A Silver Lining solar transfer module incorporates roof solar photovoltaic cells in a cased layer sandwiched between two water-handling layers. The bottom waste heat layer contains heat transfer pipes tuned for absorbing heat from the bottom of the photovoltaic layer and to dissipate heat into cool water pumped through the transfer pipes from ground level. The top cascade layer uses a casing transparent to solar radiation at the wavelengths used by the solar photovoltaic cells and containing a cascade of relatively cool water pumped from ground level, absorbing heat from the photovoltaic layer. The Silver Lining module is installed with a vertical slant, so that water is gravity fed from the top edge to the bottom edge in the waste heat layer and cascade layer. Fire sprinklers are incorporated into the plumbing of a system of Silver Lining solar transfer modules and provide protection to the roof in fire emergencies.

A heat transfer system includes a conduit having open first and second ends, first and second thermal exchange segments disposed in-between and in fluid communication with the ends, and a means for adding fluid to the first end. The first thermal exchange segment is disposed underneath and in thermal communication with the ground, a body of water, or other location with a different temperature. The first and second ends are arranged above all other section of conduit and relative to one another so that they are communicating vessels and a change in fluid level in one changes the fluid level in the other. The means for adding fluid to the first end of the conduit causes fluid to flow freely from the first end to the second end and fluid level to rise in the second overcoming any hydrostatic pressure in the system without a pump disposed along the conduit.

The present invention discloses a solar heating system for cyclic heating of a swimming pool, relating to the swimming pool heating technology. The solar heating system structurally comprises a swimming pool, solar heaters and a water pump. Compared with the prior art, a solar panel is mainly added, and the water pump is installed on a solar heater in an integrated way that the water pump is connected with not only the solar heater as a waterway, but also the solar panel as a power supply circuit. After the above-mentioned improvements, the whole solar heating system has the advantages such as a compact structure, convenient disassembly and assembly, and miniaturization. Since the solar panel independently supplies power to the water pump, the solar heating system can be used normally in an outdoor place far away from a mains socket. The application place is not restricted with wide application scope.

A control system suitable for use with a bathing unit system having a water receptacle is provided. The control system comprises first and second heating modules and a controller for controlling operation of the first and second heating modules to heat the water of the water receptacle. The controller is also configured for deriving energy consumption information that may be used, amongst other, to convey energy savings and/or cost savings associated with use of the second heating module in comparison to the use of the first heating module. In some implementations, the derived energy consumption information may be instead/also be used as a parameter in the selection of either one or both the first and second heating modules to heat the water of the receptacle.

An automated wirelessly-controlled solar pool heater including a photothermal module atop a floatation vessel for exposure to the sun, an internal pump assembly, a first temperature sensor for sensing temperature in the photothermal module, a second temperature sensor for sensing ambient pool water, a microcontroller board with wireless transceiver for remote monitoring and operation, and a solar-charging battery. In operation, the pump assembly self-primes and automatically fills the entire photothermal module with pool water. Water in the photothermal module begins to heat via heat absorption from the sun's rays and, when heated, the microcontroller activates the pump assembly to intermittently expel a partial volume of the heated water back into the pool, simultaneously refilling the photothermal module with unheated pool water. The recirculation program continues until the water temperature of the entire pool reaches its desired temperature.

A swimming pool cover with lenses is disclosed. The swimming pool cover uses lenses to focus ambient solar energy into the water of a swimming pool. In one embodiment, a plurality of rectangular lenses is connected at their edges by a minimal amount of connecting or gusset material, in order to create an impermeable sheet, while maximizing the amount of incident solar energy absorbed by the swimming pool water. The swimming pool cover also protects detritus from falling into the swimming pool, while at the same time, reduces the amount of heat loss through evaporation. In another embodiment, the gusset material connects a plurality of lenses, varying in both size and shape.

The invention discloses an efficient solar flat plate heat absorption system, composed of a primary circulating pipe network, a secondary circulating pipe network and a control system, wherein the primary circulating pipe network is formed by communicating a pipeline in a pressure bearing water tank with a heat exchange tube I in a flat plate heat collector group through a pipeline I and a pipeline III, the secondary circulating pipe network is formed by communicating a pipe network at the bottom of a swimming pool with a heat exchange tube II in the flat plate heat collector group through a pipeline II and a pipeline IV, wherein thermometers are arranged at a water outlet of the heat exchange tube I, at the water outlet of the heat exchange tube II, in the swimming pool and in the pressure bearing water tank, and circulating pumps are arranged on the pipeline I and the pipeline II. The invention makes full use of the heat energy by using the two circulating pipe networks formed by the parallel double heat exchange tubes in the flat plate heat collector group to realize the automatic and constant-temperature heating of the water in a swimming pool and avoid the water temperature in the swimming pool fluctuating suddenly, meanwhile the redundant heat can be recycled, thereby making full use of energy, saving resources and having obvious social and economic benefits.

A water cooling and heating system for swimming pools and hot tubs for heating and/or cooling a flow of water drawn from a body of water and then returning the heated and/or cooled flow of water back to the body of water wherein the system includes an inner conduit within an outer conduit, the outer conduit having an exterior conduit surface that is exposed to solar energy from the sun whereby a portion of the solar energy absorbed by the outer conduit is transferred to and heats an outer water flow within the outer conduit and the outer water flow in the outer conduit heating an inner water flow of water in the inner conduit, the system further including at least one control valve to selectively control a flow of water to the inner and outer conduits and a bypass flow of water that is directed back toward the body of water.

A Silver Lining solar transfer module incorporates roof solar photovoltaic cells in a cased layer sandwiched between two water-handling layers. The bottom waste heat layer contains heat transfer pipes tuned for absorbing heat from the bottom of the photovoltaic layer and to dissipate heat into cool water pumped through the transfer pipes from ground level. The top cascade layer uses a casing transparent to solar radiation at the wavelengths used by the solar photovoltaic cells and containing a cascade of relatively cool water pumped from ground level, absorbing heat from the photovoltaic layer. The Silver Lining module is installed with a vertical slant, so that water is gravity fed from the top edge to the bottom edge in the waste heat layer and cascade layer. Fire sprinklers are incorporated into the plumbing of a system of Silver Lining solar transfer modules and provide protection to the roof in fire emergencies.

A heating system is described that uses solar thermal technology in the heating cycle using the compression principle to reduce the electrical consumption of the compressors, thereby increasing the efficiency of systems being used for heating with an increased refrigerant flow. Thermal energy provided from solar thermal energy collectors may be used. The rate of efficiency of the total heating system depends heavily on the size and construction of the heat exchanger array and the pipework to and from these heat exchangers. The system uses proper dimensioning, components in the pipework, and logic groups with sensors and actuators attached in that pipework to increase energy efficiency.