Solar water heating, also called solar thermal energy, uses solar panels to heat water for uses like cooking, bathing, cleaning, pool heating, and space heating. It is one of the oldest and most reliable renewable energy technologies. Solar water heating systems have been widely used around the world for homes, businesses, and other facilities. Examples mentioned include an army laundry facility, office buildings, restaurants, hospitals, swimming pools, and remote locations.

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Solar Thermal Energy
Using the sun
to heat water
The simplest
solar
technology

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Solar water heating (also called solar
thermal energy) is the simplest of the
technologies.
This includes heating water for use in our
homes for cooking, bathing and cleaning,
or for heating swimming pool water, or
even providing space heating in winter.
These systems have been refined and
improved and widely used over the years
to the point where they pay for
themselves in energy savings while making
people’s lives more comfortable and
lowering their energy bills.

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There are many commercial as well as
residential uses of solar water heating.
The rooftop solar
collectors on this
office building
provide hot water.
Solar water
heating is one of
the oldest and
most reliable
renewable energy
technologies.

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Popular applications in the United States include
facilities that use a great deal of hot water, such as
this army laundry in Massachusetts.

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There are remote applications like this
water heating system on the visitors center
at Mt. Rushmore in South Dakota.

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The solar water heater on the roof of this house in Israel is
typical of the systems used in many parts of the world. It
consists of a solar panel that heats the water and a tank that
stores it.

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Simple solar water heaters are also very common in China.
Note that the storage tank is mounted horizontally on the
roof of this home in Beijing. The system operates the same,
but is configured differently.

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Twenty-four rooftop solar collectors
provide about 45 percent of the hot
water used by this fast-food restaurant
in Australia.

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The town of Ry, Denmark, has 1,300
households connected to the District
heating plant, which gets its heat from
a 3,000m2 solar energy collector field.
It supplements the heat from the town’s
coal-fired plant.

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A new solar energy system – the “Solar Energy Roof” – is
integrated into the roof of the Gullbring Centre in Telemark,
Norway. This is the first large-scale solar energy application
for swimming pools in Norway. It was installed in 1994, and
provides heat for two swimming pools.

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This solar thermal pump in Serpong, Indonesia,
provides villagers with hot water.

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Solar energy heats the water for this
hospital in Tennessee.

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This community swimming pool in California
has heated water all year long for the use of
local residents.

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Simple solar cookers like this woman is using in El Progreso,
Guatemala, have had a huge impact on the way people in
remote parts of the world live today. These cookers are easy
to use and allow people to heat meals and water.

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Discussion Questions
• What do you see as the most important
reasons to use solar water heating for
homes or businesses in your community?
• What are the drawbacks?
• What are the potential economic benefits
of using solar water heating on a home or
business? How much money could be
saved?