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Hi,

We installed a working demonstration solar water heating system in our showroom in Dublin on the 10/03/09 you can see a few photos and details here: http://ecologics.ie/news-and-information/demonstration-solar-system/  or feel free to drop in and check it  out in person.

On the system we have installed a fourth temperature sensor which allows us to monitor the energy production of the system as a whole – basically letting us know how much energy is being transferred into the water in the cylinder.  The readout is available on the controller itself but we have installed an external display system,  the Resol Smart Display SD3 which lets us see the most important temperatures at a glance.

I will publish the temperatures here so you can see the solar system's output in real terms,  starting today 20/04/09

Solar Energy collected since 10/03/09: 122kWh

Average: 3 Kwh per day.

It's worth noting that as is common to all solar heating systems these figures indicate the final amount of energy we are collecting. This system works at about 60 -70% efficency but many only get to 50% or so.  This means the panels here are producing about 30% more energy than shown on the display but between pump and pipe heat losses this figure reduces to the displayed figure that is actually useable energy. 

This is something to bear in mind when buying a solar system, for example a solar panel may be sold on the premise that it is able to produce 1000Kwh a year but the system  losses will sometimes half this figure..

Toady's Date: 22/04/09

Solar Energy collected since 10/03/09: 129kWh

Average: 3 Kwh per day.