Solar Hot Water–Warm Climate Simplicity

While in Mexico last week, I noticed a smart solar hot water collector on many buildings.  In a climate with little chance of freezing temperatures, solar collectors don’t not freeze protection, and this simplifies things considerably.  As long of the roof is strong enough, a large black tank will do the job.  Cold water comes in, hot water goes out.  And the consderable mass holds the heat through the night.  There are some design limitations, but this is a simple, inexpensive approach that can be adopted broadly in warm climates.

Tags: energy-efficiency, solar hot water, solar thermal