Energy conservation methods

Solar Water Heating System

 INTRODUCTION
• India is blessed with solar energy in abundance at no
cost.

• India is having high solar insolation of 46.5

KWh/sq.m/day for an average of 280 sunny days and
most of that resource has been left untapped.

• One of the popular cost-effective devices that harness

the solar energy is Solar Water Heating System
(SWHS).

• SWHS heating system is a commercially viable and

technologically mature product, is existing in country for
many years with enormous potential.
 HISTORY
• There are records of solar collectors in the United States
dating back to before 1900, comprising a black-painted
tank mounted on a roof.

• SWHS has been widely used in Greece, Turkey, Israel,

Australia, Japan, Austria and China.

• Israel is a country, where solar water heaters are being

used since 1950s.

• There was a fuel crisis and restrictions were imposed on

heating water using fossil fuel.

• Since then the Israelis are accustomed with heating

water using SWHS. In 1980, the Parliament of Israel
introduced a law on mandatory solar heating for new
residential buildings
 Scope in India

• India has a varying climate extending from extreme to moderate

due to its unique geographical features.

• Normally in the countryside, wood or biomass is used for

heating and in urban areas electricity or fossil fuels are used for
this purpose. This practice is either expensive or degrades the
environment.

• Therefore, solar water heating system can be a suitable

alternative to meet the growing demand of hot water in the
country without exerting further pressure on electricity or cutting
of forest trees from the forest areas. The SWHS has the
potential to save millions in energy costs in our country.
Steps Taken By Indian Government
• Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE),
government of India and some state-level agencies have
formulated many schemes for promotion of SWHS.

• There are also provisions of providing soft loans under the

interest subsidy scheme through a network of financial
institutions and tax benefits on all investments in solar
energy technologies.

• The Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) as per provision of

the Energy conservation Act 2001 has prescribed guidelines
for Energy Conservation Buildings Code (ECBC), which sets
minimum energy standards for design and construction of
buildings. SWHS is one of the components covered under
ECBC to enhance energy performance of the buildings.

• With the objective of contributing to India’s Energy security

and sustainable development, the Prime Minister has
launched Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission (JNNSM)
in January 2010. The objective of the mission is to establish
India as a global leader in solar energy.
Uses of Solar Water Heating System

• Bathing.

• Laundry application in hotels, hospitals, hostels.

• Cooking (Pre-Heating of water helps in

reduction of use of fuel).

• Various industrial applications.

Solar Water Heater
Contd.,

• A solar water heater consists of a collector to

collect solar energy and an insulated storage
tank to store hot water. The total system with
solar collector, storage tank and pipelines is
called solar hot water system.

• The solar water heating systems are of two

categories:
1) Closed loop system.
2) Open loop system.
 .,
Contd

• In the closed loop system, heat

exchangers are installed to protect the
system from hard water obtained from bore
wells or freezing temperatures in the cold
regions.

• The open loop system has two categories –

1) Thermosyphon.

2) Forced circulation system.

Contd.,

• Thermosyphon systems are simple and relatively

inexpensive.

• The forced circulation systems employ electrical

pumps to circulate the water through collectors
and storage tanks.

• The choice of system depends on heat

requirement weather conditions, heat transfer
fluid quality, space availability, annual solar
radiation etc.
Thermosyphon system
 Conclusion
• There is a serious need to sensitize policy makers and
users in the residential and commercial sectors on the
efficacy of SWHS.

• There is a perception that SWHS is more suited for

independent houses rather than apartment buildings.
But the later would ideally have more roof space for an
ideal and attractive SWHS.

• The manufacturer and supplier base of the system has

to be strengthened, so that, they can also create
awareness among potential users of SWHS.