Your electrical geyser is one of the biggest consumers of electricity in your home. Using solar panels can drastically reduce or eliminate that cost. This article will explore how many solar panels you will need for a geyser and the different options.
In the summer, three 250-watt solar panels connected directly to the DC side of an AC/DC element in a geyser via an MPPT controller will be enough to heat the water to around 60 degrees Celsius.
When you want to connect solar panels to your geyser, you basically have three different options:
Install an AC/DC element in your geyser
When you want to use solar for your geyser, installing an AC/DC element is the cheapest option. Solar panels produce direct current (DC), and the panels are then connected directly via an MPPT controller to the DC side.
Connecting 3 x 250-watt solar panels directly in series via an MPPT controller to the element of a 900W DC / 1500W AC geyser, you can heat the water in the geyser to 60 to 65 degrees Celcius in summer.
This solution will be the best option for you if you only want to use solar panels for your geyser. One disadvantage of this can be if you oversize your solar panels, or it is very hot in the area where you live; the solar panels can heat the water to very high temperatures. You have to be aware of this to prevent yourself or a family member from being burnt.
Install a smart-hybrid Inverter
The second option will be installing a grid-tie smart-hybrid inverter that can run off panels only and install enough solar panels to power your geyser as well as additional appliances if you wish.
The benefit of installing a smart inverter is that it allows you to add more solar panels or batteries at a later time; as long as the inverter isn’t just used to heat your geyser, it’s a good option.
You can install 4 x 250kw solar panels connected to a 3kw smart-hybrid inverter. A 3kw smart-grid hybrid inverter will have no problem running a geyser for an hour between 12 and 1 pm. It can also run everything else in a house if you have heating and cooking appliances running on alternative energy like gas.
Install a prefeed system
A Prefeed system is where your solar panels heat the water in a separate tank, and the water is then fed via a tempering valve to the geyser.
This means that the boiling water in the outer tank (on the roof) is actually mixed down to a lower temperature before it enters the inner tank (inside the roof). Of course, this means that your electrical geyser still spends a small amount of energy keeping the water hot (standing loss), which you could eliminate if you fed it with very hot water.
However, because the tempering valve is adjustable, you can set it to feed the internal unit with water at 65 degrees Celsius and then set the thermostat to 55 degrees Celsius. Because it will take around 10 hours to drop from 65 to 55 at the normal standing loss rate, and because 65 isn’t so hot that anyone will burn as long as they know how to use the shower mixer, I’d say that gives you the best of both worlds: Free hot water that is properly controlled by a thermostat.
Key takeaways for connecting solar panels to your geyser:
- If you only want to connect the solar panels to the geyer then installing an AC/DC element, and connecting the solar panels directly to the geyser will be yourr best option.
- 3 x 250 watt solar panels will be sufficient to heat the water to 60 degrees Celcius in summer.
- If you are concerned that the solar panels will make the water in your geyser too hot – then install a prefeed system that will allow the water to cool before entering your geyser.
- If you want to use the power from your solar panels for your appliances as well, then installing a smart-inverter will be your best option. If will give you the option of adding solar panels to your system, as well as adding solar batteries if you wish.
Can solar power run a geyser?
Solar panels can be used to power a geyser.The solar panels can be directly connected to the geyser’s AC/DC element, and 3 x 250 watt solar panels will be sufficient to heat the water in the summer.
How much power does a solar geyser use?
The amount of power used by a solar geyser is determined by the size of the element installed in the geyser.If the geyser has a 900 watt element installed, it will heat the water at 900 watts per hour.
Are solar geysers worth it?
A solar geyser will drastically reduce or eliminate the power drawn from the grid by your geyser.Even if you use a grid-connected smart inverter connected to your geyser, you can expect to cut your geyser’s power consumption by more than half.
Because a geyser is one of the most energy-intensive appliances in your home, installing a solar geyser will save you a significant amount of money.
