Re:Why did renewables become so cheap so fast?
by sp332 on Wednesday December 02, 2020 @08:57PM
(#25284351)
That water heater idea is interesting. You could put a thermostatic valve on the output that mixes in cold water so the output was always the same temp no matter what the inside is. Usually people turn the temp down to save money, but if you can heat it way up when energy is cheap, that might change completely.
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Re:Why did renewables become so cheap so fast?
by thombat on Wednesday December 02, 2020 @09:41PM
(#25284638)
At least in Germany that's already the standard plumbing practice: a mixing valve on the tank outlet ensures the tap temperatures are safe. This is important because the tank is required to periodically heat to 65C to kill legionella bacteria, and with solar input can heat to as much as 85C, so without such a valve the tap temperature would be unpredictable and sometimes dangerous.
Re:Why did renewables become so cheap so fast?
by audunw on Thursday December 03, 2020 @06:51AM
(#25287993)
What may be easier is to move the heating element to the top, and add a pump to move water to the top when heating.
Hot water will stay at the top of the tank, so that means you can use most of the hot water without a significant drop in temperature.
There's a company making tanks like this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z1Z4JCoPAGc