Solar photovoltaic panels and solar collectors

John, who is the general manager of Inaventa Solar, answers the question this way: A solar collector is a device that transforms the radiative energy from the sun into heat in a useful temperature. A PV panel is converting the same radiation into electricity.

Both solar collectors and solar cells can be installed as integrated modules in roofs and facades, substituting other cladding. A simple way to get aesthetically quite good installations of energy producing elements. We need both heat and electricity so why not use both solar collectors and solar PV panels in combination?

A solar energy collector is a device that absorbs incoming solar radiation and converts it into heat, then transfers this heat to a working fluid. It is a major component of any solar system and functions as a special kind of heat exchanger that transforms solar radiation energy to internal energy of the transport medium.

But we need both electricity and heat. For the heat demand, actually the major demand of energy, a solar collector will be more efficient and appropriate than a solar cell, but for electricity you have to use a PV panel. Both solar collectors and solar cells can be installed as integrated modules in roofs and facades, substituting other cladding.

So, we simply asked one of our internal experts the question what are solar collectors, and what separates the solar collectors from solar cells? John, who is the general manager of Inaventa Solar, answers the question this way: A solar collector is a device that transforms the radiative energy from the sun into heat in a useful temperature.

Solar thermal panels are referred to by a number of different names such as Solar Water Heater, Solar Hot Water Panel, Solar Hot Water Collector, Solar Thermal Panel or Solar Thermal Collector. These terms all describe the same generic device. Solar water heaters work by absorbing sunlight and converting it into usable heat.