Solar Water Heating

The pumps and controls

Thanet array seen from top of North Downs near Lenham. Turbines are about 30 miles away - see map

Headlines

Lack of engineers could scupper renewables revolution
Sunday Times says 60,000 heating engineers are interested in fitting renewable energy devices but are put off by the three-year certification process

Climate change human link evidence 'stronger'
A review from the UK Met Office says it is becoming clearer that human activities are causing climate change. It says the evidence is stronger now than when the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change carried out its last assessment in 2007.

GOVERNMENT DELIVERS RAW DEAL FOR SOLAR THERMAL INDUSTRY
Today the Solar Trade Association welcomed the announcements by Ed Milliband regarding solar energy, but expressed disappointment that the proposed rate of investment will be lower than that for other green energy technologies.

Round 3 zones and developers
Crown estates have anounced the major Round 3 offshore zones and developers

energy saving trust

Clear Skies

Feed in tariffs

DC as seen in the schematic below. This is the contoller that manages tha panels and ensures the maximum solar gain is achieved	In the centre is the pump station. This holds the pumps and valves that circulate the fluid that transfers the heat from the panels to the hot water cylinder.
The pressure regulator seen centre top prevents excess pressure within the system. The sytem is pressurised to run at 4 bar.	The complete system. The temperature readings are taken at the two points where the wires are seen to enter the hot water cylinder. This allows the DC manage the overall heat input to the system. TBU is the lower sensor
A reading taken on 13th February. Two hours later it was snowing heavily The panels have reached 49°C , while the outdoor temperature is about 1°C The lower part of the cylinder is at 31°C, this has been heated by the solar panels from the 5°C from which it started earlier in the day.
The point where highly insulated pipes enter the house. This also takes the cable that has measured the temperature as at TKO