This project is a special one, we installed 27 REC SOLAR 365AA panels along with (UMA Solar) SunStar solar pool hot water heating system aka solar thermal. It’s important to understand that solar thermal and solar PV are two very different technologies. As the name suggests, solar thermal technology is used to collect sunlight and transform it into heat. Solar panels, on the other hand, utilize PV technology to capture sun rays and directly convert the sunlight into electricity.