Editing Solar energy (section)

===Water heating===
{{Main|Solar hot water|Solar combisystem}}
[[File:Twice Cropped Zonnecollectoren.JPG|thumb|upright|Solar water heaters facing the [[Sun]] to maximize gain]]
Solar hot water systems use sunlight to heat water. In middle geographical latitudes (between 40&nbsp;degrees north and 40&nbsp;degrees south), 60 to 70% of the domestic hot water use, with water temperatures up to {{convert|60|C|F}}, can be provided by solar heating systems.<ref>{{cite web|title=Renewables for Heating and Cooling|publisher=International Energy Agency|url=http://www.iea.org/textbase/npsum/Renewables_Heating_Cooling07SUM.pdf|access-date=13 August 2015|archive-date=24 September 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924045820/http://www.iea.org/textbase/npsum/Renewables_Heating_Cooling07SUM.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref> The most common types of solar water heaters are evacuated tube collectors (44%) and glazed flat plate collectors (34%) generally used for domestic hot water; and unglazed plastic collectors (21%) used mainly to heat swimming pools.<ref>{{cite web|title=Solar Heat Worldwide (Markets and Contributions to the Energy Supply 2005)|publisher=International Energy Agency|author=Weiss, Werner|author2=Bergmann, Irene|author3=Faninger, Gerhard|url=http://www.iea-shc.org/data/sites/1/publications/Solar_Heat_Worldwide-2007.pdf|access-date=30 May 2008}}</ref>

As of 2015, the total installed capacity of solar hot water systems was approximately 436 [[GWth|thermal]] [[gigawatt]] (GW<sub>th</sub>), and China is the world leader in their deployment with 309&nbsp;GW<sub>th</sub> installed, taken up 71% of the market.<ref name = "ADB-China2019">{{Cite journal|title=Solar District Heating In The People's Republic of China
|url=https://www.adb.org/sites/default/files/publication/514916/solar-district-heating-peoples-republic-china.pdf|journal=Status and Development Potential|publisher=[[Asian Development Bank]]|publication-date=1 July 2019|pages=23|access-date=6 July 2021}}</ref> [[Israel]] and [[Cyprus]] are the per capita leaders in the use of solar hot water systems with over 90% of homes using them.<ref>{{cite web|author=Del Chiaro, Bernadette|author2=Telleen-Lawton, Timothy|title=Solar Water Heating (How California Can Reduce Its Dependence on Natural Gas)|publisher=Environment California Research and Policy Center|url=http://www.environmentcalifornia.org/uploads/at/56/at563bKwmfrtJI6fKl9U_w/Solar-Water-Heating.pdf|access-date=29 September 2007|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927082332/http://www.environmentcalifornia.org/uploads/at/56/at563bKwmfrtJI6fKl9U_w/Solar-Water-Heating.pdf|archive-date=27 September 2007}}</ref> In the United States, Canada, and Australia, heating swimming pools is the dominant application of solar hot water with an installed capacity of 18&nbsp;GW<sub>th</sub> as of 2005.<ref name="IEA Solar Thermal">{{cite web|url=http://philibert.cedric.free.fr/Downloads/solarthermal.pdf |title=The Present and Future use of Solar Thermal Energy as a Primary Source of Energy |last=Philibert |first=Cédric |year=2005 |publisher=IEA |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120426044500/http://philibert.cedric.free.fr/Downloads/solarthermal.pdf |archive-date=26 April 2012 |url-status=live }}</ref>