I have pretty much dialed in my solar electric water heating system, it now provides me a solid 50 gallons of hotwater year round, we are fast coming up on the shortest day of the year and this picture is of my tank temperature, it is holding at 150 degrees. I had just pulled the probe out to stick a piece of white paper behind it to brighten the picture, and the probe hadn't quite returned to the 150 degrees when I took the picture.
So for anyone thinking of doing the same ,I can absolutely say its possible to do in Alberta, and likely lots of ways besides how I did it. In fact its a perfect use of solar panels, no batteries required! and once done its free hot water.....I estimate my total out of pocket costs at about 1500.00 (panels, tank, copper pipe etc)to get everything working the way I want (fail safe).
I am a handy guy and good scrounger though so I think for others looking to do the same, maybe 2000, 2500 might be a more accurate cost estimate I don't know. While I don't use or need a controller for my system due to how its constructed, I will say that in this application (water heating) a MPPT controller would be useful as unlike batteries, water heating can be viewed as a unlimited dump for power, anyway don't let anyone tell you solar water heating cant be done year round in Alberta, it can, and is being done!
Now that this system is working the way I want and I am not going to change it, I will do it up to code (mostly), I wasn't really happy running 120 vdc lines across my deck and over the kitchen floor the last few years, so I am looking forward to putting it all in conduit properly, I may even add fusing!
Give a man a gun, and he can rob a bank. Give a man a bank, and he can rob the world.
We are now well past the short days of the year.....and my hot water has been fully, and completely been provided by solar power. No if ands or butts about it. I was so pissed off last year as we had the worst year in memory regarding solar radiation .....this year has been more typical.... Don't let anyone tell you that you cant have solar heated hot water in Alberta year round...you can! and I am doing it!!
Give a man a gun, and he can rob a bank. Give a man a bank, and he can rob the world.
Congratulations peppercorn. Very cool.
None you improvise, one (or more) is luxury.
Very cool ! What kind of collector are you using peppercorn?
DougM, my apologies. I am so sorry, pardon my delay, I missed your question from 2017 , did not see it...To be sure I see questions just PM me. I am not using a collector as you ask, but just ordinary fixed to the south, electric solar panels, That is all I need even in winter time Alberta. I don't think I have seen you on the board reciently, I hope you check back and see I answered your question.
I am now looking into being able to heat my home with solar electric power. Not the months of nov, dec, Jan, Feb, but the shoulder months of October, and march. That should knock a cord off my wood use. Though I am just going to say that I am aware of others...further ahead of me who are planning to heat their home year round (in Sask) on solar power. Advancements are leap frogging along. Though for me I will stop at just being able to knock a couple months of wood heating off. Another thousand or two of panels is nothing to try this at todays costs
Give a man a gun, and he can rob a bank. Give a man a bank, and he can rob the world.
Congratulations Peppercorn!
None you improvise, one (or more) is luxury.