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Our solar water heater kit includes a photovoltaic solar panel. But, what does photovoltaic even mean? Great question! Photovoltaic (PV) means electricity from the energy of the sun. It is derived from the words "photo" meaning light and "voltaic" meaning voltage. The term "photovoltaic" is used to describe a process known as the "photovoltaic effect" which is when a given material converts infrared sunlight into electricity. The primary difference between our solar evacuated tubes and a photovoltaic solar water heating system is that our tubes use infrared energy from the sun's rays without any use of electricity. Our 20W Photovoltaic...

The solar water heater kit isn't the only thing solar energy can do. Check out this amazing project from musician and composer Craig Colorusso. These are 20 different speakers powered by photovoltaic solar panels with a different guitar sample in each box.  So buy your photovoltaic solar panel today! 

You've purchased your solar water heater, and winter is coming. How do you make sure leftover/standing water doesn't freeze inside the system? This is where a drain back system comes in. Drainback systems are closed-loop, indirect, active systems. A heat-transfer fluid (HTF, usually water) contained in an unpressurized, closed loop is pumped through the collectors and is separate from the end-use water being heated through a heat exchanger. When the pump is off, the HTF drains out of the properly sloped collectors and pipe, leaving them empty and protected from freezing.  While this article will primarily focus on residential domestic...

We have heard this question often from our customers: "Can your solar water heater heat my pool?" The short answer is yes it can, and there are a few things you should think of before purchasing:  How many gallons does the solar hot water heater need to heat? How hot must the water get?  How quickly must the water heat? One solar water heater kit heats 5 gallons of water from 68 F to 122 F in four hours whilst in direct sunlight. Most often, people are interested in heating tubs that are 500 gallons (average size of a hot...

We here at Clean Republic are proponents of doing whatever you want. We want our customers to have the materials necessary to create DIY solar water heaters. Of course, doing whatever you want can be overwhelming, so we're going to help you out a little bit.  How big of a water storage tank do I need?  This is a common question we're asked when customers want to purchase a Heat Streamer Solar Water Heater Kit. For larger projects, we recommend 30-50 gallon water storage tanks like those pictured to the right. Smaller projects can use anywhere from 10-30 gallon tanks:...