WATER AND SPACE HEATING BY SOLAR ENERGY

ABSTRACT Heating of water and space with solar energy has now been accepted as a practical means of energy substitution. A primitive method of water heating with solar energy, by leaving a water container exposed to the sun, has now been replaced by modern solar water heaters. The Central Building Research Institute at Roorkee has designed and developed different types of solar water heaters of varying sizes and capacities. A number of parties in India have already been licensed to manufacture these heaters. Apart from solar water heaters, the Central Building Research Institute, Roorkee, has also developed an active system of heating of buildings by solar energy. The active system where the building achieves a better environment without any other aids, in contract to the passive one, is more sophisticated and enables the heat to be trapped, stored, and liberated under controlled conditions. A prototype test setup for heating of a room has been installed and its performance observed. The room was found to be quite comfortable in the months of January and December with the above space heating system.