Solar Heating
Solar Thermal Energy is a technology for producing heat from solar radiation. For mechanical building systems, the most common types of solar thermal collector are flat plate collectors. Flat plate collectors consist of three basic components: an absorber plate, a heat transfer medium and a glass cover. The absorber plate is a black surface that heats up when exposed to the sun’s rays. The heat transfer medium takes heat from the absorber plate and delivers it to the heat load (water, glycol or air). The glass cover allows the sun’s rays to pass through to the absorber plate but traps heat within the collector. In some cases the glass cover is not required, i.e. outdoor pools. The most common uses for solar thermal energy in buildings are: water heating, space heating and pool heating.
