A conceptual new model for use of solar water heaters in hot and dry regions

Solar heater has been known as an application of the solar thermal energy that is commonly employed for water heating. Purpose of this research is to introduce a conceptual model for employing solar water heaters (SWHs) in Yazd, Iran. Moreover, structural equation modeling (SEM) is used for assessing effect(s) of the available parameters on the suggested model. Political-cultural-social issues, economic issues, financial support, geographic location, infrastructure, and interactions were assessed as the independent variables of the study. AMOS was used to implement the processes and design the research questionnaire. According to SEM, the dependent variable "interaction" via "economic issues" exerted a significant positive effect of 0.21. The "geographical location" (-0.15) had a significantly negative effect and "financial support" (0.15) had a significantly positive effect on the application of SWHs. In addition, "geographic location" via the "infrastructure" factor had a significantly positive effect of 0.21 on the implementation and success of the SWH projects in Yazd city. Regarding Root Mean Square Error (RMSE), values between 0.05 and 0.08 are generally acceptable and values closer to zero represent more desirable goodness-of-fit. Thus, the RMSE obtained for this model (0.000) verifies the goodness of fit achieved by the model. Based on the results, participants had a positive attitude towards the utilization of the SWH in Yazd. From the extensive study of the available literature reviews, novelty of this research work is related to applying a new conceptual model for SWH use in hot and dry regions for the first time. Also, applicability of solar water heater considering geographical location, infrastructure, interactions, financial support, economic issues, and cultural-social-political issues has not yet been investigated. It was concluded that for developing and promoting the application of the SWH systems in Yazd city, the government must especially address the economic concerns, financial supports as well as infrastructures related to these efforts. Moreover, enhancing the levels of local engineering awareness and technologies related to construction and maintenance of the SWH and upgrading the design and construction methods for the above efforts would lead to the use of the solar-based systems with the increased efficiency.