It’s no secret that solar water heating is amongst the most prolific and efficient uses of solar energy, but it can be a little expensive to setup. Solution?
Build a Beer Bottle Powered Solar Water System
Ma Yanjun, a Chinese farmer from the Qiqiao villiage in the Shaanxi province, has done just that. Unlike the dreams of many men, the beer bottles aren’t filled with beer, they hold water and transfer the heat energy of the sun, turning the water into hot water – free of charge.
Ma’s 66 beer bottles, are connected by hose pipes and elevated on a board covered in alfoil. The board points north to collect the sun’s rays. According to Ananova, Ma’s system provides enough hot water for all three members of his family each day. With such positive results, it’s convinced many others in the Qiqiao village to follow suit.
When asked about his motive for building the system, Ma told the press “I invented this for my mother. I just wanted her to shower comfortably.”
How it Compares to Real Solar Hot Water Solutions
Judging by the image provided, this solution would be nowhere near as effective as a modern, purpose built solar hot water system. First of all, the colour of the bottles would not absorb as much infra-red light, the flow through the bottles would be unoptimised and the lack of a plastic casing around the construction, would leave system vulnerable to heatloss through conduction. Further, the system probably isn’t constructed at the right azimuth to collect all possible energy in winter months.
Still, this example proves the great possibilities and cost savings that can be experienced by solar hot water users. Many Australian cities offer solar hot water rebates, such as Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney – so it’s a good time to consider adopting this technology.
Sources: Ananova, KK STreetuse.
Learn More about Solar Hot Water in the Links Below
Related Sites
Related Posts
- Hydro Electricity – Renewable Energy Basics
- How Solar Power Panels Work
- Brisbane Solar Panel Installation & Installers
- Privacy Policy
- Why You Should Consider Installing Solar Pool Heating in Brisbane
- Tips for Green Homes & the Environment
- Sydney Solar Hot Water Installation & Rebates
- What About A Wind Farm?
May 22nd, 2009 at 12:02 pm
Now this is definitely inventive and Mr. Yanjun showed extreme ingenuity with this project. It only requires one person to take an idea and construct a prototype. Others will come along and improve on his design. This has definitely intrigued me and I am going to save my bottles from now on, instead of sending them to recycling and see if I can do something similar. Although I won’t be using the water for personal showering, I can see this having use in my dog kennels. Thanks for sharing these ideas with your readership!
August 9th, 2009 at 12:02 pm
Please be less negative. This is a real solar solution. Yes, it is not as good as the latest nanofibre, blacker than black commercial water heating solar panelling but it does the job. It is low technology, so it cost less in maintenance. It can be upgraded without massive capital inputs (I would suggest using brown beer bottles, maybe). For those reasons it is a real solution. More importantly, it is pointing the way to the rest of the village. Who might be inclined to consider solar energy as an alternative – potentially leapfrogging the highly polluting intermediate phases that “Western” villages went through to get to solar solutions.
August 10th, 2009 at 7:11 pm
A man turns his love for beer into hot water for his mother. This is great. It is nice to see people coming up with creative green solutions to their energy problems. The beer bottle water heater seems to be a cheap and effective way to fill Ma’s hot water needs. Hopefully this kind of green diy spirit catches on, because this kind of mindset could have a very positive effect on the world.
August 11th, 2009 at 8:15 am
It is a kind of solar heater. No need give more importance to beer bottles. Aluminium vessels with large area and small height will get heated more faster than these beer bottle heater.
August 11th, 2009 at 9:43 pm
And to think that his inspiration was simply to make his mother more comfortable! If more people were to think along these lines in reference to green solutions, I think that more homemade prototypes would be in the works.
As for the critique of the design, this water heater is obviously not built for bulk use, but it serves the purpose for a home. As someone from a rural background, I can certainly see how building a bottle solar water heater could be very useful in not only reducing energy use, but also recycling in areas that do not have access to recycling centers or plants.
December 3rd, 2009 at 5:14 pm
“Aluminium vessels with large area and small height will get heated more faster than these beer bottle heater.”
haha Thazmizh!
I think this idea is a great alternative for impoverished people who can’t yet afford solar power. I wish I knew about it the year I had to live without hot water!
This guy is awesome!
December 19th, 2009 at 2:59 am
It is a solar heater. To find a solutions for energy problems it is a good creative green solution.
December 19th, 2009 at 8:38 am
Really good and very useful.
December 20th, 2009 at 7:04 am
Very interesting! This is a great idea for those of us, like my husband and I, who live in a trailer in the woods and don’t have much money.
December 20th, 2009 at 10:08 pm
That is a good find. Many people who can’t afford to buy the solar heaters can try the method of Mr. Yanjun. Maybe the beer bottles can be changed to a glass case, is one opinion if it there is any plan to modify it.
December 21st, 2009 at 4:39 am
Smart electricity – efficient power for a sustainable world
Electricity is the most versatile and widely used form of energy and global demand is growing continuously. Generation of electrical energy, however, is currently the largest single source of carbon dioxide emissions, making a significant contribution to climate change. To mitigate the consequences of climate change, the current electrical system needs to undergo significant adjustments.
December 22nd, 2009 at 2:05 pm
this is one of the coolest thing i have ever seen.
December 23rd, 2009 at 5:23 am
the site has very good information, and it is easy for searching terms
December 23rd, 2009 at 11:51 am
it is what called out of bottle thinking.
December 23rd, 2009 at 3:33 pm
Your idea is really good. You have done a very a good job. by these ideas you will many money. This is very usefull to all type of peoples. You can proof that beer bottle also usefull.
December 28th, 2009 at 12:54 am
It is really good to have.It is useful for every people. My word for this is “SIMPLE BUT EFFECTIVE”
December 28th, 2009 at 11:49 am
this idea is very nice.
January 1st, 2010 at 1:23 pm
This idea is very innovative and we can use this idea to increase our waste management system. Also we can improve our resource management skills.
April 9th, 2010 at 1:21 pm
How it Compares to Real Solar Hot Water Solutions?
To the author of it – “What an attitude.”
Personally I think:
a) He made it.
b) It works.
c) To him – the parts are affordable.
d) The spares are easy to get.
e) His family of 3 – now has free hot water.
f) He has persuaded many others in his village to make similar units.
I would have liked to have seen the article or a reference to it, include information on how he did his plumbing for the bottles…
I mean I can work that out, as it can be either continuous flow or a header tank, or a pump of some sort… either in series from bottle to bottle or in parallel or both…
And yeah… he could use dark brown Aussie style beer bottles, but from my recollection, in many parts of China, beer comes in green glass bottles.
April 18th, 2010 at 8:50 pm
G’day, good article, I’ve bookmarked your page