ABSTRACT
Solar domestic hot water (DHW) heaters have had a long and varied history. In the United States, solar water heaters were first used in the warm and sunny climates of southern California and Florida. In southern Florida, the early solar water heater industry flourished during the 1940s and 1950s in the Miami area. It is estimated that as many as 60,000 solar water heaters may have been installed during this period. In age of renewed interest in solar energy, solar DHW heaters are again prominent in the sales of solar systems. The early solar water heaters were of the combined collector-storage type, in which shallow, blackened metal water tanks are enclosed in pine boxes, covered with glass, and exposed to the sun. The hot water delivery temperatures required of solar DHW systems are moderate and usually below 60°C. Solar system sizing and performance prediction is an involved process, usually requiring the use of computers.
