How many DualSun SPRING4 panels are needed to heat a pool?
For solar pool heating, the formula recommended by Dualsun (and used by the MyDualsun platform) is as follows:
With:
Geographic coefficient = 0.5 if the installation is located in Europe south of 45°45’N
0.75 if the installation is located north of 45°45’N
SPRING4 panel surface area = 1.95 m²
For example:
Pool area [m²] | 20 | 32 | 40 | |
Number of panels | North of 45.45° | 8 | 12 | 16 |
South of 45.45° | 5 | 8 | 10 |
Note 1: the latitude 45°45’ corresponds to the latitude of Lyon, France
Note 2: the latitude 45°45’ corresponds approximately to an annual mean solar radiation on a horizontal surface of 1300 kWh/m²/year
Following these recommendations, Dualsun panels will generally lengthen the swimming season by about 3 months each year (1 ½ months before and 1 ½ months after the regular swimming season).
If your pool is already heated by a heat pump, then of course your swimming season can be even longer. The photovoltaic electricity generation of your Dualsun panels producte for a large part of the heat pump’s power consumption if you program it to heat during the daylight hours.
The hot water production of the Dualsun panels will also lighten the load on the heat pump, increasing its service life and greatly reducing its consumption.
Note: Overflowing pools have higher energy requirements than a traditional pool with the same surface area. It may therefore be wise to oversize the number of panels for an overflowing pool compared to the recommended ratio.
>To go further : How to dimension a plate heat exchanger for a swimming pool ?