Hybrid Water/Building Solar Heaters

Nicole Miller gave a thought provoking talk on "Economic Feasibility Study of Electric-PV Heating System" at the Australian National University today. She is looking at if a rooftop photovoltaic system (solar panel) can be used to power a heat pump for cost effective water and space heating in a home. Normally a PV panel would not be used to heat water, as gas boosted solar water is cheaper. But as the cost of PV solar panels drops, so does the cost of the electricity they produce. There is no cost effective way to store large mounts of electricty, but hot water can be easily stored.