Solar water heating

[Bruce Almighty]

I’m looking for advice about directly heating water with solar panels.

I think known as evacuated tubes ?

This is for a 200 cow dairy unit.

(we already have a 26 kW solar PV array)

thanks in advance

 

[GEMS]

Do you self consume all your PV ?
Is export metered ?
What size water heater in litres?
What size element in kw ?
Do you have heat recovery fitted to refrigeration compressors?

 

[Exfarmer]

If you have the space heating water this way is very efficient. It is twice as good collecting suns energy than the best solar panels

 

[Bury the Trash]

I think known as evacuated tubes ?

there are 2 types of panel , those type will get the hottest water at times, .
but none of them will generate much heat for the 6months of late autumn winter early spring. the exception will be bright sunny days with high pressure in those months , but shorter daylight and grey skies are its enemies.

through summer in to sept and early oct with good weather and from a good spring time it does pretty much all our domestic water needs for a small family and from now to end of august will be some days producing far too much. but i appreciate what you need it for would be vastly more amounts involved.

 

[Bruce Almighty]

Do you self consume all your PV ?
Is export metered ?
What size water heater in litres?
What size element in kw ?
Do you have heat recovery fitted to refrigeration compressors?

Feed in tariff currently 54p/kW on all power produced
We are paid a low price on assumed 50% for export although we realistically use more than 50% anyway.
We also have heat recovery (on the grant)
We are switching to robots so tank room is at the front of cow housing next to the parlour
Robots will be at the back of the cow housing

If you have the space heating water this way is very efficient. It is twice as good collecting suns energy than the best solar panels

I remember looking into it before Solar PV feed in tariffs were launched