The Effect of Local Meteorological Conditions on the Optimal Tilt Angle of a Solar Energy Collector—A Case Study in Poland

2017 ◽  
Vol 139 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ryszard Myhan ◽  
Jacek Bieranowski ◽  
Zbigniew Szwejkowski ◽  
Eliza Sitnik

This study compares the potential annual energy absorption of a flat-plate solar collector at different tilt angles in Poland. Optimal tilt angles were tested in three variants: over the course of the year, in fall/winter and in spring/summer. The results were compared with automatically tracked collectors where the active surface is perpendicular to the angle at which solar radiation reaches the collector. The results were simulated based on the meteorological data. A comparison of the energy outputs of solar collectors in optimization variants 1, 2, and 3 indicates that variant 1 produces the highest energy output.

Author(s):  
Ferenc GáSPáR ◽  
Mugur BÄ‚LAN ◽  
Lorentz Já„NTSCHI ◽  
Victor ROȘ

In the paper the global solar radiation incident on a fixed spherical solar collector is evaluated and compared to a south oriented with 46 grade tilt angle fixed flat plate solar collector. Mean daily and hourly solar radiation are calculated from existing data for Cluj-Napoca, Romania. The results show that depending on the equivalent absorbing surface area taken into account, spherical collectors can be more efficient in receiving solar radiation than flat plate collectors.


1974 ◽  
Vol 96 (2) ◽  
pp. 109-113 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. A. Klein ◽  
J. A. Duffie ◽  
W. A. Beckman

The effects of thermal capacitance in the modeling of the performance of a flat plate solar collector have often been neglected because of the computation involved. But because the solar collector is inherently exposed to continuously variable weather conditions, capacitance effects may be significant. To investigate these effects, three different models of flat-plate collectors have been investigated. The first, a quasi-steady-state model, simulates the performance of a collector of zero capacitance. The second model accounts for capacitance effects by assuming that a single value of thermal capacitance can be determined for the collector as a unit. The third model divides the collector into many isothermal segments, or nodes. For all three models the heat transfer coefficients are calculated as a function of operating conditions. The results show that, when hourly meteorological data are used, the zero-capacitance model is adequate.


2000 ◽  
Vol 122 (2) ◽  
pp. 56-62 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. Song ◽  
H. Inaba ◽  
A. Horibe

A two-dimensional mathematical model was developed for predicting the performance of an open-type water-cooled flat-plate solar collector, and solved numerically through an implicit finite difference method. The effects of various environmental and geometric conditions on energy absorption for the collector were investigated. The results predict that there is an optimum length and tilt angle for the absorbing plate for which the collector could obtain the highest solar energy absorptance. The latent heat flux of water evaporation can be 3 to 15 times larger than the sensible heat flux under normal operating conditions. The wind speed and the inlet water temperature have a large influence on the energy absorption of the collector. The effects of the solar incident flux, the atmospheric humidity and temperature, the absorbing plate tilt angle and length, and the water film thickness on the temperature rise of the water film and/or the absorptance of the collector are clarified. The open-type flat-plate collector is suitable to operate at lower inlet water temperatures and in regions where the local latitude is in the range of 20°N-40°N, and the weather is humid and hot with low winds. [S0199-6231(00)00202-1]


Author(s):  
Ahmad Fudholi ◽  
Mariyam Fazleena Musthafa ◽  
Abrar Ridwan ◽  
Rado Yendra ◽  
Ari Pani Desvina ◽  
...  

<span lang="EN-US">Photovoltaic thermal (PVT) collectors convert solar radiation directly to both electrical and thermal energies. A PVT collector basiccaly combines the functions of a flat plate solar collector and those of a PV panel. This review presents thermodinamics fundamentals, descriptions, and previous works conducted on energy and exergy analysis of air based PVT collector. Studies in 2010 to 2018 of the energy and exergy analysis of air based PVT collectors are summarized. The energy and exergy efficiency of air based PVT collector ranges from 31% to 94% and 8.7% to 18%, respectively. In addition, flat plate solar collector is presented. Studies conducted on air based PVT collectors are reviewed.</span>


Proceedings ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 2 (20) ◽  
pp. 1272 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dorota Anna Krawczyk ◽  
Mirosław Żukowski ◽  
Antonio Rodero ◽  
Ruta Bilinskiene

A solar collector market is most European countries is at the stage of continuous development, however its expansion rate differs. It shows that much more factors than only the local solar radiation is important, including a technology progress, costs, local manufactures’ engagement, an economic government support or an environmentally consciousness raising relevant to a mitigating climate change. We conducted the analysis for a public office building, with a few toilets and a social room, used by 54 people. As a primary heat source for HVAC and DHW systems an oil boiler was used, whereas solar collectors were considered as an energy source for hot water preparation. The analysis was conducted for three locations of the building: Bialystok (Poland), Cordoba (Spain) and Kaunas (Lithuania), using a simulation software delivered within the framework of VIPSKILLS project. Theoretical hot water consumption was considered as 3–7 dm3/(day person) in compliance with national recommendations. It was found that beam solar radiation share in a total radiation balance was nearly twice higher in Cordoba than in Bialystok or Kaunas. The highest efficiency (44%) was estimated in Cordoba for solar collectors installed with the tilt angle between 45–50°. In case of Bialystok and Kaunas the efficiency was lower than in Cordoba and nearly equal 40–41% and the recommended tilt angle was in a range 30– 45°.


1988 ◽  
Vol 28 (2) ◽  
pp. 185-191 ◽  
Author(s):  
G.R. Saraf ◽  
Faik Abdul Wahab Hamad

Author(s):  
Ahmad M. Saleh ◽  
Donald W. Mueller ◽  
Hosni I. Abu-Mulaweh

Solar energy is a viable alternative to limited fossil fuel resources. One of the simplest and most direct applications of this energy is the conversion of solar radiation into thermal energy with a flat-plate solar collector which can be used in water-heating systems. This paper presents a mathematical model for simulating the transient processes which occur in liquid flat-plate solar collectors. A discrete nodal model that represents the flat-plate solar collector’s layers and the storage tank is employed. The model is based on solving a system of coupled differential equations which describe the energy conservation for the glass cover, air gap, absorber, fluid, insulation, and the storage tank. Inputs to the model include the time-varying liquid flow rate, incident solar radiation, and ambient air temperature, as well as the volume of liquid in the storage tank and initial temperature of the solar collector and tank. The system of differential equations is solved iteratively using an implicit, finite-difference formulation executed with MATLAB software. In order to verify the proposed method, an experiment was designed and conducted on different days with variable ambient conditions and flow rates. The comparison between the time-varying computed and measured fluid temperature at the collector outlet shows good agreement. The proposed method is extremely general and flexible accounting for variable ambient conditions and flow rates, as well as allowing for a geometrical and thermophysical description of all essential components of the solar collector system, including the storage tank. The validated and verified, general model is suitable to investigate the effectiveness of various components without the necessity of carrying out experimental work, and the flexible computational scheme is useful for transient simulations of energy systems.


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