the solar panel that fit width ways or length ways on the roof. The standard efficiency solar panels have emissions of 12 ±2% whilst the high efficiency solar panels only have emissions of 5 ±2%. The emissions is the percentage of absorbed solar energy reflected back into the atmosphere by the collectors.

When having solar panels installed, your existing cylinder is exchanged for a solar compatible one with two heat exchanger coils: one from your boiler and a second from the solar panels. The solar panel will form part of a system which remains separate from the boiler heating system. A simple control (the TDS10) is used with Greenskies solar water heating. This control allows you to monitor the solar panel system and to select the temperature required at the hot water cylinder.

Benefits of Solar Power

There are many benefits to installing Greenskies solar water heating system take a look at some of them below:

  • Efficient solar panels with 95% absorption rate,
  • High performance panel – only 5% of solar energy reflected back into atmosphere by panels,
  • 10 year guarantee on solar panels, 25 year guarantee on domestic hot water cylinder (subject to terms and conditions),
  • Selective coating on solar panels – increases collector performance, even on cloudy days,
  • Available for on-roof, roof integration, flat roof and wall mounted at 45° installation,
  • Simple to use controller
  • Compatible with Greenskies hot water cylinder,
  • Solar panels contain solar safety glass,
  • Robust solar panel design,
  • Solar panels are easy to fit,
  • Solar Keymark approved (European quality mark),
  • Planning permission was eased in 2008,
  • You could receive a grant available through the Low Cabon Buildings Programme.

Solar Panel System Controls

If you go with the Greenskies solar panel package it comes with a standard simple controller, the TDS10. This controller will allow you the user to select the temperature you would like the hot water cylinder to be set at. The controller will then automatically decide when it needs to run the pump to bring the energy from the solar panels to the cylinder.

If you would like to go for a more sophisticated controller then you can go for the recently launched Intelligent solar module, the ISM1. This controller will enable the hot water system to take heat energy from the solar panels but it will also bring the boiler back on when there is not enough solar energy available. By combining the boiler and solar panels you the user will get the maximum benefit from the solar heating and it will ensure that you always have hot water available.