Tank reservoir for solar energy

Tank reservoir's for solar energy come in the form of cylinders, calorifiers and heat exchange systems.
Calorifiers are the tanks are used to store hot water that has been heated by solar power, they can at around a 500 litre capacity, the larger range is from 500 litres upwards.

Solar heat exchangers transfer the heat from a reservoir( water tank) to a system such as swimming pool or your main home hot water tank, once the heat is pumped out of the system the water is then forced up the reservoir from the heat exchanger inside the tank back up to the system to be heated by solar energy .
　
Tank reservoirs for solar energy are usually vented or unvented systems, fed into a single or double coil unit, The tanks are insulated using polyurethane foam or wool thermal insulation. The insulation is to minimise any heat loss from the tank.

The best domestic use is for solar energy is for water heating.
For a high flow rate tank with efficient heat retention, prices usually start at 2000 euros.

Disadvantages of Solar Energy

Photo credit: Wild Guru Larry  Flickr.com

Solar energy is a great example of one of the most successful forms of alternative energy, although these disadvantages mainly apply to mass produced solar panels, built on a small scale many of these disadvantages can be overcome.

- Solar power is still not available in all regions of the world

-There are hazardous by-product from the manufacture of solar power

-Expensive can take years to recover the cost although this is improving significantly

- At night you have to use solar battery which are charged during the day

- In order maximise the use of solar energy it must be installed in a sunny area, mountainous regions will be able to get less productive output than say sunny California.

- The efficiency of photovoltaic cells can be affected by cloud and pollution

-Disposing of the waste products from solar energy such as toxic batteries that may only on average last 10 years.

- Efficiency ratings of some solar panels are not as good so you need to check the the rating as some can only produce 14%

-Upfront cost compared to traditional means of energy supply. you may be able to heat the swimming pool year round, but maybe not the whole house.

- Low efficiency rates as solar energy yield through photovoltaic cells and energy transfer is low, although different forms and production methods of solar panels can change this.

- Great improvements are needed in the optical sensor array in order to increase efficiency of Solar panels.