Solar Water Heater Design: Engineering Principles and Use of IoT
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.46610/JOITS.2025.v11i03.005Keywords:
Cloud connectivity, Energy efficiency optimization, Green energy technologies, Heat transfer and fluid dynamics, IoT-based monitoring and control, Predictive maintenance, Real-time data acquisition, Renewable energy systems, Smart home applications, Solar water heater, Sustainable and intelligent water heating solutions, Thermal energy storageAbstract
Solar water heating systems are widely recognized as cost-effective and environmentally sustainable alternatives to conventional electric or fossil-fuel-based water heaters. This paper presents a structured review and engineering design synthesis of solar water heating technologies, with particular emphasis on the integration of Internet of Things (IoT)–based monitoring and control strategies. Core engineering principles—such as heat transfer mechanisms, fluid flow behaviour, thermal storage optimization, and material selection—are discussed to establish the foundational design considerations of flat plate and evacuated tube solar collectors. Rather than proposing a new prototype or experimental implementation, this study systematically reviews and compares previously published experimental, simulation, and field-validated works on IoT-enabled solar water heaters. Key performance indicators reported in the literature, including thermal efficiency, energy savings, sensor configurations, control strategies, and cost implications, are analyzed and summarized. Reported results from prior studies indicate that adaptive and IoT-based control approaches can improve system efficiency by approximately 15–20%, reduce auxiliary energy consumption, and enhance operational reliability when compared with conventional passive systems. The contribution of this paper lies in providing a comparative and design-oriented synthesis of existing research, highlighting practical implementation trends, technological gaps, and future research directions for smart solar water heating systems. The findings serve as a reference framework for researchers and engineers aiming to develop, optimize, or deploy IoT-enabled solar thermal systems in residential and industrial applications.
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