By COLIN REID features@algarveresident.com
Colin Reid is the technical director at the Enova Group and is a chartered engineer specialising in renewable and sustainable energy systems. He has over 20 years experience in the industry and lives with his wife and three children near Almancil.
Pool heating requires a large amount of energy due to the volume of water to heat. It is very expensive to heat by conventional means such as gas boilers and therefore it makes real sense to use solar panels for pool heating, particularly in the Algarve where we get so much sunshine. However, because a large amount of energy is required, a large amount of solar panels are also required. For reasons of economy it makes sense to use the plastic type panel as opposed to glass panels.
It is very straight forward to install a solar system to an existing swimming pool as the new solar panels connect to the existing filtration equipment. These solar panels can also be connected in series with existing pool heating systems (boilers or heat pumps), thereby preheating the pool water before it enters the heating system.
The general criteria for installing solar systems for pools can be summariSed as follows:
The quantity of solar panels is extremely important, and as a rough rule of thumb should be a minimum of 50 per cent of the pool area.
The panels should be placed in a zone which is not shaded.
The panels should be facing in a southerly direction with a small inclination.
The usual location for these panels is either on a large roof or in an area of garden.
The system is fully automatic and only comes on when there is adequate sunshine and when the pool requires heating. A differential solar controller is connected to a temperature sensor measuring pool water temperature and a temperature sensor measuring the temperature in the solar panels. When the panel temperature exceeds the pool temperature and the pool temperature is too low, the system automatically comes on and the bypass valve opens to allow water through the panels. When the panel temperature is too low or the pool temperature is achieved, the control valve closes so that the water bypasses the solar panels.
It is also important to install a cover on a swimming pool as with the lower nighttime temperatures and the winds in the Algarve a significant heat loss can occur at night. A good quality pool cover will prevent evaporation and ensure that the majority of the heat is retained in the swimming pool.
The cost of a pool solar installation is roughly the same cost as a heat pump and therefore it is well worth considering this system for pool heating. Although heat pumps are efficient, they still consume a large amount of electricity while heating the pool. The great advantage of the solar system is that they consume no electricity with the exception of the pool filtration pump which needs to operate anyway to filter the pool water.
The pool solar system will save significant energy bills while heating the pool effectively from around April to October.
As the cost of energy continues to rise, there is an ever increasing justification to install pool solar systems.
For more information, please call 282 960 969 or email colin@enova-group.com
