WHY IS A PHOTOVOLTAIC WATER HEATING SYSTEM MORE ADVANTAGEOUS THAN PHOTOTHERMIC?

Even a couple of years ago, water was heated by the energy of the sun only photothermic – using collectors that heat the liquid and then transferred the energy through a heat exchanger to heat water in a boiler.

The collector and the boiler in this system, need to be attached by two well-insulated pipes. These pipes shouldn't be too far apart to limit loss and circulation must be provided by an electric pump. The liquid used for heat transfer must be antifreeze so that it can operate in the winter. It has to be periodically replenished and changed. The biggest problem is overproduction, but modern collectors are already designed with this in mind. The liquid can be changed into steam and then condensed again, but this has a negative influence on the lifespan. So if you leave for two weeks in the summer and you stop using hot water, your photo-thermal system will not be happy. Due to the price of photovoltaic panels going down, water heating systems based on photovoltaics can be created. Such a system does not require any special boiler; only two thin, flexible cables connect the panels. It is much easier to install – the installation takes only a couple hours and only minor changes are made to the house. The system works independently of the power grid, accurately measuring both instantaneous power and energy supplied by the sun and consumed from the grid, and it also has several other benefits. This is not the case for every photovoltaic water heating system, but it is certainly true for the SOLAR KERBEROS system.