Water tanks
Water tanks are used for sensible thermal storage in many variations, such as thermosiphon systems, integrated storage collectors, residential hot water tanks, ferroconcrete seasonal storage, gravel/water storage, and aquifers.
Water tank storage is most common in active solar systems for domestic hot water heating (DHW), often in combination with space heating (combi-systems).
The storage tank is often made of steel and has a typical volume between 150 litres for domestic hot water up to 5000 litres for space heating and DHW.
technology | insulated water tank |
typical volume | 150-5000 litres |
typical heat density | 0.2 GJ/m3 |
temperature range | up to 110°C |
storage timescale | hours-days |
development status | proven technology |
advantages | cheap, reliable simple thermal coupling |
disadvantages | heat loss over time |