Solar Water Heating

Solar water heating uses the power of solar energy to warm water. This is done by converting sunlight into renewable energy for water heating through the use of a solar thermal collector. The uses of several of these technologies are now being used increasingly worldwide.

Solar water heating (SWH) can be used for domestic purposes, swimming pools/ hot tubs, radiations and as a combination of different technologies, for converting sunlight into heat energy. Individual heating needs can be fulfilled by the combination of heat pumps, cogeneration units and thermal stores. The system has a collector on the top or the wall facing the sun, made from simple glass-topped insulated boxes. The absorbers are made up of metal- copper heat exchanger pipes and are surrounded by an evacuated glass cylinder. 

SWH is “a productive investment” which can improve resilience to handle fossil volatility caused by trade disagreements and restrictions imposed by the US on certain oil producing nations. A range of funding and government schemes provide support for new deployments and it can be integrated with other low-carbon innovative solutions to save on energy. It can cost between £3,000 and £5,000, and save up to around £65 to £125 a year on heating.  However, to qualify for the RHI, the home must have the required set of energy efficient standards. It is recommended for consumers to make sure that their home is as designed in a way to support such heating solutions. Further, it is recommended to boost added investments in mature solutions.

Governments can support such schemes by making changes to the taxation regime imposed by the local governments to motivate people to invest. Subsidies, exemptions and efficient taxation decisions can support such deployments to ensure better utility like the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) that is a government scheme whereby consumers are paid a certain amount for generating heat via using renewable energy. 

There is a need for integrating multiple options to bridge different sectors together and the government can provide support to make consumer active part of the decarbonization system.