Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Figure 4.20.
Vacuum tube heating system in which the water tank is integrated with the
collector.
Source:
Mk2010 at Wikimedia Commons.
Benefits and Costs of Solar Heating
Up to now, solar thermal technology has mostly been used in warmer climatic zones,
such as the Mediterranean, where water and spatial heating needs are modest. In cooler
regions, where long, cold winters make heating an existential necessity, solar heating has
not traditionally played a major role. However, as technology improves, solar heaters are
becoming viable even in colder climates, but only as part of a larger energy plan and if
combined with passive house technology.
Even though most solar heating systems have been installed at a scale designed to
service a single household, collective facilities for apartment buildings, factories, hotels,
and sports facilities are on the increase. A small number of solar thermal projects large
