Removing reliance on non-renewable energy sources through solar water heaters is a promising and cost-effective approach to mitigate the impact of over-reliance on non-renewable resources.
Solar water heaters, a type of solar thermal energy, use sunlight to heat water for various purposes including industrial applications. This sustainable technology is considered an attractive solution for global energy challenges as it requires low operational costs, can provide steam during on-site generation, and can be easily scaled up or down in terms of energy output.
A well-designed thermal energy system consists of a storage tank a storage tank a circulating pump and a storage tank. The solar collector is the key component of the system, absorbing and converting sunlight into thermal energy. The solar water heater works in two cycles: the absorption cycle and the rejection phase. During the thermal phase, the key component heats the fluid in the storage tank, and in the off-peak phase, the steam is pumped into the household for actual use. Conventional absorption heat pump water heaters also improve efficiency by using a second hotter water to heat the system whenever possible.
Implementing large-scale solar water heater installations can significantly reduce the electricity consumption. Research indicates that, for every 1 MW of solar water heater capacity installed, the demand for electric power from electricity suppliers is decreased by at least 1.2-1.5 MW.
In developing countries, such energy-efficient technologies can save residents a significant amount of money on their utility bills.
It is estimated that global implementation of solar water heaters could reduce global electricity consumption by 11-21% by 2050, saving over $1.1 trillion in utility bill savings.
With such effective results associated with solar water heaters, authorities worldwide should prioritize and invest heavily in developing solar water heater technologies, providing support for production and massive deployments.
However, current energy sectors are lacking the market momentum on renewable energy sources, driven primarily by the development and advertising of renewable energy technologies. Regulators must therefore provide urgent attention and support to sustainable solutions, besides focusing on streamlining bureaucratic hurdles for entrepreneurs to step into the residential energy markets.
Increasing the demand for solar water heaters will also heighten career advancement worldwide, and reduce wages in renewable energy industries while raising growth prospects among the companies in this area. So the utilization of solar water heater technologies will undoubtedly prove pivotal for saving electricity consumption and making a significant difference in solving one of our most enduring environmental problems.
