Appalachian Energy Blog

Our solar storage tank is not just an everyday water tank. The design has been perfected over many years by its German designers and it is now one of the most popular solar storage tanks in Europe. We thought folks would like a look at the inside so we opened one up, and our cutaway tank is now a big hit at exhibitions.

The glycol (a fluid just like the antifreeze for your car) from the solar panels on the roof flows through the coil that looks like a big garden hose to heat the water in the tank (bottom coil). Pipe cold water through the top coil and that water will heat up, for use in your home heating system. Inside the tank, where it is immersed directly in the water you will later draw from your faucet, is the smart place to put that heating coil. Some popular US-designed tanks are just ordinary hot water tanks with a copper hot water coil wrapped around the outside. The heat from those panels you have invested in doesn’t transfer to the water so easily and those hot coils lose more of their heat to their surroundings. Not only do those US-designed tanks cool off quicker, they will not even store as much heat for your daily uses in the first place. Typically they have a top temperature of only 185F. Today, the tank on our own system held 202F water. When water at this temperature is mixed down to a nice, hot-but-safe, temperature for your home, it will provide you with 30 to 40 gallons more hot water than our colder competitors.

To the side of the cutaway is the “brain” of our system - a controller that displays the temperature in the tank and solar panels and a small pump that circulates the glycol from the panels, through the coils in the tank, and back to the panels. That little pump will only turn on when the tank has cooled, and wants heat, and the panels are hot and want to cool down!

So that’s it. Come take a look for yourself at one of our future events.