Can I get heat and electricity from the same solar panel?

In addition to various financing options and government incentives that can reduce the cost of converting to solar, investing in solar energy can save you tens of thousands of dollars over the lifetime of your system.

The benefits of renewable energy sources like solar power don’t stop at a monetary value. Solar is environmentally sustainable, as well as a socially responsible way to offset your carbon footprint. Solar energy substantially reduces greenhouse gas emissions. The average two-person household can annually reduce their carbon pollution by up to four tons when they convert to solar power. Clean energy can not only power your home, but it can also power the way we all think about the future.

Aztek Solar has been at the forefront of this energy transition, helping Nova Scotians adopt solar power for residential use. We strive to go beyond our customers’ expectations by remedying their pain-points and answering questions that no one else does. We are so much more than your friendly neighborhood solar installer!

In this article, we are going to answer another very important question concerning solar power; can you get heat and electricity from the same solar panels?

We know that solar panels generate electricity. But, what if a solar panel could directly heat water while also generating electricity?

Any solar PV (photovoltaic) panel can only utilize about 18% of the sun’s energy, and convert it into electricity. The other 82% is wasted as heat which the panel absorbs as excess energy and releases it in ambient air.

A heat recovery system that is fitted underneath the PV layer can capture this wasted heat and utilize it to heat water instead! This process is known as solar thermal heating or just solar heating.

Solar heating systems can be divided into two groups, passive solar and active solar heating. In essence, these systems harvest thermal energy from the sun and utilize the collected heat for space heating purposes or to heat domestic water. Passive solar systems rely on the structure of the building to collect heat. This could be in the form of a tilt or a roof orientation that allows for higher solar irradiance. On the contrary, active solar heating systems rely on heat pumps that transfer the collected heat from the solar collectors to the building. In contrast to photovoltaic panels that generate electricity, thermal solar panels are used to capture energy from the sun and utilize it to provide heat.

Benefits of solar heating

• Endless amounts of energy with low running costs
• No CO² emissions during operation
• Cost savings from using up to 60% less energy to heat water
• Reduced consumption of fossil fuels
• Solar thermal systems can be integrated into many existing systems
• Modern systems work efficiently all year round
• At less risk of price fluctuations in the energy commodity markets due to portion of energy budget generated by solar.

Isn’t this great? While scientists are figuring out ways to utilize more energy from sunlight, we have come up with a savvy technique to make use of heat energy that is wasted in the process! Another solid reason for you finally make that long-due transition to solar power.

Thanks for reading!

Brian McKay
aka The Solar Guy