ᐅ What type of solar energy?

Hello

I have completely insulated my house to Minergie standard or slightly better. I originally planned to install vacuum tube collectors for domestic hot water and possibly heating support. In the fall, a air-source heat pump will be added to replace the oil heating system. When I calculated the extra effort honestly, I realized that I would not have enough savings to amortize the investment through the yield. Now I’m considering installing photovoltaic panels instead. Since the heat pump hopefully has a COP of 3-4, I’m curious about the energy yield for example in relation to domestic hot water preparation. Has anyone done the calculations? Does it produce more or less power from the same roof area compared to vacuum tube collectors?

Regards

Hello Joch,

I’m not sure if I understand the question correctly, but photovoltaics (solar light generates electricity) and solar thermal systems (solar energy heats domestic hot water and heating water) are fundamentally different things. Photovoltaics cannot be used directly to heat water – or do you mean generating electricity for running a heat pump through photovoltaics? That could be possible, but such a system should be properly designed by a professional.

Hello
I understand that photovoltaic cells cannot directly heat water. However, this can be done using a heat pump. Therefore, my question is about the output per m2 (square meter). Assuming a coefficient of performance (COP) of around 3 for the heat pump.

Regards

OK, now I understand your question.
However, the answer remains that this needs to be calculated. The heating capacity of the heat pump must match the heating demand of your house, and it must be determined how large the area of the photovoltaic panels needs to be to ensure the smooth operation of the heat pump (electrical operation of the pump).
Supporting the heating capacity in a way that the photovoltaic electricity assists the heat pump in a bivalent system (supporting the heating of domestic hot water in the hot water storage tank) is practically not feasible.

Such a system needs to be designed and calculated by a professional; any rough estimates are more like groping in the dark.

This question concerns me as well, and I have not yet reached a final decision. I will soon schedule an appointment with a specialist. They will calculate everything in detail. But it will definitely be expensive.

Prices are continuously rising here as well. I hope, Dario, that you have already received a quote. I’m not being nosy, but I am also interested. It will probably be best to get a professional on site.