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Solar-Electric vs. Solar Hot Water
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EXPLORE | For all age levels |
In general, solar hot water panels (top row) are bulkier and you can often see insulated pipes attached. |
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Solar-electric panels (bottom row) have a trimmer look and you usually cannot see the connected wire cables. |
Characteristic |
Solar Hot Water |
Solar-Electric |
Where you will find them |
Often on a roof but sometimes on the ground. They will always be tilted to face the southern sky. |
Often on a roof but sometimes at the top of a pole. |
Shape |
Large flat boxes, bulky in appearance. OR Many long glass tubes. |
Thin flat panels, trim in appearance. |
Number of panels |
Two to six is typical. More then that is an unusually large system. |
Any number, although eight to ten is typical if mounted on a residence. |
Connections |
Usually, you can see one or two fat pipes connected. |
Usually, no connections can be seen. |
Caution: From the outside, some skylights may look like a solar hot water or solar electric panel but skylights generally stand up higher off the roof than solar-electric panels and they won’t have pipes running to or from them, as do solar hot water panels.
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Developed by the Northeast Sustainable Energy Association. Funded by the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative's Renewable Energy Trust. |
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