Solar collectors is a term used to describe any device that is able to extract energy from the sun and turn it into a usable or storable form. Some well known solar collector (Solaranlage) technologies includes solar hot water systems and solar panels, although some other devices like those used in solar cooking and solar heating could also be referred to as solar collectors. Some of these devices are able to generate electricity, and others are able to transfer heat directly or have found new and innovative ways to apply solar energy into another form. Solar collection technology and other alternative energy solutions play an important part in the combat against global warming, and their use as a domestic energy source is only likely to increase in the future.

The electromagnetic radiation that is emitted from sunlight is enough to power the entire planet if it is stored efficiently, and solar collectors (Sonnenkollektoren) are one major solution that is able to store and use this energy effectively. The amount of solar energy that strikes the surface of the planet Earth is in direct relation to specific weather conditions and the sun’s angle of orientation, with an average of about 1000 watts per square metre when the surface being measured is at right angles to the sun and the skies are clear. There are a number of devices that are able to collect and store this energy, primarily through photovoltaic solar cells and the solar thermal collectors that are featured in a number of solar water heating systems.

Within the field of domestic solar water heating, there are two major types of design: thermosyphon systems and pumped systems. A thermosyphone system uses the natural forces of rising heat to self-circulate cold water, and a pump system uses an externally powered pump mechanism. Pumped systems require the use of external power and electronics to regulate themselves, although there they do have some design and placement advantages over thermosyphon systems. With the melting of the ice caps regularly in the news, and the weather seeming to follow strange patterns all around the world, global warming is a topic that is on everyones’ mind. Solar collection technology is a big part of the solution necessary to reduce the use of carbon and help re-regulate the weather systems of the Earth.