Solar thermal and heat pumps perform different jobs. A heat pump can provide space heating and hot water, while solar thermal collectors use solar energy to contribute heat to a suitable hot-water store. Integrating them successfully requires the cylinder, controls and hydraulic arrangement to be designed for the intended operating strategy.
Solar thermal is not solar PV
Solar thermal collectors transfer solar heat into a fluid circuit and then into stored hot water. Solar PV panels generate electricity. A property can have one or both technologies.
Heat pumps and hot-water storage
Heat-pump hot-water systems commonly use a suitably designed cylinder. If solar thermal is also present, the storage and coil arrangement must accommodate both heat sources correctly.
What about battery storage?
A battery belongs to the electrical side of the property, usually working with solar PV or electricity tariffs. It does not store heat like a hot-water cylinder, but an integrated energy strategy can involve PV, batteries and electrically driven heat pumps.
A real integrated system in Hull
Envirowarm recently serviced an LG air source heat pump in Kingswood, Hull HU7 at a property incorporating unvented hot water, solar thermal, solar PV and connected battery storage. It is a useful example of why engineers need to understand the whole installation rather than viewing each technology in isolation.
Renewable heating in East Yorkshire
Envirowarm has worked with renewable and conventional heating technologies for over 20 years. If you have an existing hybrid system or are considering heat-pump work, contact us with details of the equipment installed.