The Solar Heat pump water heater – 100% from the sun
In recent years, one of the big breakthroughs in solar heating is the Solar Heat Pump Water Heater (SHPWH). It’s been specially designed to squeeze as much energy out of the outside temperature – even on the coldest and most overcast days.
The breakthrough is in the improved quality of the refrigerant. The SHPWH uses a refrigerant that has a very low boiling (or vaporising) point – well below 0ºC – and a freezing point of over minus 100ºC. So as far as the refrigerant is concerned, a crisp Tasmanian winter of, say, 5ºC is extremely hot. That means that even on the most bitter and gloomiest days the refrigerant will vaporise and produce heat.
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The solar heat pump system
The Compact Solar Heat Pump consists of three major components:
- An evaporator
- A compressor
- A condenser
How the system solar heat pump works:
- The (relative) heat of the atmosphere vaporises the refrigerant contained in the solar panels.
- The vapour is then compressed, which causes its temperature to rise. The high temperature vapour is then passed through the condenser (special pipes that are bonded around the outside of the water tank).
- As the refrigerant vapour condenses back to its liquid form, it gives off its heat to the water tank.
- The liquid refrigerant is passed back to the solar panel and the cycle is repeated.
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