Detiorating flat plate solar heaters with algae, a common sight in Singapore.Moisture trapped in the panel frame or leaking interior promotes algae growth that blocks sunlight, significantly reducing the heater's performance. This is an inherent design flaw of the flat plate collectors..

CONSOL evacuated tubes solar heaters do not face this problem. As the surface of the tubes are round, there are no corners and creaks for water to consolidate. Sealed vaccum technonology also mean that no moisture enter the tubes at all.

Flat plate panels are one of the oldest existing solar heat collector designs. Now, with advancements in technogy, vacuums tubes are rapidly replacing this ancient design. Just why are vacuum tubes better that flat plate panels?

Material

Each evacuated tube consists of two glass tubes. The outer tube is made of extremely strong transparent borosilicate glass that is able to resist impact from hail up to 25mm in diameter. The inner tube is also made of borosilicate glass, but coated with a special selective coating, which features excellent solar heat absorption and minimal heat reflection properties.

Design

The air is evacuated from the space between the two glass tubes to form a vacuum, which eliminates conductive and convective heat loss. This is why the tubes are able to absorb the energy from infrared rays which can pass through clouds. Wind and low temperatures also have less of effect on the function of evacuated tubes when compared to flat plate solar collectors due to the insulating properties of the vacuum.

Passive tracking

All Glass evacuated tubes are aligned in parallel, the angle of mounting depends upon the latitude of your location. In a North South orientation, the tubes can passively track heat from the sun all day. In an East West orientation they can track the sun all year round. The shape of the tubes provides superior absorption when compared to flat plate collectors for a number of reasons:

1) As the tube is round, the sun's rays are always striking the tubes surface at right angles, thus minimizing reflection.

2) If the collector surface is flat, the amount of solar radiation striking the collector surface is only at its maximum at midday when the sun is directly above the collector. In the morning or afternoon the sun's rays strike the collector's surface at an angle, and thus the amount of solar radiation that the collector is exposed to is reduced. Evacuated tubes, however, are round, and thus the amount of solar radiation striking the collector is relatively constant from mid morning to mid afternoon. This feature maximizes the total amount of solar radiation the collector is exposed to each day. Furthermore, the sun is always striking the tubes at an angle which is perpendicular to their surface thus reducing reflection. Any sunlight that is reflected off the glass surface or that passes between the tubes is reflected back to the underside of the tube by the reflective backing panel. The tubes exposure to, and subsequent absorption of solar radiation is therefore maximized. See the figures on the right.