SolarWaterHeater: Difference between revisions
Tom Griffing (talk | contribs) |
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Rated Power: 3800 Watts | Rated Power: 3800 Watts | ||
[[Image:WaterHeaterSpecs.png]] | [[Image:WaterHeaterSpecs.png|250px]] | ||
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24 VDC | 24 VDC | ||
230 Watts | 230 Watts | ||
The test design is as follows: | |||
=Summary= | =Summary= | ||
It works! | It works! | ||
Revision as of 16:24, 27 March 2016
Objective
This solar water heater project employs solar panels to collect energy from the sun and heat water for household use. The solar panels are conventional solar panels generating DC electricity and the water heater is a commonly available unit normally powered by household AC electricity.
Design
Most electric hot water heaters for household use heat water using a resistive heating element immersed in the water and a simple bi-metallic thermostat. In the United States, they are usually powered by either 120 VAC or 240 VAC. The thermostat usually employs a bimetallic strip with electrical contacts to interrupt the electricity once the desired temperature has been reached and establish electricity flow when the water temperature drops below a threshold.
Tall water heaters often employ two heating elements and thermostats to heat the upper and lower sections of the tank. Shorter water heaters usually have only one heating element.
Test Case
The Unit used for the initial testing is a Kenmore Power Miser 6 with the following specs:
Capacity: 40 gallon Rated voltage: 240 VAC Rated Power: 3800 Watts
The solar panels are Sanyo
24 VDC 230 Watts
The test design is as follows:
Summary
It works!