Active solar

Solar hot water systems use pumps or fans to circulate fluid (often a mixture of water and glycol to
prevent freezing during winter periods) or air, through solar collectors, and are therefore classified
under active solar technology.

Some of the basic benefits of active systems is that controls (usually electrical) can be used to maximize
their effectiveness. For example, a passive solar thermal array which does not rely on pumps and
sensors will only start circulating when a certain amount of internal energy has built up in the system.
Using sensors and pumps, a relatively small amount of energy (i.e. that used to power a pump and
controller) can harvest a far larger amount of available thermal energy by switching on as soon as a
useful temperature differential becomes present.

Disadvantages of active solar systems include that the external power sources can fail (probably
rendering them useless) and that controls require maintenance.

 Solar trackers, used to orient solar arrays may be driven by either passive or active technology.

Again, passive solar tracking would rely on the inherent thermo-dynamic properties of the materials
used in the system rather than an external power source to generate its tracking movement. Active
Solar Tracking would use sensors and motors track the path of the sun across the sky. This action can be
caused by geographical and time data being programmed into the controls. However, some systems
actually track the brightest point in the sky using light sensors, and manufacturers claim this can add a
significant extra yield over and above geographical tracking.

Active solar systems are those which collect solar radiation and convert it in the form of heat to water,
air, or some other fluid. The technology which is applied is fairly simple and there are many possible
applications of it for low temperature systems heat uses. The most common application of these
systems is the production of domestic hot water, known to all as solar water heaters.