Active Solar Techniques : Solar

Collectors
MODULE 5
 SOLAR COLLECTORS
• Solar Collectors absorbs the sun’s light energy
and changes it into heat energy.
• This energy is then transferred to a fluid or air
which are used to warm buildings, heat water,
generate electricity, dry crops or cook food.
• Solar collectors are used for any process that
requires heat.
 MAIN APPLICATIONS OF SOLAR
COLLECTORS
• Hot water preparation in households,
commercial buildings & industry.
• Water heating in swimming pools.
• Space heating in buildings.
• Drying crops & houses.
• Space cooling and refrigeration.
• Water distillation.
• Solar cooking.
 TYPICAL SOLAR COLLECTORS.
• Typical solar collectors collect the sun’s
energy with rooftop arrays of piping and net
metal sheets, painted black to absorb as
much radiation as possible. They are encased
in glass or plastic and angled towards south
to catch maximum sunshine. The collectors
act as miniature greenhouses, trapping heat
under their glass plates. Because solar
radiation is diffuse, the collectors must have
large area.
CLASSIFICATION AS PER TEMPERATURE
THEY PRODUCE
• Low-Temperature collectors provide low-grade heat,
less than 50 degree Celsius, through either metallic or
non-metallic absorbers for applications such as
swimming pool heating.
• Medium-temperature collectors provide medium to
high grade heat (around 60 to 80 degree Celsius) either
through glazed flat-plate collectors using air or liquid
as the heat transfer medium or through concentrator
collectors that concentrate the heat. These include
evacuated tube collectors, & are most commonly used
for residential water heating.
• High temperature collectors are parabolic dish or
trough collectors primarily used by independent power
producers to generate electricity for the electric grid.
SOLAR COLLECTORS
FLAT PLATE COLLECTORS
TUBE COLLECTORS
GLAZED FLAT PLATE COLLECTOR.
Glazed flat plate collectors are mostly for space heating. They usually consist of 10 cm thick rectangular boxes of about 2
m2, containing several layers:
‐ a metal plate with a selective treatment, working as solar absorber
‐ a hydraulic circuit connected to the absorber
‐ a back insulation
‐ a covering glazing, insulating the absorber by greenhouse effect.
Usual working temperatures are between 50°C and 100°C, but they can rise up to more than 150°C in summer (mid latitude
climates). Therefore, measures should be taken to avoid overheating risks which can damage sensible parts (rubber jointing
for instance).
UNGLAZED FLAT PLATE COLLECTOR.

Unglazed flat plate collectors are adequate for swimming pools, low temperature space heating
systems They are composed of a selective metal plate (the absorber) and a hydraulic circuit connected to
this absorber. Consequently, working temperatures are lower, reaching 50‐65°C. When used for swimming
pool water heating, the back insulation is not needed. For this specific application, polymeric absorbers can
also be used to replace the more performing ‐and more expensive‐ selective metal plates (most often black
polymeric pipes systems).
The structure of flat plate collectors (glazed and unglazed) is well adapted to replace
parts of roof coverings or façade cladding. The insulation behind the absorber plate and
the insulation of the building envelope can be merged to become one single element, or
they can complement each other. The water tightness and insulation can be directly
overtaken by the absorber plate for unglazed collectors, or by the front glazing for
glazed ones.
Concentrating solar collector
A solar collector that uses reflective surfaces to concentrate sunlight onto
a small area, where it is absorbed and converted to heat or, in the case of
solar photovoltaic (PV) devices, into electricity.

Concentrators can increase the power flux of sunlight hundreds of times.

The principal types of concentrating collectors include: compound

parabolic, parabolic trough, fixed reflector moving receiver, fixed receiver
moving reflector, Fresnel lens, and central receiver.

Concentrating solar collectors in Concentrated Solar Power (CSP)

facilities concentrate sunlight onto a receiver where it heats a heat
transfer fluid that subsequently exchanges its absorbed heat to water to
produce steam to power a steam turbine-generator (STG) to produce
electricity.
SOLAR CONCENTRATING COLLECTORS
 Parabolic Dishes and Troughs

Collectors in southern CA.

Because they work best under direct sunlight, parabolic dishes

and troughs must be steered throughout the day in the
direction of the sun.
 Solar Panels in Use
 Because of their current costs, only
rural and other customers far away
from power lines use solar panels
because it is more cost effective
than extending power lines.
 Note that utility companies are
already purchasing, installing, and
maintaining PV-home systems
(Idaho Power Co.).
 Largest solar plant in US, sponsored
by the DOE, served the Sacramento
area, producing 2195 MWh of
electric energy, making it cost
competitive with fossil fuel plants.