Solar Water Heater Installation Package

Science.gov (United States)

1982-01-01

A 48-page report describes water-heating system, installation (covering collector orientation, mounting, plumbing and wiring), operating instructions and maintenance procedures. Commercial solar-powered water heater system consists of a solar collector, solar-heated-water tank, electrically heated water tank and controls. Analysis of possible hazards from pressure, electricity, toxicity, flammability, gas, hot water and steam are also included.

Performances of solar water pumping station with solar tracker

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Buniatyan, V.V.; Vardanyan, A.A.

2011-01-01

For the solar water pumping stations ? solar tracking system with phototransistor is developed. On the basis of the experimental investigations the utility and efficiency of the PV water pumping station with solar tracker under different conditions of varying solar radiation in Armenia is shown

A High Rated Solar Water Distillation Unit for Solar Homes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Abhishek Saxena

2016-01-01

Full Text Available India is presently focusing on complete utilization of solar energy and saving fossil fuels, which are limited. Various solar energy systems like solar cookers, solar water heaters, solar lanterns, solar PV lights, and solar lamps are continuously availing by the people of India at a low cost and on good subsidies. Apart from this, India is a solar energy promising country with a good number of solar homes (carrying solar energy systems in its various locations. The present paper focuses on a unique combination of solar dish cooker (SDC and solar water heater (SWH to produce distilled water with a high distillate and a high daily productivity. The procedure has been discussed on the basis of experimental testing to produce distilled water by combining an evacuated type SWH and a SDC. Experimentation has been carried out in MIT, Moradabad (longitude, 28.83°N, and latitude, 78.78°E by developing the same experimental setup on behalf of solar homes. The daily productivity of distilled water was found around 3.66 litres per day in full sunshine hours for an approximated pH value of 7.7 and a ppm value of 21. The payback period (PBP has been estimated around 1.16 years of the present system.

Consumer impacts on dividends from solar water heating

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hill, F.; Levermore, G. [University of Manchester, Manchester (United Kingdom); Lynch, H. [Centre for Alternative Technology, Machynlleth, University of East London, London (United Kingdom)

2011-01-15

Common domestic solar water heating system usage patterns were investigated by a survey of 55 installations. These usage patterns were modelled by simulation based on the actual occupants' use of boiler or other auxiliary heating control strategies. These strategies were not optimal, as often assumed. The effectiveness of the technology was found to be highly sensitive to the time settings used for auxiliary water heating, and the 65% of solar householders using their boilers in the mornings were found to be forgoing 75% of their potential savings. Additionally, 92% of consumers were found to be small households, whose potential savings were only 23% of those of larger households, which use more hot water. Overall the majority (at least 60%) of the systems surveyed were found to be achieving no more than 6% of their potential savings. Incorporating consideration of Legionella issues, results indicate that if solar thermal technology is to deliver its potential to CO2 reduction targets: solar householders must avoid any use of their auxiliary water heating systems before the end of the main warmth of the day, grants for solar technology should be focused on households with higher hot water demands, and particularly on those that are dependent on electricity for water heating, health and safety requirements for hot water storage must be reviewed and, if possible, required temperatures should be set at a lower level, so that carbon savings from solar water heating may be optimized.

Optimum systems design with random input and output applied to solar water heating

Science.gov (United States)

Abdel-Malek, L. L.

1980-03-01

Solar water heating systems are evaluated. Models were developed to estimate the percentage of energy supplied from the Sun to a household. Since solar water heating systems have random input and output queueing theory, birth and death processes were the major tools in developing the models of evaluation. Microeconomics methods help in determining the optimum size of the solar water heating system design parameters, i.e., the water tank volume and the collector area.

Economics of residential solar hot water heating systems in Malaysia

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Abdulmula, Ahmed Mohamed Omer; Sopian, Kamaruzzaman; Haj Othman, Mohd Yosof

2006-01-01

Malaysia has favorable climatic conditions for the development of solar energy due to the abundant sunshine and is considered good for harnessing energy from the sun. This is because solar hot water can represent the large energy consumer in Malaysian households but, because of the high initial cost of Solar Water Heating Systems (SWHSs) and easily to install and relatively inexpensive to purchase electric water heaters, many Malyaysian families are still using Electric Water Heaters to hot their water needs. This paper is presented the comparing of techno-economic feasibility of some models of SWHS from Malaysian's market with the Electric Water Heaters )EWH) by study the annual cost of operation for both systems. The result shows that the annual cost of the electrical water heater becomes greater than than the annual cost of the SWHS for all models in long-team run so it is advantageous for the family to use the solar water heater, at least after 4 years. In addition with installation SWHS the families can get long-term economical benefits, environment friendly and also can doing its part to reduce this country's dependence on foreign oil that is price increase day after day.(Author)

Solar water heaters in Taiwan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chang, K.; Lee, T.; Chung, K.

2006-01-01

Solar water heater has been commercialized during the last two decades in Taiwan. The government initiated the incentive programs during 1986-1991 and 2000-2004. This created an economic incentive for the end-users. The total area of solar collectors installed was more than one million square meters. The data also show that most of the solar water heaters are mainly used by the domestic sector for hot water production (about 97%). The regional popularization analysis indicates limited installation of solar water heaters in the northern district. In the eastern district and remote islands, the problems of climatic conditions and availability of localized installers/dealers are addressed. (author)

Solar action: solar hot water in The Netherlands

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Van de Water, Adrie

2001-01-01

This paper focuses on the use of solar hot water systems in the Netherlands, and reports on the Dutch Solar Domestic Hot Water System agreement signed in 1999 and set up to enhance the development of the market for solar domestic hot water (SDHW) systems and their application as a sustainable energy source. The Dutch Thermal Solar Energy Programme's objectives and goals, the subsidy schemes for thermal solar energy administered by Senter - an agency of the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MEA), and the project-based and individual approaches to boosting the sales of SDHW systems are examined. Large system sales, the targeting of consumers via a national campaign, and national publicity using the slogan 'Sustainable energy. Goes without saying' commissioned by the MEA are discussed along with the support shown by the Dutch power distribution companies for SDHW systems, marketing aspects, and the outlook for sales of SDHW systems

An Update of the Analytical Groundwater Modeling to Assess Water Resource Impacts at the Afton Solar Energy Zone

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Quinn, John J. [Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States); Greer, Christopher B. [Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States); Carr, Adrianne E. [Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States)

2014-10-01

The purpose of this study is to update a one-dimensional analytical groundwater flow model to examine the influence of potential groundwater withdrawal in support of utility-scale solar energy development at the Afton Solar Energy Zone (SEZ) as a part of the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM’s) Solar Energy Program. This report describes the modeling for assessing the drawdown associated with SEZ groundwater pumping rates for a 20-year duration considering three categories of water demand (high, medium, and low) based on technology-specific considerations. The 2012 modeling effort published in the Final Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement for Solar Energy Development in Six Southwestern States (Solar PEIS; BLM and DOE 2012) has been refined based on additional information described below in an expanded hydrogeologic discussion.

Solar power from the supermarket. Water heating, space heating and air conditioning with solar collectors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1976-08-01

The different ways of utilizing solar energy are discussed. So far, top water heating is still the most practicable and most economical solution. Model houses with solar collectors, built by BBC and Philips, are dealt with in particular.

Solar based water treatment technologies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ahmad, I.; Hyder, M.J.

2000-01-01

In developing countries, the quality of drinking water is so poor that reports of 80% diseases from water-related causes is no surprise (Tebbet, 90). Frequently, there are reports in press of outbreak of epidemics in cities due to the unhygienic drinking-water. The state of affairs in the rural areas can be well imagined, where majority of the people live with no piped water. This paper describes the solar-based methods of removing organic pollutants from waste-water (also called Advanced Oxidation Technologies) and solar desalination. Experimental results of a simple solar water-sterilization technique have been discussed, along with suggestions to enhance the performance of this technique. (author)

Molded polymer solar water heater

Science.gov (United States)

Bourne, Richard C.; Lee, Brian E.

2004-11-09

A solar water heater has a rotationally-molded water box and a glazing subassembly disposed over the water box that enhances solar gain and provides an insulating air space between the outside environment and the water box. When used with a pressurized water system, an internal heat exchanger is integrally molded within the water box. Mounting and connection hardware is included to provide a rapid and secure method of installation.

Understanding the Ecological Adoption of Solar Water Heaters Among Customers of Island Economies

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pudaruth Sharmila

2017-04-01

Full Text Available This paper explores the major factors impacting upon the ecological adoption of solar water heaters in Mauritius. The paper applies data reduction technique by using exploratory factor analysis on a sample of 228 respondents and condenses a set of 32 attributes into a list of 8 comprehensible factors impacting upon the sustained adoption of solar water heater in Mauritius. Multiple regression analysis was also conducted to investigate upon the most predictive factor influencing the adoption of solar water heaters in Mauritius. The empirical estimates of the regression analysis have also depicted that the most determining factor pertaining to the ‘government incentives for solar water heaters’ impacts upon the adoption of solar water heaters. These results can be related to sustainable adoption of green energy whereby targeted incentive mechanisms can be formulated with the aim to accelerate and cascade solar energy adoption in emerging economies. A novel conceptual model was also proposed in this paper, whereby, ecological stakeholders in the sustainable arena could use the model as a reference to pave the way to encourage adoption of solar water heating energy. This research represents a different way of understanding ecological customers by developing an expanding on an original scale development for the survey on the ecological adoption of solar water heaters.

Dynamic Modelling of a Solar Water Pumping System with Energy Storage

OpenAIRE

Shatadru Biswas; M. Tariq Iqbal

2018-01-01

This paper describes the dynamic modelling of a system used for extraction of groundwater for irrigation using an alternative source of energy. The system is designed based on data of an existing project in Lalmonirhat, Bangladesh. The system comprises a 38.4 kWp solar photovoltaic array, inverter, AC motor, and pump set, which can discharge a maximum of 1,930 m3 of water per day. MATLAB simulation is performed with two types of energy storage system: (i) electric energy using a battery bank ...

Residential solar hot water

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1982-06-01

This report examines the feasibility of using solar energy to preheat domestic water coming from the city supply at a temperature of approximately 4{degree}C. Four solar collectors totalling 7 m{sup 2} were installed on a support structure facing south at an angle of 60{degree} from the horizontal. The system worked most efficiently in the spring and early summer when the combination of long hours of sunshine, clean air and clear skies allowed for maximum availability of solar radiation. Performance dropped in late summer and fall mainly due to cloudier weather conditions. The average temperature in the storage tank over the 10 months of operation was 42{degree}C, ranging from a high of 83{degree}C in July to a low of 6{degree}C in November. The system provided a total of 7.1 GJ, which is approximately one-third the annual requirement for domestic hot water heating. At the present time domestic use of solar energy to heat water does not appear to be economically viable. High capital costs are the main problem. As a solar system with present day technology can only be expected to meet half to two-thirds of the hot water energy demand the savings are not sufficient for the system to pay for itself within a few years. 5 figs.

Numerical study of a water distillation system using solar energy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zarzoum, K.; Zhani, K.; Bacha, H. Ben

2016-01-01

This paper tackles an optimization approach in order to boost the fresh water production of a new design of a solar still which is located at Sfax engineering national school in Tunisia. This optimization approach is based upon the above mentioned design's improvement by coupling the conventional solar still into at a condenser, solar air and water collector and humidifier. This new concept of a distiller solar still using humidification- dehumidification processes (HD) is exploited for the desalination purpose. As a result of this work, the humidification- dehumidification processes have an essential effect in improving the solar still performance. Performance has been predicted theoretically in terms of water and inner glass cover temperatures, the inlet temperature of air and water of the new concept of distiller on water condensation rate and fresh water production. A general model based on heat and mass transfers in each component of the unit has been developed in steady dynamic regime. The developed model is used, simulating the HD system, to investigate the influence of the meteorological and operating parameters on the system productivity. The obtained set of ordinary differential equations has been converted to a set of algebraic system of equations by the functional approximation method of orthogonal collocation. The developed model is used to simulate the HD system in order to investigate the steady state behavior of each component of the unit and the entire system exposed to a variation of the entrance parameters and meteorological conditions. The obtained results were compared with those of other studies and the comparison gives a good validity of the present results

Numerical study of a water distillation system using solar energy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zarzoum, K.; Zhani, K. [Sfax University, (Turkey); Bacha, H. Ben [Prince Sattam Bin Abdulaziz University, Alkharj (Saudi Arabia)

2016-02-15

This paper tackles an optimization approach in order to boost the fresh water production of a new design of a solar still which is located at Sfax engineering national school in Tunisia. This optimization approach is based upon the above mentioned design's improvement by coupling the conventional solar still into at a condenser, solar air and water collector and humidifier. This new concept of a distiller solar still using humidification- dehumidification processes (HD) is exploited for the desalination purpose. As a result of this work, the humidification- dehumidification processes have an essential effect in improving the solar still performance. Performance has been predicted theoretically in terms of water and inner glass cover temperatures, the inlet temperature of air and water of the new concept of distiller on water condensation rate and fresh water production. A general model based on heat and mass transfers in each component of the unit has been developed in steady dynamic regime. The developed model is used, simulating the HD system, to investigate the influence of the meteorological and operating parameters on the system productivity. The obtained set of ordinary differential equations has been converted to a set of algebraic system of equations by the functional approximation method of orthogonal collocation. The developed model is used to simulate the HD system in order to investigate the steady state behavior of each component of the unit and the entire system exposed to a variation of the entrance parameters and meteorological conditions. The obtained results were compared with those of other studies and the comparison gives a good validity of the present results.

Dynamic Modelling of a Solar Water Pumping System with Energy Storage

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shatadru Biswas

2018-01-01

Full Text Available This paper describes the dynamic modelling of a system used for extraction of groundwater for irrigation using an alternative source of energy. The system is designed based on data of an existing project in Lalmonirhat, Bangladesh. The system comprises a 38.4 kWp solar photovoltaic array, inverter, AC motor, and pump set, which can discharge a maximum of 1,930 m3 of water per day. MATLAB simulation is performed with two types of energy storage system: (i electric energy using a battery bank and (ii stored water in a large water tank. A large battery bank and a transformer are needed in the former one, which turns out as a costly solution. The latter one requires a boost converter and a large water tank to store around 2,000 m3 of water, which is also a costly solution. A combination of both systems yields an efficient and economical solution. The effectiveness of these three systems is compared with conventional diesel engine system.

Domestic hot water and solar energy in Ireland

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hand, F; Asare, B; Haslett, J

1977-01-01

Two systems are discussed which involve the use of solar energy to supply domestic hot-water requirements and their usefulness in Ireland is examined. The systems are evaluated for thermal performance and cost-effectiveness by the use of a computer simulation model of a system involving a typical commercially available solar panel. It is shown that such systems may be economically justified when compared with electricity, but only if the water supply is directly heated by solar panels and only if the installed cost of such panels is low. Further, it appears that the system performance is relatively insensitive to the panel orientation and consequently that retro-fit installations on existing houses are unlikely to cause difficulties.

Intracellular mechanisms of solar water disinfection

Science.gov (United States)

Castro-Alférez, María; Polo-López, María Inmaculada; Fernández-Ibáñez, Pilar

2016-12-01

Solar water disinfection (SODIS) is a zero-cost intervention measure to disinfect drinking water in areas of poor access to improved water sources, used by more than 6 million people in the world. The bactericidal action of solar radiation in water has been widely proven, nevertheless the causes for this remain still unclear. Scientific literature points out that generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) inside microorganisms promoted by solar light absorption is the main reason. For the first time, this work reports on the experimental measurement of accumulated intracellular ROS in E. coli during solar irradiation. For this experimental achievement, a modified protocol based on the fluorescent probe dichlorodihydrofluorescein diacetate (DCFH-DA), widely used for oxidative stress in eukaryotic cells, has been tested and validated for E. coli. Our results demonstrate that ROS and their accumulated oxidative damages at intracellular level are key in solar water disinfection.

Water decontamination by solar photocatalysis. Descontaminacion de aguas residuales mediante fotocatalisis solar

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Blanco Galvez, J; Malato Rodriguez, S

1993-01-01

A solar photocatalytic system is being developed at the Plataforma Solar de Almeria to destroy organic contaminants in water. Test with common water contaminants were conducted at the Solar Detoxification Loop with real sunlight and large quantities of water flowing through glass tubes were the solar UV light is concentrated. Experiments at this scale provide verification of laboratory studies and allow the design and operation of real preindustrial detoxification systems. (Author)

Modeling of solar polygeneration plant

Science.gov (United States)

Leiva, Roberto; Escobar, Rodrigo; Cardemil, José

2017-06-01

In this work, a exergoeconomic analysis of the joint production of electricity, fresh water, cooling and process heat for a simulated concentrated solar power (CSP) based on parabolic trough collector (PTC) with thermal energy storage (TES) and backup energy system (BS), a multi-effect distillation (MED) module, a refrigeration absorption module, and process heat module is carried out. Polygeneration plant is simulated in northern Chile in Crucero with a yearly total DNI of 3,389 kWh/m2/year. The methodology includes designing and modeling a polygeneration plant and applying exergoeconomic evaluations and calculating levelized cost. Solar polygeneration plant is simulated hourly, in a typical meteorological year, for different solar multiple and hour of storage. This study reveals that the total exergy cost rate of products (sum of exergy cost rate of electricity, water, cooling and heat process) is an alternative method to optimize a solar polygeneration plant.

Solar water heater for NASA's Space Station

Science.gov (United States)

Somers, Richard E.; Haynes, R. Daniel

1988-01-01

The feasibility of using a solar water heater for NASA's Space Station is investigated using computer codes developed to model the Space Station configuration, orbit, and heating systems. Numerous orbit variations, system options, and geometries for the collector were analyzed. Results show that a solar water heater, which would provide 100 percent of the design heating load and would not impose a significant impact on the Space Station overall design is feasible. A heat pipe or pumped fluid radial plate collector of about 10-sq m, placed on top of the habitat module was found to be well suited for satisfying water demand of the Space Station. Due to the relatively small area required by a radial plate, a concentrator is unnecessary. The system would use only 7 to 10 percent as much electricity as an electric water-heating system.

Estimation of daily flow rate of photovoltaic water pumping systems using solar radiation data

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. Benghanem

2018-03-01

Full Text Available This paper presents a simple model which allows us to contribute in the studies of photovoltaic (PV water pumping systems sizing. The nonlinear relation between water flow rate and solar power has been obtained experimentally in a first step and then used for performance prediction. The model proposed enables us to simulate the water flow rate using solar radiation data for different heads (50 m, 60 m, 70 m and 80 m and for 8S × 3P PV array configuration. The experimental data are obtained with our pumping test facility located at Madinah site (Saudi Arabia. The performances are calculated using the measured solar radiation data of different locations in Saudi Arabia. Knowing the solar radiation data, we have estimated with a good precision the water flow rate Q in five locations (Al-Jouf, Solar Village, AL-Ahsa, Madinah and Gizan in Saudi Arabia. The flow rate Q increases with the increase of pump power for different heads following the nonlinear model proposed. Keywords: Photovoltaic water pumping system, Solar radiation data, Simulation, Flow rate

Estimation of daily flow rate of photovoltaic water pumping systems using solar radiation data

Science.gov (United States)

Benghanem, M.; Daffallah, K. O.; Almohammedi, A.

2018-03-01

This paper presents a simple model which allows us to contribute in the studies of photovoltaic (PV) water pumping systems sizing. The nonlinear relation between water flow rate and solar power has been obtained experimentally in a first step and then used for performance prediction. The model proposed enables us to simulate the water flow rate using solar radiation data for different heads (50 m, 60 m, 70 m and 80 m) and for 8S × 3P PV array configuration. The experimental data are obtained with our pumping test facility located at Madinah site (Saudi Arabia). The performances are calculated using the measured solar radiation data of different locations in Saudi Arabia. Knowing the solar radiation data, we have estimated with a good precision the water flow rate Q in five locations (Al-Jouf, Solar Village, AL-Ahsa, Madinah and Gizan) in Saudi Arabia. The flow rate Q increases with the increase of pump power for different heads following the nonlinear model proposed.

Solar-Powered Desalination: A Modelling and Experimental Study

Science.gov (United States)

Leblanc, Jimmy; Andrews, John

2007-10-01

Water shortage is becoming one of the major problems worldwide. As such, desalination technologies have been implemented to meet growing demands for fresh water. Among the desalination technologies, thermal desalination, including multi stage flash (MSF) and multi effect evaporation (MEE), is the current leading desalination process. Reverse osmosis (RO) is also being increasingly used. Despite technological improvements, thermal desalination and reverse osmosis continue to be intensive fossil-fuel consumers and contribute to increased levels of greenhouse gases. As energy costs rise, thermal desalination by solar energy and/or low cost waste heat is likely to become increasingly attractive. As part of a project investigating the productive use of saline land and the development of sustainable desalination systems, the feasibility of producing potable water from seawater or brackish water using desalination systems powered by renewable energy in the form of low-temperature solar-thermal sources has been studied. A salinity-gradient solar pond and an evacuated tube solar collector system have been used as heat sources. Solar ponds combine solar energy collection with long-term storage and can provide reliable thermal energy at temperature ranges from 50 to 90 °C. A visual basic computer model of the different multi-stage flash desalination processes coupled with a salinity-gradient solar pond was developed to determine which process is preferable in regards to performance and greenhouse impact. The governing mathematical equations are derived from mass balances, heat energy balances, and heat transfer characteristics. Using the results from the modelling, a small-scale solar-powered desalination system, capable of producing up to 500 litres of fresh water per day, was designed and manufactured. This single-stage flash system consists of two main units: the heat supply and storage system and the flash desalination unit. Two different condenser heat exchanger

BC SEA Solar Hot Water Acceleration project

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Harris, N.C. [BC Sustainable Energy Association, Victoria, BC (Canada)

2005-07-01

Although solar hot water heating is an environmentally responsible technology that reduces fossil fuel consumption and helps mitigate global climate change, there are many barriers to its widespread use. Each year, domestic water heating contributes nearly 6 million tonnes of carbon dioxide towards Canada's greenhouse gas emissions. The installation of solar water heaters can eliminate up to 2 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions per household. The BC SEA Solar Hot Water Acceleration project was launched in an effort to demonstrate that the technology has the potential to be widely used in homes and businesses across British Columbia. One of the main barriers to the widespread use of solar hot water heating is the initial cost of the system. Lack of public awareness and understanding of the technology are other barriers. However, other jurisdictions around the world have demonstrated that the use of renewables are the product of conscious policy decisions, including low-cost financing and other subsidies that have created demand for these technologies. To this end, the BC SEA Solar Hot Water Acceleration project will test the potential for the rapid acceleration of solar water heating in pilot communities where barriers are removed. The objective of the project is to install 100 solar water systems in homes and 25 in businesses and institutions in communities in British Columbia by July 2007. The project will explore the financial barriers to the installation of solar hot water systems and produce an action plan to reduce these barriers. In addition to leading by example, the project will help the solar energy marketplace, mitigate climate change and improve energy efficiency.

Theoretical simulation of small scale psychometric solar water desalination system in semi-arid region

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shatat, Mahmoud; Omer, Siddig; Gillott, Mark; Riffat, Saffa

2013-01-01

Many countries around the world suffer from water scarcity. This is especially true in remote and semi-arid regions in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) where per capita water supplies decline as populations increase. This paper presents the results of a theoretical simulation of an affordable small scale solar water desalination plant using the psychometric humidification and dehumidification process coupled with an evacuated tube solar collector with an area of about 2 m 2 . A mathematical model was developed to describe the system's operation. Then a computer program using Simulink Matlab software was developed to provide the governing equations for the theoretical calculations of the humidification and dehumidification processes. The experimental and theoretical values for the total daily distillate output were found to be closely correlated. After the experimental calibration of the mathematical model, a model simulating solar radiation under the climatic conditions in the Middle East region proved that the performance of the system could be improved to produce a considerably higher amount of fresh water, namely up to 17.5 kg/m 2 day. This work suggests that utilizing the concept of humidification and dehumidification, a compact water desalination unit coupled with solar collectors would significantly increase the potable water supply in remote area. It could be a unique solution of water shortages in such areas. -- Highlights: • An affordable small scale desalination system is proposed. • A mathematical model of the desalination system is developed and programmed using Matlab Simulink. • The model describes the psychometric process based on humidification and dehumidification. • The model is used in optimal selection of elements and operating conditions for solar desalination system. • The use of solar water desalination contributes significantly to reducing global warming

Solar water heating system for a lunar base

Science.gov (United States)

Somers, Richard E.; Haynes, R. Daniel

1992-01-01

An investigation of the feasibility of using a solar water heater for a lunar base is described. During the investigation, computer codes were developed to model the lunar base configuration, lunar orbit, and heating systems. Numerous collector geometries, orientation variations, and system options were identified and analyzed. The results indicate that the recommended solar water heater could provide 88 percent of the design load and would not require changes in the overall lunar base design. The system would give a 'safe-haven' water heating capability and use only 7 percent to 10 percent as much electricity as an electric heating system. As a result, a fixed position photovoltaic array can be reduced by 21 sq m.

Solar water lifter

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Khandurdyyev, A; Daykhanov, S; Itayev, K I; Kurbanov, N

1982-01-01

A water lifter is described which contains a diaphram pump with working cavity and inlet and outlet valves and solar energy collector filled with easily boiling fluid. In order to improve the degree of use of the solar energy and output, the water lifter additionally contains a bellows arranged in the working cavity of the pump and connected to it and the collector, and a cylinder made of magnetic-soft material with a magnetic valve arranged in it with a rod connected to the bellows, a seat for the valve on the upper end and contact plate interacting with the valve in its lower position.

Solar Water-Heater Design and Installation

Science.gov (United States)

Harlamert, P.; Kennard, J.; Ciriunas, J.

1982-01-01

Solar/Water heater system works as follows: Solar--heated air is pumped from collectors through rock bin from top to bottom. Air handler circulates heated air through an air-to-water heat exchanger, which transfers heat to incoming well water. In one application, it may reduce oil use by 40 percent.

Outlook for solar water heaters in Taiwan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chang, Keh-Chin; Lee, Tsong-Sheng; Chung, Kung-Ming; Lin, Wei-Min

2008-01-01

The share of indigenous energy supply continuously decreases over the last two decades in Taiwan. The development and use of renewable energy sources and technologies are becoming vital for the management of energy supply and demand. For promotion of solar water heaters, the incentive programs were firstly initiated in the period of 1986-1991 and re-initiated from 2000 to the present. These programs create an economic incentive for the end users and have a drastic effect on the popularization of solar water heaters. To further promote solar water heaters during the current incentive program period, several key factors are addressed. In addition to the cost of solar water heaters and energy price index, the potential market of solar water heaters in Taiwan is associated with the climatic conditions, population structure, urbanization, building type of housing and status of new construction. (author)

Outlook for solar water heaters in Taiwan

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chang, Keh-Chin [Department of Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering, National Cheng Kung University, Kueijen, Tainan, Taiwan 711 (China); Lee, Tsong-Sheng; Chung, Kung-Ming [Aerospace Science and Technology Research Center, National Cheng Kung University, Kueijen, Tainan, Taiwan 711 (China); Lin, Wei-Min [Tainan University of Technology (China)

2008-01-15

The share of indigenous energy supply continuously decreases over the last two decades in Taiwan. The development and use of renewable energy sources and technologies are becoming vital for the management of energy supply and demand. For promotion of solar water heaters, the incentive programs were firstly initiated in the period of 1986-1991 and re-initiated from 2000 to the present. These programs create an economic incentive for the end users and have a drastic effect on the popularization of solar water heaters. To further promote solar water heaters during the current incentive program period, several key factors are addressed. In addition to the cost of solar water heaters and energy price index, the potential market of solar water heaters in Taiwan is associated with the climatic conditions, population structure, urbanization, building type of housing and status of new construction. (author)

Performance of commercially available solar and heat pump water heaters

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lloyd, C.R.; Kerr, A.S.D.

2008-01-01

Many countries are using policy incentives to encourage the adoption of energy-efficient hot water heating as a means of reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Such policies rely heavily on assumed performance factors for such systems. In-situ performance data for solar and heat pump hot water systems, however, are not copious in the literature. Otago University has been testing some systems available in New Zealand for a number of years. The results obtained are compared to international studies of in-situ performance of solar hot water systems and heat pump hot water systems, by converting the results from the international studies into a single index suitable for both solar and heat pump systems (COP). Variability in the international data is investigated as well as comparisons to model results. The conclusions suggest that there is not too much difference in performance between solar systems that have a permanently connected electric boost backup and heat pump systems over a wide range of environmental temperatures. The energy payback time was also calculated for electric boost solar flat plate systems as a function of both COP and hot water usage for a given value of embodied energy. The calculations generally bode well for solar systems but ensuring adequate system performance is paramount. In addition, such systems generally favour high usage rates to obtain good energy payback times

Experimental investigation on a semi-circular trough-absorber solar still with baffles for fresh water production

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sathyamurthy, Ravishankar; Nagarajan, P.K.; El-Agouz, S.A.; Jaiganesh, V.; Sathish Khanna, P.

2015-01-01

Highlights: • Experiments are carried out to analyze the performance. • Baffles are placed in the absorber to increase the residence time of water with solar intensity. • Yield of fresh water from present solar still is 16.66% more than a conventional solar still. • Payback period of the present model is quicker. - Abstract: The main objective of this research is to increase the contact time of water in the basin to enhance yield of fresh water by using a semicircular absorber solar still with baffles. An experimental as well as theoretical investigation is carried out. The productivity and efficiency of present still are analyzed with the influence of the number baffles and the water flow rate. A good agreement between the experimental and theoretical results is observed. The results indicate that, the daily yield of present solar still is higher than that for conventional still approximately by 16.66%. The outlet water temperature present solar still is high subsequently, it can be coupled with multi-state of solar stills to increase productivity. Therefore, the present solar still can be sufficiently extended for other continuous solar desalination systems. Economic analysis concluded that, the payback period of the present model solar still is quicker while comparing it with other solar still

Water solar distiller productivity enhancement using concentrating solar water heater and phase change material (PCM

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Miqdam T. Chaichan

2015-03-01

Full Text Available This paper investigates usage of thermal energy storage extracted from concentrating solar heater for water distillation. Paraffin wax selected as a suitable phase change material, and it was used for storing thermal energy in two different insulated treasurers. The paraffin wax is receiving hot water from concentrating solar dish. This solar energy stored in PCM as latent heat energy. Solar energy stored in a day time with a large quantity, and some heat retrieved for later use. Water’s temperature measured in a definite interval of time. Four cases were studied: using water as storage material with and without solar tracker. Also, PCM was as thermal storage material with and without solar tracker.The system working time was increased to about 5 h with sun tracker by concentrating dish and adding PCM to the system. The system concentrating efficiency, heating efficiency, and system productivity, has increased by about 64.07%, 112.87%, and 307.54%, respectively. The system working time increased to 3 h when PCM added without sun tracker. Also, the system concentrating efficiency increased by about 50.47%, and the system heating efficiency increased by about 41.63%. Moreover, the system productivity increased by about 180%.

Solar Water-Heater Design Package

Science.gov (United States)

1982-01-01

Information on a solar domestic-hot water heater is contained in 146 page design package. System consists of solar collector, storage tanks, automatic control circuitry and auxiliary heater. Data-acquisition equipment at sites monitors day-by-day performance. Includes performance specifications, schematics, solar-collector drawings and drawings of control parts.

Solar Water Heating System for Biodiesel Production

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Syaifurrahman

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Nowadays, electricity become very expensive thing in some remote areas. Energy from solar panels give the solution as renewable energy that is environment friendly. West Borneo is located on the equator where the sun shines for almost 10-15 hours/day. Solar water heating system which is includes storage tank and solar collections becomes a cost-effective way to generate the energy. Solar panel heat water is delivered to water in storage tank. Hot water is used as hot fluid in biodiesel jacked reactor. The purposes of this research are to design Solar Water Heating System for Biodiesel Production and measure the rate of heat-transfer water in storage tank. This test has done for 6 days, every day from 8.30 am until 2.30 pm. Storage tank and collection are made from stainless steel and polystyrene a well-insulated. The results show that the heater can be reach at 50ºC for ±2.5 hours and the maximum temperature is 62ºC where the average of light intensity is 1280 lux.

Solar Water Heating System for Biodiesel Production

Science.gov (United States)

Syaifurrahman; Usman, A. Gani; Rinjani, Rakasiwi

2018-02-01

Nowadays, electricity become very expensive thing in some remote areas. Energy from solar panels give the solution as renewable energy that is environment friendly. West Borneo is located on the equator where the sun shines for almost 10-15 hours/day. Solar water heating system which is includes storage tank and solar collections becomes a cost-effective way to generate the energy. Solar panel heat water is delivered to water in storage tank. Hot water is used as hot fluid in biodiesel jacked reactor. The purposes of this research are to design Solar Water Heating System for Biodiesel Production and measure the rate of heat-transfer water in storage tank. This test has done for 6 days, every day from 8.30 am until 2.30 pm. Storage tank and collection are made from stainless steel and polystyrene a well-insulated. The results show that the heater can be reach at 50ºC for ±2.5 hours and the maximum temperature is 62ºC where the average of light intensity is 1280 lux.

Dynamic Modeling of the Solar Field in Parabolic Trough Solar Power Plants

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lourdes A. Barcia

2015-11-01

Full Text Available Parabolic trough solar power plants use a thermal fluid to transfer thermal energy from solar radiation to a water-steam Rankine cycle in order to drive a turbine that, coupled to an electrical generator, produces electricity. These plants have a heat transfer fluid (HTF system with the necessary elements to transform solar radiation into heat and to transfer that thermal energy to the water-steam exchangers. In order to get the best possible performance in the Rankine cycle and, hence, in the thermal plant, it is necessary that the thermal fluid reach its maximum temperature when leaving the solar field (SF. Also, it is mandatory that the thermal fluid does not exceed the maximum operating temperature of the HTF, above which it degrades. It must be noted that the optimal temperature of the thermal fluid is difficult to obtain, since solar radiation can change abruptly from one moment to another. The aim of this document is to provide a model of an HTF system that can be used to optimize the control of the temperature of the fluid without interfering with the normal operation of the plant. The results obtained with this model will be contrasted with those obtained in a real plant.

Modeling and verification of hemispherical solar still using ANSYS CFD

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Panchal, Hitesh N. [KSV University, Gujarat Power Engineering and Research Institute, Mehsana (India); Shah, P.K. [Silver Oak College of Engineering and Technology, Ahmedabad, Gujarat (India)

2013-07-01

In every efficient solar still design, water temperature, vapor temperature and distillate output, and difference between water temperature and inner glass cover temperatures are very important. Here, two dimensional three phase model of hemispherical solar still is made for evaporation as well as condensation process in ANSYS CFD. Simulation results like water temperature, vapor temperature, distillate output compared with actual experimental results of climate conditions of Mehsana (latitude of 23° 59’ and longitude of 72° 38) of hemispherical solar still. Water temperature and distillate output were good agreement with actual experimental results. Study shows that ANSYS-CFD is very powerful as well as efficient tool for design, comparison purpose of hemispherical solar still.

Solar water heaters in China. A new day dawning

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Han, Jingyi; Mol, Arthur P.J.; Lu, Yonglong

2010-01-01

Solar thermal utilization, especially the application of solar water heater technology, has developed rapidly in China in recent decades. Manufacturing and marketing developments have been especially strong in provinces such as Zhejiang, Shandong and Jiangsu. This paper takes Zhejiang, a relatively affluent province, as a case study area to assess the performance of solar water heater utilization in China. The study will focus on institutional setting, economic and technological performance, energy performance, and environmental and social impact. Results show that China has greatly increased solar water heater utilization, which has brought China great economic, environmental and social benefits. However, China is confronted with malfeasant market competition, technical flaws in solar water heater products and social conflict concerning solar water heater installation. For further development of the solar water heater, China should clarify the compulsory installation policy and include solar water heaters into the current 'Home Appliances Going to the Countryside' project; most of the widely used vacuum tube products should be replaced by flat plate products, and the technology improvement should focus on anti-freezing and water saving; the resources of solar water heater market should be consolidated and most of the OEM manufacturers should evolve to ODM and OBM enterprises. (author)

Basics of Solar Heating & Hot Water Systems.

Science.gov (United States)

American Inst. of Architects, Washington, DC.

In presenting the basics of solar heating and hot water systems, this publication is organized from the general to the specific. It begins by presenting functional and operational descriptions of solar heating and domestic hot water systems, outlining the basic concepts and terminology. This is followed by a description of solar energy utilization…

CFD Modeling and Experimental Validation of a Solar Still

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mahmood Tahir

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Earth is the densest planet of the solar system with total area of 510.072 million square Km. Over 71.68% of this area is covered with water leaving a scant area of 28.32% for human to inhabit. The fresh water accounts for only 2.5% of the total volume and the rest is the brackish water. Presently, the world is facing chief problem of lack of potable water. This issue can be addressed by converting brackish water into potable through a solar distillation process and solar still is specially assigned for this purpose. Efficiency of a solar still explicitly depends on its design parameters, such as wall material, chamber depth, width and slope of the zcondensing surface. This study was aimed at investigating the solar still parameters using CFD modeling and experimental validation. The simulation data of ANSYS-FLUENT was compared with actual experimental data. A close agreement among the simulated and experimental results was seen in the presented work. It reveals that ANSYS-FLUENT is a potent tool to analyse the efficiency of the new designs of the solar distillation systems.

Thermal solar energy. Collective domestic hot water installations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Garnier, Cedric; Chauvet, Chrystele; Fourrier, Pascal

2016-01-01

This brochure, edited by ADEME, the French office for energy management and sustainable development, gives a basic outlook on the way to complete the installation of a collective domestic water solar heating system. After some recall of what is solar energy, the thermal solar technology and the energy savings it may induce, this document presents the main hydraulic configurations of a solar heating system with water storage, the dimensioning of a solar water heating system and its cost estimation, the installation and the commissioning of the system, the monitoring and maintenance operations

Performance Improvement of Solar Water Stills by Using Reflectors

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Humphrey Hamusonde Maambo

2016-09-01

Full Text Available The lack of safe and clean drinking water sources is one of the problems faced in most rural communities in Zambia. Water in these communities is mostly obtained from shallow wells and rivers. However, this water might be potentially contaminated with harmful substances such as pathogenic bacteria and therefore, unsafe for drinking. Solar water distillation represents an important alternative to palliate problems of fresh water shortages. Solar water stills can be used to eliminate harmful substances from contaminated water by treating it using free solar energy before it can be consumed. Therefore, there is a need to improve solar still performance to produce a greater quantity of safe drinking water. One possible method to improve performance is through adding reflectors to solar stills. Reflectors improve performance by increasing the quantity of distillate by about 22.3 % at a water depth of 15 mm and about 2 9% at a water depth of 10 mm when compared to the distillate produced from a still without reflectors. The water produced using solar stills with reflectors was tested and adhered to World Health Organization (WHO drinking water standards. This implies that solar distillation with reflectors could be adopted at a larger scale to produce safer drinking water at a reduced cost.

Tantalum-based semiconductors for solar water splitting.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Peng; Zhang, Jijie; Gong, Jinlong

2014-07-07

Solar energy utilization is one of the most promising solutions for the energy crises. Among all the possible means to make use of solar energy, solar water splitting is remarkable since it can accomplish the conversion of solar energy into chemical energy. The produced hydrogen is clean and sustainable which could be used in various areas. For the past decades, numerous efforts have been put into this research area with many important achievements. Improving the overall efficiency and stability of semiconductor photocatalysts are the research focuses for the solar water splitting. Tantalum-based semiconductors, including tantalum oxide, tantalate and tantalum (oxy)nitride, are among the most important photocatalysts. Tantalum oxide has the band gap energy that is suitable for the overall solar water splitting. The more negative conduction band minimum of tantalum oxide provides photogenerated electrons with higher potential for the hydrogen generation reaction. Tantalates, with tunable compositions, show high activities owning to their layered perovskite structure. (Oxy)nitrides, especially TaON and Ta3N5, have small band gaps to respond to visible-light, whereas they can still realize overall solar water splitting with the proper positions of conduction band minimum and valence band maximum. This review describes recent progress regarding the improvement of photocatalytic activities of tantalum-based semiconductors. Basic concepts and principles of solar water splitting will be discussed in the introduction section, followed by the three main categories regarding to the different types of tantalum-based semiconductors. In each category, synthetic methodologies, influencing factors on the photocatalytic activities, strategies to enhance the efficiencies of photocatalysts and morphology control of tantalum-based materials will be discussed in detail. Future directions to further explore the research area of tantalum-based semiconductors for solar water splitting

Effect of Installation of Solar Collector on Performance of Balcony Split Type Solar Water Heaters

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xu Ji

2015-01-01

Full Text Available The influences of surface orientation and slope of solar collectors on solar radiation collection of balcony split type solar water heaters for six cities in China were analyzed by employing software TRNSYS. The surface azimuth had greater effect on solar radiation collection in high latitude regions. For deviation of the surface slope angle within ±20° around the optimized angle, the variation of the total annual collecting solar radiation was less than 5%. However, with deviation of 70° to 90°, the variation was up to 20%. The effects of water cycle mode, reverse slope placement of solar collector, and water tank installation height on system efficiency were experimentally studied. The thermal efficiencies of solar water heater with single row horizontal arrangement all-glass evacuated tubular collector were higher than those with vertical arrangement at the fixed surface slope angle of 90°. Compared with solar water heaters with flat-plate collector under natural circulation, the system thermal efficiency was raised up to 63% under forced circulation. For collector at reverse slope placement, the temperature-based water stratification in water tank deteriorated, and thus the thermal efficiency became low. For improving the system efficiency, an appropriate installation height of the water tank was suggested.

Solar heating of the produced water of petroleum; Aquecimento solar da agua produzida de petroleo

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Santos, Rogerio Pitanga; Chiavone-Filho, Osvaldo; Bezerra, Magna A. Santos; Melo, Josette Lourdes Sousa de; Oliveira, Jackson Araujo de; Ramos, Rafael E. Moura [Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte (UFRN), Natal, RN (Brazil); Schuhli, Juliana Bregenski; Andrade, Vivian Tavares de [PETROBRAS S.A., Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil). Centro de Pesquisas (CENPES)

2008-07-01

In this work, experimental data of solar heating for common water and saline solution were measured. The solar heater is formed by a flat-plane collector and a thermal reservoir ('boiler'). The objective is to quantify the variation of fluids' temperature, and correlate it to environment variables, especially solar irradiation. Thereby, it is possible to estimate the solar heating of produced water of petroleum. The solar heater is part of a system of treatment of produced water, and its function is to pre-heat the fluid that enters into the solar distiller, increasing the productivity of distilled water. A saline solution that represents produced water was used in the experiments, using sodium chloride (1000 ppm). The experimental data demonstrates that the solar heater is capable to heat the fluid to temperatures close to 70 deg C, reaching temperatures close to 50 deg C even during cloudy days with low solar radiation. Furthermore, the solar collector energy system provides a higher rate of heating and trough of the thermal reservoir the temperature can remain longer. These are important aspects to the integration with solar distillation. (author)

Solar heating of the produced water of petroleum; Aquecimento solar da agua produzida de petroleo

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Santos, Rogerio Pitanga; Chiavone-Filho, Osvaldo; Bezerra, Magna A. Santos; Melo, Josette Lourdes Sousa de; Oliveira, Jackson Araujo de; Ramos, Rafael E. Moura [Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte (UFRN), Natal, RN (Brazil); Schuhli, Juliana Bregenski; Andrade, Vivian Tavares de [PETROBRAS S.A., Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil). Centro de Pesquisas (CENPES)

2008-07-01

In this work, experimental data of solar heating for common water and saline solution were measured. The solar heater is formed by a flat-plane collector and a thermal reservoir ('boiler'). The objective is to quantify the variation of fluids' temperature, and correlate it to environment variables, especially solar irradiation. Thereby, it is possible to estimate the solar heating of produced water of petroleum. The solar heater is part of a system of treatment of produced water, and its function is to pre-heat the fluid that enters into the solar distiller, increasing the productivity of distilled water. A saline solution that represents produced water was used in the experiments, using sodium chloride (1000 ppm). The experimental data demonstrates that the solar heater is capable to heat the fluid to temperatures close to 70 deg C, reaching temperatures close to 50 deg C even during cloudy days with low solar radiation. Furthermore, the solar collector energy system provides a higher rate of heating and trough of the thermal reservoir the temperature can remain longer. These are important aspects to the integration with solar distillation. (author)

Modeling, simulation, and fabrication of a fully integrated, acid-stable, scalable solar-driven water-splitting system.

Science.gov (United States)

Walczak, Karl; Chen, Yikai; Karp, Christoph; Beeman, Jeffrey W; Shaner, Matthew; Spurgeon, Joshua; Sharp, Ian D; Amashukeli, Xenia; West, William; Jin, Jian; Lewis, Nathan S; Xiang, Chengxiang

2015-02-01

A fully integrated solar-driven water-splitting system comprised of WO3 /FTO/p(+) n Si as the photoanode, Pt/TiO2 /Ti/n(+) p Si as the photocathode, and Nafion as the membrane separator, was simulated, assembled, operated in 1.0 M HClO4 , and evaluated for performance and safety characteristics under dual side illumination. A multi-physics model that accounted for the performance of the photoabsorbers and electrocatalysts, ion transport in the solution electrolyte, and gaseous product crossover was first used to define the optimal geometric design space for the system. The photoelectrodes and the membrane separators were then interconnected in a louvered design system configuration, for which the light-absorbing area and the solution-transport pathways were simultaneously optimized. The performance of the photocathode and the photoanode were separately evaluated in a traditional three-electrode photoelectrochemical cell configuration. The photocathode and photoanode were then assembled back-to-back in a tandem configuration to provide sufficient photovoltage to sustain solar-driven unassisted water-splitting. The current-voltage characteristics of the photoelectrodes showed that the low photocurrent density of the photoanode limited the overall solar-to-hydrogen (STH) conversion efficiency due to the large band gap of WO3 . A hydrogen-production rate of 0.17 mL hr(-1) and a STH conversion efficiency of 0.24 % was observed in a full cell configuration for >20 h with minimal product crossover in the fully operational, intrinsically safe, solar-driven water-splitting system. The solar-to-hydrogen conversion efficiency, ηSTH , calculated using the multiphysics numerical simulation was in excellent agreement with the experimental behavior of the system. The value of ηSTH was entirely limited by the performance of the photoelectrochemical assemblies employed in this study. The louvered design provides a robust platform for implementation of various types of

Collective solar hot water: best practices

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Beutin, Philippe; Grouzard, Patrice; Coroller, Francoise

2005-10-01

This brochure, edited by ADEME, the French office for energy management and sustainable development, gives a collection of good practices concerning the selection and installation of collective solar water heating systems in France. A first note presents the Garantie de Resultats solaires (GRS - Guarantee of Solar Results), a kind of certification that gives a long term guarantee of the annual solar energy produced quantity as a function of the hot water consumption. An overview of the collective solar market is given, followed by informations on the financial incentives for feasibility studies and installations, the technical design and optimization of a collective solar project, its economic assessment, etc. Numerous examples of collective of solar heating operations in collective buildings are presented, in various regions of France, in the east (Alsace), the center (Auvergne, Ile de France (Paris region)), and the south (Languedoc-Roussillon, Midi-Pyrennes, PACA), giving technical data, financing, partnerships, etc

Thermo-economic performance of inclined solar water distillation systems

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Agboola Phillips O.

2015-01-01

Full Text Available This study investigates the thermo-economic performance of different configurations of inclined solar water desalination for parameters such as daily production, efficiency, system cost and distilled water production cost. The four different configurations considered for this study are as follows; 1. Inclined solar water distillation with bare absorber plate (IISWD with daily production of 5.46 kg/m2 day and daily efficiency of 48.3%. 2. Inclined solar water distillation with wick on absorber plate (IISWDW with daily production of 6.41kg/m2 day and daily efficiency 50.3%. 3. Inclined solar water distillation with wire mesh on absorber plate (IISWDWM with daily production n of 3.03 kg/m2 day and daily efficiency 32.6%. 4. Inclined solar water distillation with bare absorber plate (ISWD. (Control System with daily production of 3.25 kg/m2 day and daily efficiency of 40.1%. The systems potable water cost price ranges from 0.03 $/L for IISWDW to 0.06$/L for IISWDWM System. All the systems are economically and technically feasible as a solar distillation system for potable water in Northern Cyprus. The price of potable water from water vendors/hawkers ranges from 0.11-0.16 $/L. It is more economically viable to have the rooftop inclined solar water desalination system than procuring potable water from vendors.`

Solar water lifter

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bazarov, B A; Gonchar, V I; Maymerdangulyyev, G; Orekhova, N P; Ryabikov, S V; Strevkov, D S; Tereshin, V D; Yurin, Ye M

1982-01-01

A water lifter is described which contains a pump, whose piston is kinematically connected to the drive element made of material with thermal-mechanical memory of the shape in the hot state, and a solar heater.

Flat plate solar collector for water pre-heating using concentrated solar power (CSP)

Science.gov (United States)

Peris, Leonard Sunny; Shekh, Md. Al Amin; Sarker, Imran

2017-12-01

Numerous attempt and experimental conduction on different methods to harness energy from renewable sources are being conducted. This study is a contribution to the purpose of harnessing solar energy as a renewable source by using flat plate solar collector medium to preheat water. Basic theory of solar radiation and heat convection in water (working fluid) has been combined with heat conduction process by using copper tubes and aluminum absorber plate in a closed conduit, covered with a glazed through glass medium. By this experimental conduction, a temperature elevation of 35°C in 10 minutes duration which is of 61.58% efficiency range (maximum) has been achieved. The obtained data and experimental findings are validated with the theoretical formulation and an experimental demonstration model. A cost effective and simple form of heat energy extraction method for space heating/power generation has been thoroughly discussed with possible industrial implementation possibilities. Under-developed and developing countries can take this work as an illustration for renewable energy utilization for sustainable energy prospect. Also a full structure based data to derive concentrated solar energy in any geographical location of Bangladesh has been outlined in this study. These research findings can contribute to a large extent for setting up any solar based power plant in Bangladesh irrespective of its installation type.

Relative spectral absorption of solar radiation by water vapor and cloud droplets

Science.gov (United States)

Davies, R.; Ridgway, W. L.

1983-01-01

A moderate (20/cm) spectral resolution model which accounts for both the highly variable spectral transmission of solar radiation through water vapor within and above cloud, as well as the more slowly varying features of absorption and anisotropic multiple scattering by the cloud droplets, is presented. Results from this model as applied to the case of a typical 1 km thick stratus cloud in a standard atmosphere, with cloud top altitude of 2 km and overhead sun, are discussed, showing the relative importance of water vapor above the cloud, water vapor within the cloud, and cloud droplets on the spectral absorption of solar radiation.

Modelling of Box Type Solar Cooker Performance in a Tropical ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Thermal performance model of box type solar cooker with loaded water is presented. The model was developed using the method of Funk to estimate cooking power in terms of climatic and design parameters for box type solar cooker in a tropical environment. Coefficients for each term used in the model were determined ...

Control and Modelling of Seawater Desalination Using Solar Technology

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Roca, L.; Yebra, L. J.; Berenguel, M.; Alarcon, D. C.

2006-07-01

Desalination plants play a fundamental role in fighting the shortage of fresh water in places with plentiful seawater resources. This paper briefly describes a solar desalination system designed, erected and operated in the AQUASOL project at the Plataforma Solar de Almeria (PSA), consisting basically of a CPC (Compound Parabolic Concentrator) solar collector field, two water storage tanks, a multi-effect distillation plant (MED) and a Double Effect Absorption Heat Pump (DEAHP). These subsystems have been modeled to estimate system behaviour and develop control techniques for maintaining optimal operating conditions. (Author)

Geographic variation of solar water performance in Europe

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yohanis, Y. [University of Ulster (United Kingdom). Faculty of Engineering; Popel, O.; Frid, S. [Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow (Russian Federation). Institute for High Temperatures; Norton, B. [Dublin Institute of Technology (Ireland)

2006-07-01

Solar water heater (SWH) performance has been analysed using the 'number of days' method for 147 different sites in all European countries. The total number of days that the temperature of delivered solar heated water reaches or exceeds specified demand temperatures is correlated with solar radiation on a horizontal surface for summer, warm half-year, and whole year periods. Maps are presented and discussed showing the contours for the number of days that an illustrative SWH met different hot water demand temperatures. Correlations between number of days water is provided at a specified temperature and solar fractions for the same periods are determined. (author)

Improved model for solar heating of buildings

OpenAIRE

Lie, Bernt

2015-01-01

A considerable future increase in the global energy use is expected, and the effects of energy conversion on the climate are already observed. Future energy conversion should thus be based on resources that have negligible climate effects; solar energy is perhaps the most important of such resources. The presented work builds on a previous complete model for solar heating of a house; here the aim to introduce ventilation heat recovery and improve on the hot water storage model. Ventilation he...

Nocturnal reverse flow in water-in-glass evacuated tube solar water heaters

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tang, Runsheng; Yang, Yuqin

2014-01-01

Highlights: • Performance of water-in-glass evacuated tube solar water heaters (SWH) at night was studied. • Experimental measurements showed that reverse flow occurred in SWHs at night. • Reverse flow in SWHs was very high but the heat loss due to reverse flow was very low. • Reverse flow seemed not sensitive to atmospheric clearness but sensitive to collector tilt-angle. - Abstract: In this work, the thermal performance of water-in-glass evacuated tube solar water heaters (SWH) at nights was experimentally investigated. Measurements at nights showed that the water temperature in solar tubes was always lower than that in the water tank but higher than the ambient air temperature and T exp , the temperature of water inside tubes predicted in the case of the water in tubes being naturally cooled without reverse flow. This signified that the reverse flow in the system occurred at nights, making the water in solar tubes higher than T exp . It is found that the reverse flow rate in the SWH, estimated based on temperature measurements of water in solar tubes, seemed not sensitive to the atmospheric clearness but sensitive to the collector tilt-angle, the larger the tilt-angle of the collector, the higher the reverse flow rate. Experimental results also showed that, the reverse flow in the SWH was much higher as compared to that in a thermosyphonic domestic solar water heater with flat-plate collectors, but the heat loss from collectors to the air due to reverse flow in SWHs was very small and only took about 8–10% of total heat loss of systems

Modeling of a solar photovoltaic water pumping system under the influence of panel cooling

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chinathambi Gopal

2017-01-01

Full Text Available In this paper, the performance of a solar photovoltaic water pumping system was improved by maintaining the cell temperature in the range between 30°C and 40°C. Experiments have been conducted on a laboratory experimental set-up installed with 6.4 m2 solar panel (by providing air cooling either on the top surface or over the beneath surface of the panel to operate a centrifugal pump with a rated capacity of 0.5 HP. The performance characteristics of the photovoltaic panel (such as, cell temperature, photovoltaic panel output, and photovoltaic efficiency, pump performance characteristics (such as pump efficiency and discharge, and system performance characteristics are observed with reference to solar irradiation, ambient temperature and wind velocity. A thermal model has been developed to predict the variations of photovoltaic cell temperature based on the measured glass and tedlar temperatures. The influences of cell temperature and solar irradiation on the performance of the system are described. The results concluded that cooling of photovoltaic panel on beneath surface has maintained the cell temperature in the range between 30°C and 40°C and improved the overall efficiency by about 1.8% when compared to the system without panel cooling.

Disinfection of contaminated water by using solar irradiation.

Science.gov (United States)

Caslake, Laurie F; Connolly, Daniel J; Menon, Vilas; Duncanson, Catriona M; Rojas, Ricardo; Tavakoli, Javad

2004-02-01

Contaminated water causes an estimated 6 to 60 billion cases of gastrointestinal illness annually. The majority of these cases occur in rural areas of developing nations where the water supply remains polluted and adequate sanitation is unavailable. A portable, low-cost, and low-maintenance solar unit to disinfect unpotable water has been designed and tested. The solar disinfection unit was tested with both river water and partially processed water from two wastewater treatment plants. In less than 30 min in midday sunlight, the unit eradicated more than 4 log10 U (99.99%) of bacteria contained in highly contaminated water samples. The solar disinfection unit has been field tested by Centro Panamericano de Ingenieria Sanitaria y Ciencias del Ambiente in Lima, Peru. At moderate light intensity, the solar disinfection unit was capable of reducing the bacterial load in a controlled contaminated water sample by 4 log10 U and disinfected approximately 1 liter of water in 30 min.

Solar photovoltaic water pumping for remote locations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Meah, Kala; Fletcher, Steven; Ula, Sadrul

2008-01-01

Many parts of the world as well as the western US are rural in nature and consequently do not have electrical distribution lines in many parts of villages, farms, and ranches. Distribution line extension costs can run from USD 10,000 to USD 16,000/km, thereby making availability of electricity to small water pumping projects economically unattractive. But, ground water and sunlight are available, which make solar photovoltaic (SPV) powered water pumping more cost effective in these areas' small scale applications. Many western states including Wyoming are passing through the sixth year of drought with the consequent shortages of water for many applications. The Wyoming State Climatologist is predicting a possible 5-10 years of drought. Drought impacts the surface water right away, while it takes much longer to impact the underground aquifers. To mitigate the effect on the livestock and wildlife, Wyoming Governor Dave Freudenthal initiated a solar water pumping initiative in cooperation with the University of Wyoming, County Conservation Districts, Rural Electric Cooperatives, and ranching organizations. Solar water pumping has several advantages over traditional systems; for example, diesel or propane engines require not only expensive fuels, they also create noise and air pollution in many remote pristine areas. Solar systems are environment friendly, low maintenance, and have no fuel cost. In this paper the design, installation, site selection, and performance monitoring of the solar system for small-scale remote water pumping will be presented. This paper also presents technical, environmental, and economic benefits of the SPV water pumping system compared to stand alone generator and electric utility. (author)

Retrofitting Domestic Hot Water Heaters for Solar Water Heating Systems in Single-Family Houses in a Cold Climate: A Theoretical Analysis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Björn Karlsson

2012-10-01

Full Text Available One of the biggest obstacles to economic profitability of solar water heating systems is the investment cost. Retrofitting existing domestic hot water heaters when a new solar hot water system is installed can reduce both the installation and material costs. In this study, retrofitting existing water heaters for solar water heating systems in Swedish single-family houses was theoretically investigated using the TRNSYS software. Four simulation models using forced circulation flow with different system configurations and control strategies were simulated and analysed in the study. A comparison with a standard solar thermal system was also presented based on the annual solar fraction. The simulation results indicate that the retrofitting configuration achieving the highest annual performance consists of a system where the existing tank is used as storage for the solar heat and a smaller tank with a heater is added in series to make sure that the required outlet temperature can be met. An external heat exchanger is used between the collector circuit and the existing tank. For this retrofitted system an annual solar fraction of 50.5% was achieved. A conventional solar thermal system using a standard solar tank achieves a comparable performance for the same total storage volume, collector area and reference conditions.

Packaged solar water heating technology: twenty years of progress

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Morrison, Graham; Wood, Byard

2000-01-01

The world market for packaged solar water heaters is reviewed, and descriptions are given of the different types of solar domestic water heaters (SDWH), design concepts for packaged SDWH, thermosyphon SDWH, evacuated insulation and excavated tube collectors, seasonally biased solar collectors, heat pump water heaters, and photovoltaic water heaters. The consumer market value for SDWHs is explained, and the results of a survey of solar water heating are summarised covering advantages, perceived disadvantages, the relative importance of purchase decision factors, experience with system components, and the most frequent maintenance problems. The durability, reliability, and performance of SDWHs are discussed

Water purification using solar radiation in Nigeria

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Udounwa, A.E.; Osuji, R.U.

2005-12-01

In developing countries, lack of safe and reliable drinking water constitutes a major problem. Contaminated water is the major cause of most water borne diseases like diarrhoea. Disinfection of water is accomplished by a number of different physical - chemical treatments including boiling, application of chlorine and filtration techniques. Solar energy, which is universally available, can also be used effectively in this process, that is, to deactivate the micro-organisms present in this contaminated water thereby improving its microbiological quality. This treatment process is called solar water disinfection. This paper therefore appraises the extent to which research work has been done as regards purification of water using solar radiation in Nigeria vis-a-vis outside the country. It is hoped that it will serve as a wake-up-call for Nigerians especially those in remote areas with no treated pipe borne water supply. The problems and prospects of this technology as well as the policy implications are presented. (author)

The Character of the Solar Wind, Surface Interactions, and Water

Science.gov (United States)

Farrell, William M.

2011-01-01

We discuss the key characteristics of the proton-rich solar wind and describe how it may interact with the lunar surface. We suggest that solar wind can be both a source and loss of water/OH related volatiles, and review models showing both possibilities. Energy from the Sun in the form of radiation and solar wind plasma are in constant interaction with the lunar surface. As such, there is a solar-lunar energy connection, where solar energy and matter are continually bombarding the lunar surface, acting at the largest scale to erode the surface at 0.2 Angstroms per year via ion sputtering [1]. Figure 1 illustrates this dynamically Sun-Moon system.

Solar photocatalytic cleaning of polluted water

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bockelmann, D.

1994-01-01

Alternatively to biological, physical and chemical methods of waste water cleaning, photocatalysis can be employed. In this residue-free method, titanium dioxide particles are brought into contact with polluted water as photocatalysts. Under UV irradiation at wave-lengths below 400 nm, change carriers are generated in the semiconductor particles that act so intensely oxidizing as to completely degrade almost all organic pollutants in waste water. In this process, the ultra-violet part of the solar spectrum can be harnessed to generate oxidation equivalents. Thus, solar photocatalytic waste water cleaning is excellently suited for developing countries. (BWI) [de

OUT Success Stories: Solar Hot Water Technology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Clyne, R.

2000-01-01

Solar hot water technology was made great strides in the past two decades. Every home, commercial building, and industrial facility requires hot water. DOE has helped to develop reliable and durable solar hot water systems. For industrial applications, the growth potential lies in large-scale systems, using flat-plate and trough-type collectors. Flat-plate collectors are commonly used in residential hot water systems and can be integrated into the architectural design of the building

OUT Success Stories: Solar Hot Water Technology

Science.gov (United States)

Clyne, R.

2000-08-01

Solar hot water technology was made great strides in the past two decades. Every home, commercial building, and industrial facility requires hot water. DOE has helped to develop reliable and durable solar hot water systems. For industrial applications, the growth potential lies in large-scale systems, using flat-plate and trough-type collectors. Flat-plate collectors are commonly used in residential hot water systems and can be integrated into the architectural design of the building.

Solar heating and hot water system installed at office building, One Solar Place, Dallas, Texas

Science.gov (United States)

1980-01-01

A solar heating on cooling system is described which is designed to provide 87 percent of the space heating needs, 100 percent of the potable hot water needs and is sized for future absorption cooling. The collection subsystem consists of 28 solargenics, series 76, flat plate collectors with a total area of 1,596 square feet. The solar loop circulates an ethylene glyco water solution through the collectors into a hot water system exchanger. The water storage subsystem consists of a heat exchanger, two 2,300 gallon concrete hot water storage tanks with built in heat exchangers and a back-up electric boiler. The domestic hot water subsystem sends hot water to the 10,200 square feet floor area office building hot water water fixtures. The building cold water system provides make up to the solar loop, the heating loop, and the hot water concrete storage tanks. The design, construction, cost analysis, operation and maintenance of the solar system are described.

Experimental study on a new solar boiling water system with holistic track solar funnel concentrator

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Xiaodi, Xue; Hongfei, Zheng; Kaiyan, He; Zhili, Chen; Tao, Tao; Guo, Xie

2010-01-01

A new solar boiling water system with conventional vacuum-tube solar collector as primary heater and the holistic solar funnel concentrator as secondary heater had been designed. In this paper, the system was measured out door and its performance was analyzed. The configuration and operation principle of the system are described. Variations of the boiled water yield, the temperature of the stove and the solar irradiance with local time have been measured. Main factors affecting the system performance have been analyzed. The experimental results indicate that the system produced large amount of boiled water. And the performance of the system has been found closely related to the solar radiance. When the solar radiance is above 600 W/m 2 , the boiled water yield rate of the system has reached 20 kg/h and its total energy efficiency has exceeded 40%.

Novel configurations of solar distillation system for potable water production

Science.gov (United States)

Riahi, A.; Yusof, K. W.; Sapari, N.; Singh, B. S.; Hashim, A. M.

2013-06-01

More and more surface water are polluted with toxic chemicals. Alternatively brackish and saline water are used as feed water to water treatment plants. Expensive desalination process via reverse osmosis or distillation is used in the plants. Thus, this conventional desalination is not suitable for low and medium income countries. A cheaper method is by solar distillation. However the rate of water production by this method is generally considered low. This research attempts to enhance water production of solar distillation by optimizing solar capture, evaporation and condensation processes. Solar radiation data was captured in several days in Perak, Malaysia. Three kinds of experiments were done by fabricating triangular solar distillation systems. First type was conventional solar still, second type was combined with 50 Watt solar photovoltaic panel and 40 Watt Dc heater, while third type was integrated with 12 Volt Solar battery and 40 Watt Dc heater. The present investigation showed that the productivity of second and third systems were 150% and 480% of the conventional still type, respectively. The finding of this research can be expected to have wide application in water supply particularly in areas where fresh surface water is limited.

Novel configurations of solar distillation system for potable water production

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Riahi, A; Yusof, K W; Sapari, N; Hashim, A M; Singh, B S

2013-01-01

More and more surface water are polluted with toxic chemicals. Alternatively brackish and saline water are used as feed water to water treatment plants. Expensive desalination process via reverse osmosis or distillation is used in the plants. Thus, this conventional desalination is not suitable for low and medium income countries. A cheaper method is by solar distillation. However the rate of water production by this method is generally considered low. This research attempts to enhance water production of solar distillation by optimizing solar capture, evaporation and condensation processes. Solar radiation data was captured in several days in Perak, Malaysia. Three kinds of experiments were done by fabricating triangular solar distillation systems. First type was conventional solar still, second type was combined with 50 Watt solar photovoltaic panel and 40 Watt Dc heater, while third type was integrated with 12 Volt Solar battery and 40 Watt Dc heater. The present investigation showed that the productivity of second and third systems were 150% and 480% of the conventional still type, respectively. The finding of this research can be expected to have wide application in water supply particularly in areas where fresh surface water is limited.

A hybrid desalination system using humidification-dehumidification and solar stills integrated with evacuated solar water heater

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sharshir, S.W.; Peng, Guilong; Yang, Nuo; Eltawil, Mohamed A.; Ali, Mohamed Kamal Ahmed; Kabeel, A.E.

2016-01-01

Highlights: • Evacuated solar water heater integrated with humidification-dehumidification system. • Reuse of warm water drained from humidification-dehumidification to feed solar stills. • The thermal performance of hybrid system is increased by 50% and maximum yield is 63.3 kg/day. • The estimated price of the freshwater produced from the hybrid system is $0.034/L. - Abstract: This paper offers a hybrid solar desalination system comprising a humidification-dehumidification and four solar stills. The developed hybrid desalination system reuses the drain warm water from humidification-dehumidification to feed solar stills to stop the massive warm water loss during desalination. Reusing the drain warm water increases the gain output ratio of the system by 50% and also increased the efficiency of single solar still to about 90%. Furthermore, the production of a single solar still as a part of the hybrid system was more than that of the conventional one by approximately 200%. The daily water production of the conventional one, single solar still, four solar still, humidification- dehumidification and hybrid system were 3.2, 10.5, 42, 24.3 and 66.3 kg/day, respectively. Furthermore, the cost per unit liter of distillate from conventional one, humidification- dehumidification and hybrid system were around $0.049, $0.058 and $0.034, respectively.

Economical investigation of solar water distillation in Egypt

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sakr, I A; Khalil, M A; Delyannis, A; Delyannis, E [eds.

1976-01-01

Many ways of solar water distillation have been suggested but most of them are either too expensive or only a practical solution to different processes under investigation. Solar heat distillation has a bright future because the greatest potential needs appear to be in those sections where the availability of solar energy is high and the availability of potable water is low as in our Egyptian deserts where the solar intensity has a yearly mean value of about 6000 kcal/(m/sup 2/day). The solar distillation method has a number of economic characteristics which are different from other sea water conversion methods, including: The processing equipment is very simple and results in low equipment costs. No special skills are required for both erection and operation. It can be used with saline water of wide range of salt concentration. The still design is essentially modular, and can be made to meet any desired capacity. Scale formation and corrosion are minor problems as compared with other methods. Power requirements are negligible. The cost of unit construction is not markedly influenced by the size of the still. The lack of quantitative and operative data of solar water distillation techniques with respect to their cost needs in investigation from the economical standpoint of view in Egypt. The subject of this work is to find the order of magnitude of the fresh water cost by solar distillation.

Design of a Solar Water Heating System for Kuti Hall, University of ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Monthly average daily irradiance in plane of solar collector and Cold water temperature calculated from weather data collated to determine heating load. Mathematical model was developed based on heat transfer, thermal and optical and energy performance of collector. The absorber plate area, dimensions of solar ...

An investigation of the Performance of a Conical Solar Water Heater in the Kingdom of Bahrain

Science.gov (United States)

Gaaliche, Nessreen; Ayhan, Teoman; Fathallah, Raouf

2017-11-01

Domestic water heater corresponds to 25% of the house energy consumption and can play an important role to reduce energy house expenses. Solar energy offers a preferred renewable energy resource because of its economic and environmental advantages. It is considered the best alternative to reduce domestic water heater energy consumption cost. Converting solar energy into heat can be considered among the simplest used systems. Solar thermal conversion is more efficient than solar electrical direct conversion method. Solar water heater systems are particularly easy to use and to repair. The integrated conical solar collector water heater (ICSCWH) is so far the easiest among water heating systems. The ICSCWH converts directly and efficiently the solar flux into heat. In order to expand the utilization of ICSCWH systems, many design modifications have been examined and analyzed. This study provides an experimental investigation and mathematical simulation of an ICSCWH system equipped with a glass cover resulting in the increase of the maximum absorption. Integrating the cone-shaped heat collector with an aluminum spiral pipe flow system may enhance the efficiency of the proposed system. In order to maximize the solar radiation of the system, the solar water heater has been designed in a conical shape, which removes the need to change its orientation toward the sun to receive the maximum sun radiation during the day. In this system, the heating of water has been obtained using the spiral pipe flow without the use of the solar cells and mirrors in order to reduce the total cost. The storage water tank of this system is coupled with a conical solar collector. Based on the above design, the solar water heater has been fabricated and tested. In addition, an analytical modeling approach aiming to predict the flow rate within the conical integrated collector storage solar water heater (ICSSWH) and its efficiency, was developed. Modeling through a numerical simulation approach

An investigation of the Performance of a Conical Solar Water Heater in the Kingdom of Bahrain

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gaaliche Nessreen

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Domestic water heater corresponds to 25% of the house energy consumption and can play an important role to reduce energy house expenses. Solar energy offers a preferred renewable energy resource because of its economic and environmental advantages. It is considered the best alternative to reduce domestic water heater energy consumption cost. Converting solar energy into heat can be considered among the simplest used systems. Solar thermal conversion is more efficient than solar electrical direct conversion method. Solar water heater systems are particularly easy to use and to repair. The integrated conical solar collector water heater (ICSCWH is so far the easiest among water heating systems. The ICSCWH converts directly and efficiently the solar flux into heat. In order to expand the utilization of ICSCWH systems, many design modifications have been examined and analyzed. This study provides an experimental investigation and mathematical simulation of an ICSCWH system equipped with a glass cover resulting in the increase of the maximum absorption. Integrating the cone-shaped heat collector with an aluminum spiral pipe flow system may enhance the efficiency of the proposed system. In order to maximize the solar radiation of the system, the solar water heater has been designed in a conical shape, which removes the need to change its orientation toward the sun to receive the maximum sun radiation during the day. In this system, the heating of water has been obtained using the spiral pipe flow without the use of the solar cells and mirrors in order to reduce the total cost. The storage water tank of this system is coupled with a conical solar collector. Based on the above design, the solar water heater has been fabricated and tested. In addition, an analytical modeling approach aiming to predict the flow rate within the conical integrated collector storage solar water heater (ICSSWH and its efficiency, was developed. Modeling through a numerical

Solar heating and hot water system installed at office building, One Solar Place, Dallas, Texas. Final report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1980-06-01

This document is the Final Report of the Solar Energy System Installed at the First Solar Heated Office Building, One Solar Place, Dallas, Texas. The Solar System was designed to provide 87 percent of the space heating needs, 100 percent of the potable hot water needs and is sized for future absorption cooling. The collection subsystem consists of 28 Solargenics, series 76, flat plate collectors with a total area of 1596 square feet. The solar loop circulates an ethylene glycol-water solution through the collectors into a hot water system heat exchanger. The hot water storage subsystem consists of a heat exchanger, two 2300 gallon concrete hot water storage tanks with built in heat exchangers and a back-up electric boiler. The domestic hot water subsystem sends hot water to the 10,200 square feet floor area office building hot water fixtures. The building cold water system provides make-up to the solar loop, the heating loop, and the hot water concrete storage tanks. The design, construction, cost analysis, operation and maintenance of the solar system are described. The system became operational July 11, 1979.

Continuous-flow solar UVB disinfection reactor for drinking water.

Science.gov (United States)

Mbonimpa, Eric Gentil; Vadheim, Bryan; Blatchley, Ernest R

2012-05-01

Access to safe, reliable sources of drinking water is a long-standing problem among people in developing countries. Sustainable solutions to these problems often involve point-of-use or community-scale water treatment systems that rely on locally-available resources and expertise. This philosophy was used in the development of a continuous-flow, solar UVB disinfection system. Numerical modeling of solar UVB spectral irradiance was used to define temporal variations in spectral irradiance at several geographically-distinct locations. The results of these simulations indicated that a solar UVB system would benefit from incorporation of a device to amplify ambient UVB fluence rate. A compound parabolic collector (CPC) was selected for this purpose. Design of the CPC was based on numerical simulations that accounted for the shape of the collector and reflectance. Based on these simulations, a prototype CPC was constructed using materials that would be available and inexpensive in many developing countries. A UVB-transparent pipe was positioned in the focal area of the CPC; water was pumped through the pipe to allow exposure of waterborne microbes to germicidal solar UVB radiation. The system was demonstrated to be effective for inactivation of Escherichia coli, and DNA-weighted UV dose was shown to govern reactor performance. The design of the reactor is expected to scale linearly, and improvements in process performance (relative to results from the prototype) can be expected by use of larger CPC geometry, inclusion of better reflective materials, and application in areas with greater ambient solar UV spectral irradiance than the location of the prototype tests. The system is expected to have application for water treatment among communities in (developing) countries in near-equatorial and tropical locations. It may also have application for disaster relief or military field operations, as well as in water treatment in areas of developed countries that receive

Solar Water Splitting Using Semiconductor Photocatalyst Powders

KAUST Repository

Takanabe, Kazuhiro

2015-01-01

Solar energy conversion is essential to address the gap between energy production and increasing demand. Large scale energy generation from solar energy can only be achieved through equally large scale collection of the solar spectrum. Overall water

Modelling radiative heat transfer inside a basin type solar still

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Madhlopa, A.

2014-01-01

Radiative heat transfer inside a basin type solar still has been investigated using two models with (model 1) and without (model 2) taking into account optical view factors. The coefficient of radiative heat exchange (h r,w-gc ) between the water and cover surfaces of a practical solar still was computed using the two models. Simulation results show that model 1 yields lower values of h r,w-gc and the root mean square error than model 2. It is therefore concluded that the accuracy of modelling the performance of a basin-type solar still can be improved by incorporating view factors. - Highlights: • Radiative heat transfer in a basin type solar still has been investigated. • Two models with and without view factors were used. • The model with view factors exhibits a lower magnitude of root mean square error. • View factors affect the accuracy of modelling the performance of the solar still

A solar neutrino loophole: standard solar models

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rouse, C A [General Atomic Co., San Diego, Calif. (USA)

1975-11-01

The salient aspects of the existence theorem for a unique solution to a system of linear of nonlinear first-order, ordinary differential equations are given and applied to the equilibrium stellar structure equations. It is shown that values of pressure, temperature, mass and luminosity are needed at one point - and for the sun, the logical point is the solar radius. It is concluded that since standard solar model calculations use split boundary conditions, a solar neutrino loophole still remains: solar model calculations that seek to satisfy the necessary condition for a unique solution to the solar structure equations suggest a solar interior quite different from that deduced in standard models. This, in turn, suggests a theory of formation and solar evolution significantly different from the standard theory.

Distributed Nonstationary Heat Model of Two-Channel Solar Air Heater

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Klychev, Sh. I.; Bakhramov, S. A.; Ismanzhanov, A. I.; Tashiev, N.N.

2011-01-01

An algorithm for a distributed nonstationary heat model of a solar air heater (SAH) with two operating channels is presented. The model makes it possible to determine how the coolant temperature changes with time along the solar air heater channel by considering its main thermal and ambient parameters, as well as variations in efficiency. Examples of calculations are presented. It is shown that the time within which the mean-day efficiency of the solar air heater becomes stable is significantly higher than the time within which the coolant temperature reaches stable values. The model can be used for investigation of the performances of solar water-heating collectors. (authors)

Chemodynamical deuterium fractionation in the early solar nebula: The origin of water on earth and in asteroids and comets

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Albertsson, T.; Semenov, D.; Henning, Th., E-mail: albertsson@mpia.de [Max-Planck-Institut für Astronomie, Königstuhl 17, D-69117 Heidelberg (Germany)

2014-03-20

Formation and evolution of water in the solar system and the origin of water on Earth constitute one of the most interesting questions in astronomy. The prevailing hypothesis for the origin of water on Earth is by delivery through water-rich small solar system bodies. In this paper, the isotopic and chemical evolution of water during the early history of the solar nebula, before the onset of planetesimal formation, is studied. A gas-grain chemical model that includes multiply deuterated species and nuclear spin-states is combined with a steady-state solar nebula model. To calculate initial abundances, we simulated 1 Myr of evolution of a cold and dark TMC-1-like prestellar core. Two time-dependent chemical models of the solar nebula are calculated over 1 Myr: (1) a laminar model and (2) a model with two-dimensional (2D) turbulent mixing. We find that the radial outward increase of the H{sub 2}O D/H ratio is shallower in the chemodynamical nebular model than in the laminar model. This is related to more efficient defractionation of HDO via rapid gas-phase processes because the 2D mixing model allows the water ice to be transported either inward and thermally evaporated or upward and photodesorbed. The laminar model shows the Earth water D/H ratio at r ≲ 2.5 AU, whereas for the 2D chemodynamical model this zone is larger, r ≲ 9 AU. Similarly, the water D/H ratios representative of the Oort-family comets, ∼2.5-10 × 10{sup –4}, are achieved within ∼2-6 AU and ∼2-20 AU in the laminar and the 2D model, respectively. We find that with regards to the water isotopic composition and the origin of the comets, the mixing model seems to be favored over the laminar model.

Chemodynamical deuterium fractionation in the early solar nebula: The origin of water on earth and in asteroids and comets

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Albertsson, T.; Semenov, D.; Henning, Th.

2014-01-01

Formation and evolution of water in the solar system and the origin of water on Earth constitute one of the most interesting questions in astronomy. The prevailing hypothesis for the origin of water on Earth is by delivery through water-rich small solar system bodies. In this paper, the isotopic and chemical evolution of water during the early history of the solar nebula, before the onset of planetesimal formation, is studied. A gas-grain chemical model that includes multiply deuterated species and nuclear spin-states is combined with a steady-state solar nebula model. To calculate initial abundances, we simulated 1 Myr of evolution of a cold and dark TMC-1-like prestellar core. Two time-dependent chemical models of the solar nebula are calculated over 1 Myr: (1) a laminar model and (2) a model with two-dimensional (2D) turbulent mixing. We find that the radial outward increase of the H 2 O D/H ratio is shallower in the chemodynamical nebular model than in the laminar model. This is related to more efficient defractionation of HDO via rapid gas-phase processes because the 2D mixing model allows the water ice to be transported either inward and thermally evaporated or upward and photodesorbed. The laminar model shows the Earth water D/H ratio at r ≲ 2.5 AU, whereas for the 2D chemodynamical model this zone is larger, r ≲ 9 AU. Similarly, the water D/H ratios representative of the Oort-family comets, ∼2.5-10 × 10 –4 , are achieved within ∼2-6 AU and ∼2-20 AU in the laminar and the 2D model, respectively. We find that with regards to the water isotopic composition and the origin of the comets, the mixing model seems to be favored over the laminar model.

Optimization of hybrid system (wind-solar energy) for pumping water ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

This paper presents an optimization method for a hybrid (wind-solar) autonomous system designed for pumping water. This method is based on mathematical models demonstrated for the analysis and control of the performance of the various components of the hybrid system. These models provide an estimate of ...

Solar photocatalysis - a possible step in drinking water treatment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ljubas, Davor

2005-01-01

Possibility of the use of solar radiation for reduction of Natural Organic Matter (NOM) content in natural lake water, as a source for drinking water preparation, was the topic of this research. Solar radiation alone does not have enough energy for sufficient degradation of NOM, but in combination with heterogeneous photocatalyst-titanium dioxide (TiO 2 ), with or without other chemicals, the degradation potential could increase. In specific geographical conditions in Republic of Croatia, e.g. Adriatic islands or Dalmatia, solar radiation could be used for photocatalytic degradation of natural organic matter (NOM) in surface waters and therewith lighten the process of preparing them to the potable water. Specific quality of the geographical locality appears in fact that it is a very attractive tourist destination, especially in period June-September. In this period the drinking water demand is the biggest and, fortunately, the intensity of the solar radiation, too. So, there is a proportion between the drinking water demand and solar radiation available for the use in drinking water treatment. A number of tests with lake water exposed to solar radiation in non-concentrating reactors were performed and photodegradation of NOM for various combinations of doses and crystal forms of TiO 2 with H 2 O 2 was studied. Irradiation intensity was estimated from global solar radiation measurements. The best performance for the NOM degradation had combination of 1 g/L TiO 2 both anatase and rutile+solar radiation+H 2 O 2 , but - economically - it was not the best combination. An estimation of the biodegradation potential of dissolved organic matter after the photocatalytic step is given, too

Solar water heating: The making of a simple, standard appliance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Block, D.L.

1993-01-01

Within the solar community we have carried on never-ending discussions about the performance of solar water heaters. As a long-time solar advocate and researcher, I am continually asked, open-quotes When will solar usage become widespread?close quotes We who are in the solar business all face this question, and we must respond. Our answers usually take the form of some discussion on efficiency improvements, life-cycle costs, level playing field or environmental factors. But the only real way to answer this question is: Use of solar will be widewspread when a solar water heater is considered to be just another standard appliance. Increased installations is the key, and the solar technology with the greatest near-term potential for increased installation is solar water heating

Forced-circulation solar water heater using a solar battery; Taiyo denchi wo mochiita kyosei junkanshiki taiyonetsu onsuiki

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Asai, S; Mizuno, T [Yazaki Resources Co. Ltd., Shizuoka (Japan)

1996-10-27

For the purpose of satisfying demands for qualitative improvement on tapwater temperature and pressure, an indirect-type solar water heater using solar cells, in which a closed type hot water storage tank connected directly to the water supply is integrated with a solar collector, was examined for its characteristics and performance. The heat collecting medium is a water solution of polypropylene glycol, which circulates through the solar collector pump, cistern, solar collector, and heat exchanger (hot water storage tank). The results of the test are summarized below. When comparison is made between the two solar collector pump control methods, the solar cells direct connection method and the differential thermo method utilizing temperature difference between the solar collector and the hot water storage tank, they are alike in collecting heat on clear days, but on cloudy days the latter collects 5% more than the former. In winter, when the heat exchanger heat transfer area is 0.4m{sup 2} large, a further increase in the area improves but a little the heat collecting efficiency. An increase in the medium flow rate and temperature, or in the Reynolds number, enhances the heat collecting efficiency. 13 figs., 6 tabs.

Solar water disinfecting system using compound parabolic concentrating collector

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

El-Ghetany, H.H.; Saitoh, T.S. [Tohoku Univ., Sendai (Japan)

2000-05-31

Solar water disinfection is an alternative technology using solar radiation and thermal treatment to inactivate and destroy pathogenic microorganisms present in water. The Compound Parabolic Concentrating, (CPC) collector can be used as an efficient key component for solar disinfectanting system. Two types of the CPC collectors are studied, namely the transparent-tube and the Copper-tube CPC collector. It is found that after 30 minutes of exposing the water sample to solar radiation or heating it up to 65 degree C for a few minuets all the coliform bacterial present in the contaminated water sample were completely eliminated. In this article, the effect of water temperature on the disinfecting process was presented. Thermal and micro-biological measurements were also made to evaluate the system performance. (author)

Solar Energy for Space Heating & Hot Water.

Science.gov (United States)

Energy Research and Development Administration, Washington, DC. Div. of Solar Energy.

This pamphlet reviews the direct transfer of solar energy into heat, particularly for the purpose of providing space and hot water heating needs. Owners of buildings and homes are provided with a basic understanding of solar heating and hot water systems: what they are, how they perform, the energy savings possible, and the cost factors involved.…

Detailed Physical Trough Model for NREL's Solar Advisor Model: Preprint

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wagner, M. J.; Blair, N.; Dobos, A.

2010-10-01

Solar Advisor Model (SAM) is a free software package made available by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Sandia National Laboratory, and the US Department of Energy. SAM contains hourly system performance and economic models for concentrating solar power (CSP) systems, photovoltaic, solar hot-water, and generic fuel-use technologies. Versions of SAM prior to 2010 included only the parabolic trough model based on Excelergy. This model uses top-level empirical performance curves to characterize plant behavior, and thus is limited in predictive capability for new technologies or component configurations. To address this and other functionality challenges, a new trough model; derived from physical first principles was commissioned to supplement the Excelergy-based empirical model. This new 'physical model' approaches the task of characterizing the performance of the whole parabolic trough plant by replacing empirical curve-fit relationships with more detailed calculations where practical. The resulting model matches the annual performance of the SAM empirical model (which has been previously verified with plant data) while maintaining run-times compatible with parametric analysis, adding additional flexibility in modeled system configurations, and providing more detailed performance calculations in the solar field, power block, piping, and storage subsystems.

A completely passive continuous flow solar water purification system

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Duff, William S.; Hodgson, David A. [Dept. of Mechanical Enginnering, Colorado State Univ., Fort Collins, CO (United States)

2008-07-01

Water-borne pathogens in developing countries cause several billion cases of disease and up to 10 million deaths each year, at least half of which are children. Solar water pasteurization is a potentially cost-effective, robust and reliable solution to these problems. A completely passively controlled solar water pasteurization system with a total collector area of 0.45 m{sup 2} has been constructed. The system most recently tested produced 337 litres per m{sup 2} of collector area of treated water on a sunny day. We developed our completely passive density-driven solar water pasteurization system over a five year span so that it now achieves reliable control for all possible variations in solar conditions. We have also substantially increased its daily pure water production efficiency over the same period. We will discuss the performance of our water purification system and provide an analyses that demonstrates that the system insures safe purified water production at all times. (orig.)

Solar photocatalytic cleaning of polluted water. Solare Reinigung verschmutzter Waesser mittels Photokatalyse

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bockelmann, D

1994-01-01

Alternatively to biological, physical and chemical methods of waste water cleaning, photocatalysis can be employed. In this residue-free method, titanium dioxide particles are brought into contact with polluted water as photocatalysts. Under UV irradiation at wave-lengths below 400 nm, change carriers are generated in the semiconductor particles that act so intensely oxidizing as to completely degrade almost all organic pollutants in waste water. In this process, the ultra-violet part of the solar spectrum can be harnessed to generate oxidation equivalents. Thus, solar photocatalytic waste water cleaning is excellently suited for developing countries. (BWI)

Smart solar tanks for small solar domestic hot water systems

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Furbo, Simon; Andersen, Elsa; Knudsen, Søren

2005-01-01

Investigation of small SDHW systems based on smart solar tanks are presented. The domestic water in a smart solar tank can be heated both by solar collectors and by means of an auxiliary energy supply system. The auxiliary energy supply system – in this study electric heating elements – heats up...... systems, based on differently designed smart solar tanks and a traditional SDHW system were investigated by means of laboratory experiments and theoretical calculations. The investigations showed that the yearly thermal performance of SDHW systems with smart solar tanks is 5-35% higher than the thermal...... performance of traditional SDHW systems. Estimates indicate that the performance/cost ratio can be improved by up to 25% by using a smart solar tank instead of a traditional tank when the backup energy system is electric heating elements. Further, smart solar tanks are suitable for unknown, variable, large...

Thermal performance analysis of a direct-expansion solar-assisted heat pump water heater

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kong, X.Q.; Zhang, D.; Li, Y.; Yang, Q.M.

2011-01-01

A direct-expansion solar-assisted heat pump water heater (DX-SAHPWH) is described, which can supply hot water for domestic use during the whole year. The system mainly employs a bare flat-plate collector/evaporator with a surface area of 4.2 m 2 , an electrical rotary-type hermetic compressor, a hot water tank with the volume of 150 L and a thermostatic expansion valve. R-22 is used as working fluid in the system. A simulation model based on lumped and distributed parameter approach is developed to predict the thermal performance of the system. Given the structure parameters, meteorological parameters, time step and final water temperature, the numerical model can output operational parameters, such as heat capacity, system COP and collector efficiency. Comparisons between the simulation results and the experimental measurements show that the model is able to give satisfactory predictions. The effect of various parameters, including solar radiation, ambient temperature, wind speed and compressor speed, has been analyzed on the thermal performance of the system. -- Highlights: ► A direct-expansion solar-assisted heat pump water heater (DX-SAHPWH) is described. ► A simulation model based on lumped and distributed parameter approach is developed to predict the thermal performance of the system. ► The numerical model can output operational parameters, such as heat capacity, system COP and collector efficiency. ► Comparisons between the simulation results and the experimental measurements show that the model is able to give satisfactory predictions. ► The effect of various parameters has been analyzed on the thermal performance of the system.

Economic feasibility of solar water and space heating.

Science.gov (United States)

Bezdek, R H; Hirshberg, A S; Babcock, W H

1979-03-23

The economic feasibility in 1977 and 1978 of solar water and combined water and space heating is analyzed for single-family detached residences and multi-family apartment buildings in four representative U.S. cities: Boston, Massachusetts; Washington, D.C.; Grand Junction, Colorado; and Los Angeles, California. Three economic decision criteria are utilized: payback period, years to recovery of down payment, and years to net positive cash flow. The cost competitiveness of the solar systems compared to heating systems based on electricity, fuel oil, and natural gas is then discussed for each city, and the impact of the federal tax credit for solar energy systems is assessed. It is found that even without federal incentives some solar water and space heating systems are competitive. Enactment of the solar tax credit, however, greatly enhances their competitiveness. The implications of these findings for government tax and energy pricing policies are discussed.

Mathematical model development for a new solar desalination system (SDS)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Elsafty, A.F. [Arab Academy for Science and Technology and Maritime Transport, Alexandria (Egypt). Dept. of Mechanical and Marine Engineering; Fath, H.E. [Alexandria Univ., Alexandria (Egypt). Dept. of Mechanical Engineering

2007-07-01

Desalination, as a non-conventional water resource, has become one of the most promising alternative water sources to address the fresh water shortage in the near future. Desalination technologies are constrained in that they are driven almost entirely by the combustion of fuels which are still of finite supply, pollute the air, and contribute to the risk of global climate change. Solar distillation is preferred to other processes of distillation because of the low operating cost, low maintenance, lack of moving parts, and clean energy offered. The development of solar distillation has demonstrated its suitability for saline water desalination when weather conditions are favorable and when demand is not large. Solar energy in the Arab region is available at relatively high intensity during most of the year. This paper presented a general mathematical model for a newly developed solar still that uses a parabolic reflector-tube absorber desalination technology. A computer program was developed to simulate the still operation and to solve the governing heat and mass transfer action which occurred during the operation. The program was used to study the still production in different cases. The paper provided a description of the mathematical model and discussed the governing equations. It was concluded that unit productivity improved by increasing the solar intensity, ambient temperature, efficiency of reflector material, reflector aperture area and evaporation area. In addition, increasing the wind velocity, saline water depth, condenser emissivity and condenser thickness had only a small effect on the productivity. 3 refs., 1 tab., 14 figs.

Modeling solar radiation at the Earth's surface recent advances

CERN Document Server

Badescu, Viorel

2008-01-01

Solar radiation data is important for a wide range of applications, e.g. in engineering, agriculture, health sector, and in many fields of the natural sciences. A few examples showing the diversity of applications may include: architecture and building design e.g. air conditioning and cooling systems; solar heating system design and use; solar power generation; weather and climate prediction models; evaporation and irrigation; calculation of water requirements for crops; monitoring plant growth and disease control; skin cancer research. Solar radiation data must be provided in a variety of f

Thermal analysis and performance optimization of a solar hot water plant with economic evaluation

KAUST Repository

Kim, Youngdeuk

2012-05-01

The main objective of this study is to optimize the long-term performance of an existing active-indirect solar hot water plant (SHWP), which supplies hot water at 65 °C for use in a flight kitchen, using a micro genetic algorithm in conjunction with a relatively detailed model of each component in the plant and solar radiation model based on the measured data. The performance of SHWP at Changi International Airport Services (CIASs), Singapore, is studied for better payback period using the monthly average hourly diffuse and beam radiations and ambient temperature data. The data input for solar radiation model is obtained from the Singapore Meteorological Service (SMS), and these data have been compared with long-term average data of NASA (surface meteorology and solar energy or SSE). The comparison shows a good agreement between the predicted and measured hourly-averaged, horizontal global radiation. The SHWP at CIAS, which comprises 1200m 2 of evacuated-tube collectors, 50m 3 water storage tanks and a gas-fired auxiliary boiler, is first analyzed using a baseline configuration, i.e., (i) the local solar insolation input, (ii) a coolant flow rate through the headers of collector based on ASHRAE standards, (iii) a thermal load demand pattern amounting to 100m 3/day, and (iv) the augmentation of water temperature by auxiliary when the supply temperature from solar tank drops below the set point. A comparison between the baseline configuration and the measured performance of CIAS plant gives reasonably good validation of the simulation code. Optimization is further carried out for the following parameters, namely; (i) total collector area of the plant, (ii) storage volume, and (iii) three daily thermal demands. These studies are performed for both the CIAS plant and a slightly modified plant where the hot water supply to the load is adjusted constant at times when the water temperature from tank may exceed the set temperature. It is found that the latter

Thermal analysis and performance optimization of a solar hot water plant with economic evaluation

KAUST Repository

Kim, Youngdeuk; Thu, Kyaw; Bhatia, Hitasha Kaur; Bhatia, Charanjit Singh; Ng, K. C.

2012-01-01

The main objective of this study is to optimize the long-term performance of an existing active-indirect solar hot water plant (SHWP), which supplies hot water at 65 °C for use in a flight kitchen, using a micro genetic algorithm in conjunction with a relatively detailed model of each component in the plant and solar radiation model based on the measured data. The performance of SHWP at Changi International Airport Services (CIASs), Singapore, is studied for better payback period using the monthly average hourly diffuse and beam radiations and ambient temperature data. The data input for solar radiation model is obtained from the Singapore Meteorological Service (SMS), and these data have been compared with long-term average data of NASA (surface meteorology and solar energy or SSE). The comparison shows a good agreement between the predicted and measured hourly-averaged, horizontal global radiation. The SHWP at CIAS, which comprises 1200m 2 of evacuated-tube collectors, 50m 3 water storage tanks and a gas-fired auxiliary boiler, is first analyzed using a baseline configuration, i.e., (i) the local solar insolation input, (ii) a coolant flow rate through the headers of collector based on ASHRAE standards, (iii) a thermal load demand pattern amounting to 100m 3/day, and (iv) the augmentation of water temperature by auxiliary when the supply temperature from solar tank drops below the set point. A comparison between the baseline configuration and the measured performance of CIAS plant gives reasonably good validation of the simulation code. Optimization is further carried out for the following parameters, namely; (i) total collector area of the plant, (ii) storage volume, and (iii) three daily thermal demands. These studies are performed for both the CIAS plant and a slightly modified plant where the hot water supply to the load is adjusted constant at times when the water temperature from tank may exceed the set temperature. It is found that the latter

Development of Solar Drying Model for Selected Cambodian Fish Species

Science.gov (United States)

Hubackova, Anna; Kucerova, Iva; Chrun, Rithy; Chaloupkova, Petra; Banout, Jan

2014-01-01

A solar drying was investigated as one of perspective techniques for fish processing in Cambodia. The solar drying was compared to conventional drying in electric oven. Five typical Cambodian fish species were selected for this study. Mean solar drying temperature and drying air relative humidity were 55.6°C and 19.9%, respectively. The overall solar dryer efficiency was 12.37%, which is typical for natural convection solar dryers. An average evaporative capacity of solar dryer was 0.049 kg·h−1. Based on coefficient of determination (R 2), chi-square (χ 2) test, and root-mean-square error (RMSE), the most suitable models describing natural convection solar drying kinetics were Logarithmic model, Diffusion approximate model, and Two-term model for climbing perch and Nile tilapia, swamp eel and walking catfish and Channa fish, respectively. In case of electric oven drying, the Modified Page 1 model shows the best results for all investigated fish species except Channa fish where the two-term model is the best one. Sensory evaluation shows that most preferable fish is climbing perch, followed by Nile tilapia and walking catfish. This study brings new knowledge about drying kinetics of fresh water fish species in Cambodia and confirms the solar drying as acceptable technology for fish processing. PMID:25250381

South Africa. Fertile ground for solar water heaters

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Oirere, Shem

2012-07-01

The national solar water heating plan, launched by South Africa's state power utility Eskom, seems to be making good progress with the power generator saying at least 215,000 solar water heater (SWH) systems had been installed by February this year. (orig.)

Heat exchanger for solar water heaters

Science.gov (United States)

Cash, M.; Krupnick, A. C.

1977-01-01

Proposed efficient double-walled heat exchanger prevents contamination of domestic water supply lines and indicates leakage automatically in solar as well as nonsolar heat sources using water as heat transfer medium.

Energy efficiency of a solar domestic hot water system

Science.gov (United States)

Zukowski, Miroslaw

2017-11-01

The solar domestic hot water (SDHW) system located on the campus of Bialystok University of Technology is the object of the research described in the current paper. The solar thermal system is composed of 35 flat plate collectors, 21 evacuated tube collectors and eight hot water tanks with the capacity of 1 m3 of each. Solar facility is equipped with hardware for automatic data collection. Additionally, the weather station located on the roof of the building provides measurements of basic parameters of ambient air and solar radiation. The main objective of Regional Operational Program was the assessment of the effectiveness of this solar energy technology in the climatic conditions of the north-eastern Poland. Energy efficiency of SDHW system was defined in this research as the ratio between the useful heat energy supplied to the domestic hot water system and solar energy incident on the surface of solar panels. Heat loss from water storage tanks, and from the pipe network to the surrounding air, as well as the electrical energy consumed by the pumps have been included in the calculations. The paper presents the detailed results and conclusions obtained from this energy analysis.

An overview of the development of solar water heater industry in China

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Runqing, Hu; Peijun, Sun; Zhongying, Wang

2012-01-01

This article introduce the development of China solar water heater industry .Gives an overview of stages, market, manufacturing, application and testing about China solar water heater industry. Show the market data from 1998 to 2009. Analyze the experiences and features about the industry. The article also introduces the policy for solar hot water industry in China. These policies have accelerated the development of industry in which the main two incentive policies have the greatest influence on solar water heater industry. First one is the policy of mandatory installation of solar water heater implemented since 2007 by some local governments at provincial and municipal levels. Second is the subsidy policy for solar water heaters in the household appliances going to the countryside scheme implemented since 2009. At last the article gives the reason why China solar water heater industry have so rapid growth. From technology research, industrialization, prices and policy environment gives analysis. - Highlights: ► We compared International and China market about solar thermal products. ► The reason for rapid development of China solar water heater is explained. ► The experience of China solar water heater industry would give reference to other develop country. ► “Meet the demands of customer” is the main driver for the solar water heater industry development. ► The policy framework about China solar thermal industry was introduced. The industry achieved commercial operation without subsidy.

Analysis of a solar water thermosyphon system; Analise do aquecimento solar de agua por sistema a termosifao

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cardenas, Abner Barzola

1992-07-01

A design methodology and to perform the simulation of flat plate solar collectors coupled with a water storage tank and operating by natural convection circulation is presented. For a given site the incident solar radiation on a tilted and previously oriented surface is determined from solar astronomy and the dally average of the monthly data of the horizontal total solar radiation. Huancayo situated in Peru (at 12.05 deg S, long. 76.18 deg W, altitude 3,312 m), is chosen as the site to be installed the solar water system, as a mean to improve the peasant's standard of life. An optimum tilt angle for a north oriented collector surface is obtained in order to have a maximum solar capture during the water. The theoretical methodology use here is based upon the ONG's paper (1976), and in attrition is considered the hot water drainage due to the dally consumption. For the sake of comparison, the calculated flowrate values are confronted with the experimental data obtained by FERNANDEZ, for a same site location (Rio de Janeiro) and are used identical dimensions for the water thermosyphon heater. Finally, the economic feasibility of the solar water system is demonstrated when it is compared with the usual immersion electric resistance boiler. For the Peruvian conditions the more adequate solar water system for a rural or domestic usage is a 1.4 m{sup 2} area solar collector (6 parallel, 15,875 mm copper tubes), 100 l capacity for the water storage tank, 33.5 mm for the connecting tubes, being of 300 mm. The height between the collector top and the bottom of the tank. (author)

Analysis of a solar water thermosyphon system; Analise do aquecimento solar de agua por sistema a termosifao

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cardenas, Abner Barzola

1992-07-01

A design methodology and to perform the simulation of flat plate solar collectors coupled with a water storage tank and operating by natural convection circulation is presented. For a given site the incident solar radiation on a tilted and previously oriented surface is determined from solar astronomy and the dally average of the monthly data of the horizontal total solar radiation. Huancayo situated in Peru (at 12.05 deg S, long. 76.18 deg W, altitude 3,312 m), is chosen as the site to be installed the solar water system, as a mean to improve the peasant's standard of life. An optimum tilt angle for a north oriented collector surface is obtained in order to have a maximum solar capture during the water. The theoretical methodology use here is based upon the ONG's paper (1976), and in attrition is considered the hot water drainage due to the dally consumption. For the sake of comparison, the calculated flowrate values are confronted with the experimental data obtained by FERNANDEZ, for a same site location (Rio de Janeiro) and are used identical dimensions for the water thermosyphon heater. Finally, the economic feasibility of the solar water system is demonstrated when it is compared with the usual immersion electric resistance boiler. For the Peruvian conditions the more adequate solar water system for a rural or domestic usage is a 1.4 m{sup 2} area solar collector (6 parallel, 15,875 mm copper tubes), 100 l capacity for the water storage tank, 33.5 mm for the connecting tubes, being of 300 mm. The height between the collector top and the bottom of the tank. (author)

Simulation analysis on dynamic performance of a combined solar/air dual source heat pump water heater

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Deng, Weishi; Yu, Jianlin

2016-01-01

Highlights: • A modified direct expansion solar-assisted heat pump water heater is investigated. • An additional air source evaporator is used in parallel way in the M-DX-SHPWH system. • The M-DX-SHPWH system displays a higher performance at the low solar radiation. • Effects of solar radiation and air temperature on the performance are discussed. - Abstract: This paper investigated a combined solar/air dual source heat pump water heater system for domestic water heating application. In the dual source system, an additional air source evaporator is introduced in parallel way based on a conventional direct expansion solar-assisted heat pump water heaters (DX-SHPWH) system, which can improve the performance of the DX-SHPWH system at a low solar radiation. In the present study, a dynamic mathematical model based on zoned lump parameter approach is developed to simulate the performance of the system (i.e. a modified DX-SHPWH (M-DX-SHPWH) system). Using the model, the performance of M-DX-SHPWH system is evaluated and then compared with that of the conventional DX-SHPWH system. The simulation results show the M-DX-SHPWH system has a better performance than that of the conventional DX-SHPWH system. At a low solar radiation of 100 W/m"2, the heating time of the M-DX-SHPWH decreases by 19.8% compared to the DX-SHPWH when water temperature reaches 55 °C. Meanwhile, the COP on average increases by 14.1%. In addition, the refrigerant mass flow rate distribution in the air source evaporator and the solar collector of the system, the allocation between the air source evaporator and the solar collector areas and effects of solar radiation and ambient air temperature on the system performance are discussed.

Solar water splitting by photovoltaic-electrolysis with a solar-to-hydrogen efficiency over 30%

Science.gov (United States)

Jia, Jieyang; Seitz, Linsey C.; Benck, Jesse D.; Huo, Yijie; Chen, Yusi; Ng, Jia Wei Desmond; Bilir, Taner; Harris, James S.; Jaramillo, Thomas F.

2016-01-01

Hydrogen production via electrochemical water splitting is a promising approach for storing solar energy. For this technology to be economically competitive, it is critical to develop water splitting systems with high solar-to-hydrogen (STH) efficiencies. Here we report a photovoltaic-electrolysis system with the highest STH efficiency for any water splitting technology to date, to the best of our knowledge. Our system consists of two polymer electrolyte membrane electrolysers in series with one InGaP/GaAs/GaInNAsSb triple-junction solar cell, which produces a large-enough voltage to drive both electrolysers with no additional energy input. The solar concentration is adjusted such that the maximum power point of the photovoltaic is well matched to the operating capacity of the electrolysers to optimize the system efficiency. The system achieves a 48-h average STH efficiency of 30%. These results demonstrate the potential of photovoltaic-electrolysis systems for cost-effective solar energy storage. PMID:27796309

Towards Highly Efficient Bias-Free Solar Water Splitting

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Abdi, F.F.

2013-01-01

Solar water splitting has attracted significant attention due to its potential of converting solar to chemical energy. It uses semiconductor to convert sunlight into electron-hole pairs, which then split water into hydrogen and oxygen. The hydrogen can be used as a renewable fuel, or it can serve as

Solar power water distillation unit

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hameed, Kamran; Khan, Muhammad Muzammil; Ateeq, Ijlal Shahrukh; Omair, Syed Muhammad; Ahmer, Muhammad; Wajid, Abdul

2013-01-01

Clean drinking water is the basic necessity for every human being, but about 1.1 billion people in the world lacked proper drinking water. There are many different types of water purification processes such as filtration, reverse osmosis, ultraviolet radiation, carbon absorption, but the most reliable processes are distillation and boiling. Water purification, such as distillation, is especially important in regions where water resources or tap water is not suitable for ingesting without boiling or chemical treatment. In design project It treats the water by combining different methods such as Filtration, Distillation and a technique called concentrated solar power (CSP). Distillation is literally the method seen in nature, whereby: the sun heats the water on the earth's surface, the water is turned into a vapor (evaporation) and rises, leaving contaminants behind, to form clouds. As the upper atmosphere drops in temperature the vapors cool and convert back to water to form water. In this project distillation is achieved by using a parabolic mirror which boils water at high temperature. Filtration is done by sand filter and carbon filter. First sand filter catches the sand particles and the carbon filter which has granules of active carbon is used to remove odor dissolved gases from water. This is the Pre-treatment of water. The filtered water is then collected in a water container at a focus of parabolic mirror where distillation process is done. Another important feature of designed project is the solar tracking of a parabolic mirror which increases the efficiency of a parabolic mirror [1],[2].

Solar photovoltaic power for water desalination

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wood, J. R.; Crutcher, J. L.; Norbedo, A. J.; Cummings, A. B.

1980-07-01

There is a considerable global need for systems which can meet the drinking water requirements of small communities (7000 people or less) from brackish water or from seawater. Solar photovoltaic panels are an ideal source of power for the purpose, primarily because they produce electricity, which can be used to power a membrane type desalting unit, i.e., either a reverse osmosis plant or an electrodialysis unit. In addition, electricity is most convenient for feedwater pumping. This paper addresses considerations which arise in the design and construction of a complete solar powered water desalination system which requires no supply of fuel nor any form of backup power (grid connection or engine generator).

Pasteurization of naturally contaminated water with solar energy.

OpenAIRE

Ciochetti, D A; Metcalf, R H

1984-01-01

A solar box cooker (SBC) was constructed with a cooking area deep enough to hold several 3.7-liter jugs of water, and this was used to investigate the potential of using solar energy to pasteurize naturally contaminated water. When river water was heated either in the SBC or on a hot plate, coliform bacteria were inactivated at temperatures of 60 degrees C or greater. Heating water in an SBC to at least 65 degrees C ensures that the water will be above the milk pasteurization temperature of 6...

Installation package for a sunspot cascade solar water heating system

Science.gov (United States)

1980-01-01

Solar water heating systems installed at Tempe, Arizona and San Diego, California are described. The systems consist of the following: collector, collector-tank water loop, solar tank, conventional tank, and controls. General guidelines which may be utilized in development of detailed installation plans and specifications are provided along with instruction on operation, maintenance, and installation of solar hot water systems.

Solar water heater design package

Science.gov (United States)

1981-01-01

Package describes commercial domestic-hot-water heater with roof or rack mounted solar collectors. System is adjustable to pre-existing gas or electric hot-water house units. Design package includes drawings, description of automatic control logic, evaluation measurements, possible design variations, list of materials and installation tools, and trouble-shooting guide and manual.

Development of Solar Drying Model for Selected Cambodian Fish Species

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anna Hubackova

2014-01-01

Full Text Available A solar drying was investigated as one of perspective techniques for fish processing in Cambodia. The solar drying was compared to conventional drying in electric oven. Five typical Cambodian fish species were selected for this study. Mean solar drying temperature and drying air relative humidity were 55.6°C and 19.9%, respectively. The overall solar dryer efficiency was 12.37%, which is typical for natural convection solar dryers. An average evaporative capacity of solar dryer was 0.049 kg·h−1. Based on coefficient of determination (R2, chi-square (χ2 test, and root-mean-square error (RMSE, the most suitable models describing natural convection solar drying kinetics were Logarithmic model, Diffusion approximate model, and Two-term model for climbing perch and Nile tilapia, swamp eel and walking catfish and Channa fish, respectively. In case of electric oven drying, the Modified Page 1 model shows the best results for all investigated fish species except Channa fish where the two-term model is the best one. Sensory evaluation shows that most preferable fish is climbing perch, followed by Nile tilapia and walking catfish. This study brings new knowledge about drying kinetics of fresh water fish species in Cambodia and confirms the solar drying as acceptable technology for fish processing.

Synergistic effect of solar radiation and solar heating to disinfect drinking water sources.

Science.gov (United States)

Rijal, G K; Fujioka, R S

2001-01-01

Waterborne diseases are still common in developing countries as drinking water sources are contaminated and feasible means to reliably treat and disinfect these waters are not available. Many of these developing countries are in the tropical regions of the world where sunlight is plentiful. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of combining solar radiation and solar heating to disinfect contaminated water using a modified Family Sol*Saver System (FSP). The non-UV transmittable cover sheet of the former FSP system was replaced with an UV transmittable plastic cover sheet to enable more wavelengths of sunlight to treat the water. Disinfection efficiency of both systems was evaluated based on reduction of the natural populations of faecal coliform, E. coli, enterococci, C. perfringens, total heterotrophic bacteria, hydrogen sulphide producing bacteria and FRNA virus. The results showed that under sunny and partly sunny conditions, water was heated to critical temperature (60 degrees C) in both the FSP systems inactivating more than 3 log (99.9%) of the concentrations of faecal coliform and E. coli to undetectable levels of heat worked synergistically to enhance the inactivation of faecal indicator bacteria. The relative log removal of indicator microorganism in the FSP treated water was total heterotrophic bacteria heat and radiation effects of sunlight were important in disinfecting water by solar units. The data indicated that direct radiation of sunlight worked synergistically with solar heating of the water to disinfect the water. Thus, effective disinfection was observed even when the water temperature did not reach 60 degrees C. Finally, the hydrogen sulphide test is a simple and reliable test that householders can use to determine whether their water had been sufficiently disinfected.

Using Solar Hot Water to Address Piping Heat Losses in Multifamily Buildings

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Springer, David [Alliance for Residential Building Innovation, Davis, CA (United States); Seitzler, Matt [Alliance for Residential Building Innovation, Davis, CA (United States); Backman, Christine [Alliance for Residential Building Innovation, Davis, CA (United States); Weitzel, Elizabeth [Alliance for Residential Building Innovation, Davis, CA (United States)

2015-10-01

Solar thermal water heating is most cost effective when applied to multifamily buildings and some states offer incentives or other inducements to install them. However, typical solar water heating designs do not allow the solar generated heat to be applied to recirculation losses, only to reduce the amount of gas or electric energy needed for hot water that is delivered to the fixtures. For good reasons, hot water that is recirculated through the building is returned to the water heater, not to the solar storage tank. The project described in this report investigated the effectiveness of using automatic valves to divert water that is normally returned through the recirculation piping to the gas or electric water heater instead to the solar storage tank. The valves can be controlled so that the flow is only diverted when the returning water is cooler than the water in the solar storage tank.

Modelling and experimental validation of thin layer indirect solar drying of mango slices

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dissa, A.O.; Bathiebo, J.; Kam, S.; Koulidiati, J. [Laboratoire de Physique et de Chimie de l' Environnement (LPCE), Unite de Formation et de Recherche en Sciences Exactes et Appliquee (UFR/SEA), Universite de Ouagadougou, Avenue Charles de Gaulle, BP 7021 Kadiogo (Burkina Faso); Savadogo, P.W. [Laboratoire Sol Eau Plante, Institut de l' Environnement et de Recherches Agricoles, 01 BP 476, Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso); Desmorieux, H. [Laboratoire d' Automatisme et de Genie des Procedes (LAGEP), UCBL1-CNRS UMR 5007-CPE Lyon, Bat.308G, 43 bd du 11 Nov. 1918 Villeurbanne, Universite Claude Bernard Lyon1, Lyon (France)

2009-04-15

The thin layer solar drying of mango slices of 8 mm thick was simulated and experimented using a solar dryer designed and constructed in laboratory. Under meteorological conditions of harvest period of mangoes, the results showed that 3 'typical days' of drying were necessary to reach the range of preservation water contents. During these 3 days of solar drying, 50%, 40% and 5% of unbound water were eliminated, respectively, at the first, second and the third day. The final water content obtained was about 16 {+-} 1.33% d.b. (13.79% w.b.). This final water content and the corresponding water activity (0.6 {+-} 0.02) were in accordance with previous work. The drying rates with correction for shrinkage and the critical water content were experimentally determined. The critical water content was close to 70% of the initial water content and the drying rates were reduced almost at 6% of their maximum value at night. The thin layer drying model made it possible to simulate suitably the solar drying kinetics of mango slices with a correlation coefficient of r{sup 2} = 0.990. This study thus contributed to the setting of solar drying time of mango and to the establishment of solar drying rates' curves of this fruit. (author)

Optimum hot water temperature for absorption solar cooling

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lecuona, A.; Ventas, R.; Venegas, M.; Salgado, R. [Dpto. Ingenieria Termica y de Fluidos, Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, Avda. Universidad 30, 28911 Leganes, Madrid (Spain); Zacarias, A. [ESIME UPA, IPN, Av. de las Granjas 682, Col. Santa Catarina, 02550, D.F. Mexico (Mexico)

2009-10-15

The hot water temperature that maximizes the overall instantaneous efficiency of a solar cooling facility is determined. A modified characteristic equation model is used and applied to single-effect lithium bromide-water absorption chillers. This model is based on the characteristic temperature difference and serves to empirically calculate the performance of real chillers. This paper provides an explicit equation for the optimum temperature of vapor generation, in terms of only the external temperatures of the chiller. The additional data required are the four performance parameters of the chiller and essentially a modified stagnation temperature from the detailed model of the thermal collector operation. This paper presents and discusses the results for small capacity machines for air conditioning of homes and small buildings. The discussion highlights the influence of the relevant parameters. (author)

The UK solar water heating industry: a period of development and growth

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Blower, John

2001-01-01

This 2001 edition of the guide to UK renewable energy companies examines the solar water heating sector in the UK and presents an illustration of the layout of a typical solar water heating system. The rising demand for solar water heating and growth in sales especially in the export market are noted. Developments within the UK solar water heating manufacturing industry are considered, and details are given of design and development in innovative policy infrastructure, and the SHINE 21 project supported by the EU's ADAPT programme and the UK Department of Trade and Industry involving collaboration between the solar water heating and plumbing industries. Developments in the new build sectors including in-roof solar collector products and the increasing number of solar water heating systems installed in UK houses are discussed along with the promising future for the market

Solar Water Heating with Low-Cost Plastic Systems (Brochure)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

2012-01-01

Newly developed solar water heating technology can help Federal agencies cost effectively meet the EISA requirements for solar water heating in new construction and major renovations. This document provides design considerations, application, economics, and maintenance information and resources.

Observations of Warm Water in Young Solar-System Analogs

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Persson, Magnus Vilhelm

dioxide). The amount of warm water is deduced and its origin is observationally constrained. With both isotopologues observed, the HDO/H2O ratio is deduced. This ratio is then compared to other sources, e.g., comets and the Earth’s ocean, to gain understanding of the origin of the water in our own solar...... system. The emission line fluxes are modeled with radiative transfer tools and compared to other results of water abundances in the same source. The observed water emission, both H18(2 O and HDO is compact for all observed sources and traces the emission on R 150 AU scales or less. In one source...

Economic Investigation of Different Configurations of Inclined Solar Water Desalination Systems

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

O. Phillips Agboola

2014-02-01

Full Text Available This study empirically investigated the performance of four configurations of inclined solar water desalination (ISWD system for parameters such as daily production, efficiency, system cost, and distilled water production cost. The empirical findings show that in terms of daily productivity improved inclined solar water desalination (IISWD performed best with 6.41 kg/m2/day while improved inclined solar water desalination with wire mesh (IISWDWM produced the least with 3.0 kg/m2/day. In terms of cost price of the systems, the control system inclined solar water desalination (ISWD is the cheapest while IISWDWM is the most expensive system. Distilled water cost price ranges from 0.059 TL/kg, for IISWDW, to 0.134 TL/kg, for IISWDWM system. All the systems are economically and technically feasible as a solar desalination system for potable water in northern Cyprus. Potable water from vendors/hawkers ranges from 0.2 to 0.3 TL/kg.

Federal technology alert. Parabolic-trough solar water heating

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1998-04-01

Parabolic-trough solar water heating is a well-proven renewable energy technology with considerable potential for application at Federal facilities. For the US, parabolic-trough water-heating systems are most cost effective in the Southwest where direct solar radiation is high. Jails, hospitals, barracks, and other facilities that consistently use large volumes of hot water are particularly good candidates, as are facilities with central plants for district heating. As with any renewable energy or energy efficiency technology requiring significant initial capital investment, the primary condition that will make a parabolic-trough system economically viable is if it is replacing expensive conventional water heating. In combination with absorption cooling systems, parabolic-trough collectors can also be used for air-conditioning. Industrial Solar Technology (IST) of Golden, Colorado, is the sole current manufacturer of parabolic-trough solar water heating systems. IST has an Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract with the Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP) of the US Department of Energy (DOE) to finance and install parabolic-trough solar water heating on an Energy Savings Performance Contract (ESPC) basis for any Federal facility that requests it and for which it proves viable. For an ESPC project, the facility does not pay for design, capital equipment, or installation. Instead, it pays only for guaranteed energy savings. Preparing and implementing delivery or task orders against the IDIQ is much simpler than the standard procurement process. This Federal Technology Alert (FTA) of the New Technology Demonstration Program is one of a series of guides to renewable energy and new energy-efficient technologies.

Experimental Analysis of Desalination Unit Coupled with Solar Water Lens Concentrator

Science.gov (United States)

Chaithanya, K. K.; Rajesh, V. R.; Suresh, Rahul

2016-09-01

The main problem that the world faces in this scenario is shortage of potable water. Hence this research work rivets to increase the yield of desalination system in an economical way. The integration of solar concentrator and desalination unit can project the desired yield, but the commercially available concentrated solar power technologies (CSP) are not economically viable. So this study proposes a novel method to concentrate ample amount of solar radiation in a cost effective way. Water acting as lens is a highlighted technology initiated in this work, which can be a substitute for CSP systems. And water lens can accelerate the desalination process so as to increase the yield economically. The solar irradiance passing through the water will be concentrated at a focal point, and the concentration depends on curvature of water lens. The experimental analysis of water lens makes use of transparent thin sheet, supported on a metallic structure. The Plano convex shape of water lens is developed by varying the volume of water that is being poured on the transparent thin sheet. From the experimental analysis it is inferred that, as the curvature of water lens increases, solar irradiance can be focused more accurately on to the focus and a higher water temperature is obtained inside the solar still.

Experimental investigation of a Hybrid Solar Drier and Water Heater System

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mohajer, Alireza; Nematollahi, Omid; Joybari, Mahmood Mastani; Hashemi, Seyed Ahmad; Assari, Mohammad Reza

2013-01-01

Highlights: • A Hybrid Solar Drier and Water Heater System experimentally investigated. • Using collected data, GIS maps were plotted for solar energy of Khuzestan Province. • System is presented which facilitates a dual-purpose solar collector. • The system includes a 100 l water storage tank, a solar dryer with 5 trays. • Experiments were carried out to dry vegetables (parsley, dill and coriander). - Abstract: Drying process is of great importance in food industries. One of the best methods of food drying is using solar dryers. For initial estimation of solar energy, calculations were made for statistical information measured by Renewable Energy Organization of Iran. Using collected data, GIS maps were plotted for solar energy of Khuzestan Province, Iran. In this study, a new hybrid system is presented which facilitates a dual-purpose solar collector to simultaneously support a dryer system and provide consumptive hot water. The system includes a 100 l water storage tank, a solar dryer with 5 trays, and a dual-purpose collector. Experiments were carried out to dry a mixture of vegetables (parsley, dill and coriander) at constant air and water flow rates. Besides, an electrical heater has been used as an auxiliary source for heating. The results indicated that the system optimally dried the vegetables and simultaneously provided the consumptive hot water

A radiative transfer module for calculating photolysis rates and solar heating in climate models: Solar-J v7.5

Science.gov (United States)

Hsu, Juno; Prather, Michael J.; Cameron-Smith, Philip; Veidenbaum, Alex; Nicolau, Alex

2017-07-01

Solar-J is a comprehensive radiative transfer model for the solar spectrum that addresses the needs of both solar heating and photochemistry in Earth system models. Solar-J is a spectral extension of Cloud-J, a standard in many chemical models that calculates photolysis rates in the 0.18-0.8 µm region. The Cloud-J core consists of an eight-stream scattering, plane-parallel radiative transfer solver with corrections for sphericity. Cloud-J uses cloud quadrature to accurately average over correlated cloud layers. It uses the scattering phase function of aerosols and clouds expanded to eighth order and thus avoids isotropic-equivalent approximations prevalent in most solar heating codes. The spectral extension from 0.8 to 12 µm enables calculation of both scattered and absorbed sunlight and thus aerosol direct radiative effects and heating rates throughout the Earth's atmosphere.The Solar-J extension adopts the correlated-k gas absorption bins, primarily water vapor, from the shortwave Rapid Radiative Transfer Model for general circulation model (GCM) applications (RRTMG-SW). Solar-J successfully matches RRTMG-SW's tropospheric heating profile in a clear-sky, aerosol-free, tropical atmosphere. We compare both codes in cloudy atmospheres with a liquid-water stratus cloud and an ice-crystal cirrus cloud. For the stratus cloud, both models use the same physical properties, and we find a systematic low bias of about 3 % in planetary albedo across all solar zenith angles caused by RRTMG-SW's two-stream scattering. Discrepancies with the cirrus cloud using any of RRTMG-SW's three different parameterizations are as large as about 20-40 % depending on the solar zenith angles and occur throughout the atmosphere.Effectively, Solar-J has combined the best components of RRTMG-SW and Cloud-J to build a high-fidelity module for the scattering and absorption of sunlight in the Earth's atmosphere, for which the three major components - wavelength integration, scattering, and

Study of an improved integrated collector-storage solar water heater combined with the photovoltaic cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ziapour, Behrooz M.; Palideh, Vahid; Mohammadnia, Ali

2014-01-01

Highlights: • Simulation of an enhanced ICSSWH system combined with PV panel was conducted. • The present model dose not uses any photovoltaic driven water pump. • High packing factor and tank water mass are caused to high PVT system efficiency. • Larger area of the collector is resulted to lower total PVT system efficiency. - Abstract: A photovoltaic–thermal (PVT) module is a combination of a photovoltaic (PV) panel and a thermal collector for co-generation of heat and electricity. An integrated collector-storage solar water heater (ICSSWH) system, due to its simple and compact structure, offers a promising approach for the solar water heating in the varied climates. The combination of the ICSSWH system with a PV solar system has not been reported. In this paper, simulation of an enhanced ICSSWH system combined with the PV panel has been conducted. The proposed design acts passive. Therefore, it does not use any photovoltaic driven water pump to maintain a flow of water inside the collector. The effects of the solar cell packing factor, the tank water mass and the collector area on the performance of the present PVT system have been investigated. The simulation results showed that the high solar cell packing factor and the tank water mass are caused to the high total PVT system efficiency. Also, larger area of the collector is resulted to lower total PVT system efficiency

Solar radiative heating of fiber-optic cables used to monitor temperatures in water

Science.gov (United States)

Neilson, Bethany T.; Hatch, Christine E.; Ban, Heng; Tyler, Scott W.

2010-08-01

In recent years, applications of distributed temperature sensing (DTS) have increased in number and diversity. Because fiber-optic cables used for DTS are typically sheathed in dark UV-resistant materials, the question arises as to how shortwave solar radiation penetrating a water column influences the accuracy of absolute DTS-derived temperatures in aquatic applications. To quantify these effects, we completed a modeling effort that accounts for the effects of radiation and convection on a submersed cable to predict when solar heating may be important. Results indicate that for cables installed at shallow depths in clear, low-velocity water bodies, measurable heating of the cable is likely during peak solar radiation. However, at higher velocities, increased turbidity and/or greater depths, the effects of solar heating are immeasurable. A field study illustrated the effects of solar radiation by installing two types of fiber-optic cable at multiple water depths (from 0.05 to 0.8 m) in the center and along the sidewall of a trapezoidal canal. Thermistors were installed at similar depths and shielded from solar radiation to record absolute water temperatures. During peak radiation, thermistor data showed small temperature differences (˜0.003°C-0.04°C) between depths suggesting minor thermal stratification in the canal center. DTS data from cables at these same depths show differences of 0.01°C-0.17°C. The DTS differences cannot be explained by stratification alone and are likely evidence of additional heating from solar radiation. Sidewall thermistor strings also recorded stratification. However, corresponding DTS data suggested that bed conduction overwhelmed the effects of solar radiation.

A Groundwater Model to Assess Water Resource Impacts at the Brenda Solar Energy Zone

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Quinn, John [Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States); Carr, Adrianne E. [Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States); Greer, Chris [Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States); Bowen, Esther E. [Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States)

2013-12-01

The purpose of this study is to develop a groundwater flow model to examine the influence of potential groundwater withdrawal to support utility-scale solar energy development at the Brenda Solar Energy Zone (SEZ), as a part of the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM’s) Solar Energy Program.

Preheating Water In The Covers Of Solar Water Heaters

Science.gov (United States)

Bhandari, Pradeep

1995-01-01

Solar water heaters that include glass covers over absorber plates redesigned to increase efficiencies according to proposal. Redesign includes modification of single-layer glass cover into double-layer glass cover and addition of plumbing so cool water to be heated made to flow between layers of cover before entering absorber plate.

Solar Luminosity on the Main Sequence, Standard Model and Variations

Science.gov (United States)

Ayukov, S. V.; Baturin, V. A.; Gorshkov, A. B.; Oreshina, A. V.

2017-05-01

Our Sun became Main Sequence star 4.6 Gyr ago according Standard Solar Model. At that time solar luminosity was 30% lower than current value. This conclusion is based on assumption that Sun is fueled by thermonuclear reactions. If Earth's albedo and emissivity in infrared are unchanged during Earth history, 2.3 Gyr ago oceans had to be frozen. This contradicts to geological data: there was liquid water 3.6-3.8 Gyr ago on Earth. This problem is known as Faint Young Sun Paradox. We analyze luminosity change in standard solar evolution theory. Increase of mean molecular weight in the central part of the Sun due to conversion of hydrogen to helium leads to gradual increase of luminosity with time on the Main Sequence. We also consider several exotic models: fully mixed Sun; drastic change of pp reaction rate; Sun consisting of hydrogen and helium only. Solar neutrino observations however exclude most non-standard solar models.

Solar Water Splitting Using Semiconductor Photocatalyst Powders

KAUST Repository

Takanabe, Kazuhiro

2015-07-01

Solar energy conversion is essential to address the gap between energy production and increasing demand. Large scale energy generation from solar energy can only be achieved through equally large scale collection of the solar spectrum. Overall water splitting using heterogeneous photocatalysts with a single semiconductor enables the direct generation of H from photoreactors and is one of the most economical technologies for large-scale production of solar fuels. Efficient photocatalyst materials are essential to make this process feasible for future technologies. To achieve efficient photocatalysis for overall water splitting, all of the parameters involved at different time scales should be improved because the overall efficiency is obtained by the multiplication of all these fundamental efficiencies. Accumulation of knowledge ranging from solid-state physics to electrochemistry and a multidisciplinary approach to conduct various measurements are inevitable to be able to understand photocatalysis fully and to improve its efficiency.

Studi Kinerja Solar Water Heater Dengan Aliran Zig-zag Beralur Balok

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. Rizki Ikhsan

2017-05-01

Full Text Available Solar energy can be used for water heating by using solar water heater application. Therefore, its still needs some modification due to its low efficiency. This modification can be done by replacing the conventional plate of solar collectors into a double plate with a zig-zag pattern. The results shown that along with the decreasing of water flow rates could significantly increase the useful energy (Qu. Initial temperature of water inlet could affect the generated maximum temperature. The highest mean efficiencies of double plate solar water heater with a zig-zag grooved beams pattern of 49.11% was gained in the flow rate of 700 mL / min.

Dissemination of Solar Water Heaters in Taiwan: The Case of Remote Islands

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kung-Ming Chung

2013-10-01

Full Text Available Solar water heaters represent the success story in the development of renewable energy in Taiwan. With increasing public awareness, there are over 0.3 million residential systems in operation. To disseminate solar water heaters in remote islands, economic feasibility and water quality are taken into account in this study. The payback period in Kinmen and Penghu Counties are evaluated, according to effective annual solar energy gain, hot water consumption pattern and cost. Assessment of the scaling and corrosion tendencies for solar water heaters using tap and underground water are also presented. For flat-plate solar collectors with metal components, favorable corrosion resistance and protective anti-corrosion coatings are required.

Carbon-Electrode-Tailored All-Inorganic Perovskite Solar Cells To Harvest Solar and Water-Vapor Energy.

Science.gov (United States)

Duan, Jialong; Hu, Tianyu; Zhao, Yuanyuan; He, Benlin; Tang, Qunwei

2018-05-14

Moisture is the worst enemy for state-of-the-art perovskite solar cells (PSCs). However, the flowing water vapor within nanoporous carbonaceous materials can create potentials. Therefore, it is a challenge to integrate water vapor and solar energies into a single PSC device. We demonstrate herein all-inorganic cesium lead bromide (CsPbBr 3 ) solar cells tailored with carbon electrodes to simultaneously harvest solar and water-vapor energy. Upon interfacial modification and plasma treatment, the bifunctional PSCs yield a maximum power conversion efficiency up to 9.43 % under one sun irradiation according to photoelectric conversion principle and a power output of 0.158 μW with voltage of 0.35 V and current of 0.45 μA in 80 % relative humidity through the flowing potentials at the carbon/water interface. The initial efficiency is only reduced by 2 % on exposing the inorganic PSC with 80 % humidity over 40 days. The successful realization of physical proof-of-concept multi-energy integrated solar cells provides new opportunities of maximizing overall power output. © 2018 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Role of solar ultraviolet radiation in 'natural' water purification

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Calkins, J; Buckles, J D; Moeller, J R [Kentucky Univ., Lexington (USA)

1976-07-01

The concentration of Eschericia coli in the input and output of a tertiary wastewater system (4 lagoons) has been monitored over an 11 month period. The integrated flux of biologically active solar ultraviolet (UV) radiation was measured during this period. By also determining (1) the effective temperature in the system, (2) the growth rate of E.coli at the effective temperature, (3) the penetration of the solar UV into the lagoons, (4) the dose-response relation for killing of E.coli by UV and (5) the retention time of water in the system, it is possible to compare the 'die off' expected from solar UV exposure to the actual 'die off' observed for different batches of water. The observed killing of E.coli was quite close to the values calculated, considering the numerous factors involved. Solar UV light would thus seem to be a very important factor in the natural purification of water. Because each successful species must possess characteristics (physiological or behavioral) which provide adequate resistance to solar UV, the ecological role of solar UV radiation has not been widely appreciated.

Imitation experiment for water-treatment by heat of solar collector and hot pump

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liao Yuanzong; Liu Shuqing; Pang Heding; Zhao Zhongxin; Zhang Biguang; Wang Xiping; Huo Guangqing

1997-01-01

The author presents an imitation experiment in which solar collector and hot pump are jointed for supplying heat to evaporate cleaned water and diffuse it into air. The effects of the temperature and the quantity of supplying air, and circumstance conditions on evaporation quantity are studied. The ratio of evaporating quantity to consuming energy, the efficiency of evaporation, average efficiency of solar collector and supplying heat coefficient of heat pump are measured. The experiment shows that this supplying heat model is practicable, economic and efficient for treating cleaned water

Use of solar energy for disinfection of polluted water

OpenAIRE

Y. Jamil; M.R. Ahmad; K. Ali; A. Habeeb; M. Hassan

2009-01-01

Polluted water is causing serious health problems especially in the rural areas of Pakistan. People have limited access to safe water supply and many diseases like diarrhea and gastrointestinal diseases are transmitted by consumption of polluted water. We have investigated the potential of using solar energy to pasteurize water. Low cost indigenously available materials have been utilized to design and fabricate a solar box type pasteurizer having a capacity of three liters. The p...

Prototype solar heating and hot water system

Science.gov (United States)

1977-01-01

Progress is reported in the development of a solar heating and hot water system which uses a pyramidal optics solar concentrator for heating, and consists of the following subsystems: collector, control, transport, and site data acquisition. Improvements made in the components and subsystems are discussed.

Solar system for domestic hot water and space heating

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Weiss, W. [Arbeitsgemeinschaf Erneubare Energie, Gleisdorf (Austria)

1997-12-31

The solar thermal markets, different types of solar systems for hot water and space heating, the dimensioning and the components of solar heating systems, the properties of the systems are reviewed in this presentation

Solar system for domestic hot water and space heating

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Weiss, W [Arbeitsgemeinschaf Erneubare Energie, Gleisdorf (Austria)

1998-12-31

The solar thermal markets, different types of solar systems for hot water and space heating, the dimensioning and the components of solar heating systems, the properties of the systems are reviewed in this presentation

A simple high efficiency solar water purification system

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Duff, W.S.; Hodgson, D.A. [Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO (United States). Dept. of Mechanical Engineering

2005-07-01

A new passive solar water pasteurization system based on density difference flow principles has been designed, built and tested. The system contains no valves and regulates flow based on the density difference between two columns of water. The new system eliminates boiling problems encountered in previous designs. Boiling is undesirable because it may contaminate treated water. The system with a total absorber area of 0.45 m2 has achieved a peak flow rate of 19.3 kg/h of treated water. Experiments with the prototype systems presented in this paper show that density driven systems are an attractive option to existing solar water pasteurization approaches. (author)

The ancient heritage of water ice in the solar system.

Science.gov (United States)

Cleeves, L Ilsedore; Bergin, Edwin A; Alexander, Conel M O'D; Du, Fujun; Graninger, Dawn; Öberg, Karin I; Harries, Tim J

2014-09-26

Identifying the source of Earth's water is central to understanding the origins of life-fostering environments and to assessing the prevalence of such environments in space. Water throughout the solar system exhibits deuterium-to-hydrogen enrichments, a fossil relic of low-temperature, ion-derived chemistry within either (i) the parent molecular cloud or (ii) the solar nebula protoplanetary disk. Using a comprehensive treatment of disk ionization, we find that ion-driven deuterium pathways are inefficient, which curtails the disk's deuterated water formation and its viability as the sole source for the solar system's water. This finding implies that, if the solar system's formation was typical, abundant interstellar ices are available to all nascent planetary systems. Copyright © 2014, American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Graphene-Based Standalone Solar Energy Converter for Water Desalination and Purification.

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Yang; Zhao, Ruiqi; Zhang, Tengfei; Zhao, Kai; Xiao, Peishuang; Ma, Yanfeng; Ajayan, Pulickel M; Shi, Gaoquan; Chen, Yongsheng

2018-01-23

Harvesting solar energy for desalination and sewage treatment has been considered as a promising solution to produce clean water. However, state-of-the-art technologies often require optical concentrators and complicated systems with multiple components, leading to poor efficiency and high cost. Here, we demonstrate an extremely simple and standalone solar energy converter consisting of only an as-prepared 3D cross-linked honeycomb graphene foam material without any other supporting components. This simple all-in-one material can act as an ideal solar thermal converter capable of capturing and converting sunlight into heat, which in turn can distill water from various water sources into steam and produce purified water under ambient conditions and low solar flux with very high efficiency. High specific water production rate of 2.6 kg h -1 m -2 g -1 was achieved with near ∼87% under 1 sun intensity and >80% efficiency even under ambient sunlight (solar thermal water purification system for a variety of environmental conditions.

Integrated collector-storage solar water heater with extended storage unit

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kumar, Rakesh; Rosen, Marc A.

2011-01-01

The integrated collector-storage solar water heater (ICSSWH) is one of the simplest designs of solar water heater. In ICSSWH systems the conversion of solar energy into useful heat is often simple, efficient and cost effective. To broaden the usefulness of ICSSWH systems, especially for overnight applications, numerous design modifications have been proposed and analyzed in the past. In the present investigation the storage tank of an ICSSWH is coupled with an extended storage section. The total volume of the modified ICSSWH has two sections. Section A is exposed to incoming solar radiation, while section B is insulated on all sides. An expression is developed for the natural convection flow rate in section A. The inter-related energy balances are written for each section and solved to ascertain the impact of the extended storage unit on the water temperature and the water heater efficiency. The volumes of water in the two sections are optimized to achieve a maximum water temperature at a reasonably high efficiency. The influence is investigated of inclination angle of section A on the temperature of water heater and the angle is optimized. It is determined that a volume ratio of 7/3 between sections A and B yields the maximum water temperature and efficiency in the modified solar water heater. The performance of the modified water heater is also compared with a conventional ICSSWH system under similar conditions.

Sensitivity of APSIM/ORYZA model due to estimation errors in solar radiation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alexandre Bryan Heinemann

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Crop models are ideally suited to quantify existing climatic risks. However, they require historic climate data as input. While daily temperature and rainfall data are often available, the lack of observed solar radiation (Rs data severely limits site-specific crop modelling. The objective of this study was to estimate Rs based on air temperature solar radiation models and to quantify the propagation of errors in simulated radiation on several APSIM/ORYZA crop model seasonal outputs, yield, biomass, leaf area (LAI and total accumulated solar radiation (SRA during the crop cycle. The accuracy of the 5 models for estimated daily solar radiation was similar, and it was not substantially different among sites. For water limited environments (no irrigation, crop model outputs yield, biomass and LAI was not sensitive for the uncertainties in radiation models studied here.

Operation Performance of Central Solar Heating System with Seasonal Storage Water Tank in Harbin

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

YE Ling; JIANG Yi-qiang; YAO Yang; ZHANG Shi-cong

2009-01-01

This paper presented a preliminary research on the central solar heating system with seasonal stor-age(CSHSSS)used in cold climate in China.A mathematical model of the solar energy seasonal storage water tank used in the central solar heating system was firstly developed based on energy conservation.This was fol-lowed by the simulation of the CSHSSS used in a two-floor villa in Harbin,and analysis of the impacts on storage water temperature of tank volume,solar collector area,tank burial depth,insulation thickness around the tank,etc.The results show there is a relatively economical tank volume to optimize the system efficiency,which de-creases with increasing tank volume at the constant collector area,and increases with increasing collector area at the constant tank volume.Furthermore,the insulation thickness has obvious effect on avoiding heat loss,while the tank burial depth doesn't.In addition-the relationship between the solar collector efficiency and storage wa-ter temperature is also obtained,it decreases quickly with increasing storing water temperature,and then in-creases slowly after starting space heating system.These may be helpful for relevant design and optimization in cold climates in China and all over the world.

Water jacket for solid particle solar receiver

Science.gov (United States)

Wasyluk, David T.

2018-03-20

A solar receiver includes: water jacket panels each having a light-receiving side and a back side with a watertight sealed plenum defined in-between; light apertures passing through the watertight sealed plenums to receive light from the light-receiving sides of the water jacket panels; a heat transfer medium gap defined between the back sides of the water jacket panels and a cylindrical back plate; and light channeling tubes optically coupled with the light apertures and extending into the heat transfer medium gap. In some embodiments ends of the light apertures at the light receiving side of the water jacket panel are welded together to define at least a portion of the light-receiving side. A cylindrical solar receiver may be constructed using a plurality of such water jacket panels arranged with their light-receiving sides facing outward.

Use of reflectors to enhance the synergistic effects of solar heating and solar wavelengths to disinfect drinking water sources.

Science.gov (United States)

Rijal, G K; Fujioka, R S

2003-01-01

Aluminum reflectors were added to solar units designed to inactivate faecal microorganisms (faecal coliform, E. coli, enterococci, FRNA coliphage, C. perfringens) in stream water and diluted sewage by the two mechanisms (solar heat, solar UV) known to inactivate microorganisms. During sunny conditions, solar units with and without reflectors inactivated E. coli to water standards. Solar units with reflectors disinfected the water sooner by increasing the water temperature by 8-10 degrees C to 64-75 degrees C. However, FRNA coliphages were still detected in these samples, indicating that this treatment may not inactivate pathogenic human enteric viruses. During cloudy conditions, reflectors only increased the water temperature by 3-4 degrees C to a maximum of 43-49 degrees C and E. coli was not completely inactivated. Under sunny and cloudy conditions, the UV wavelengths of sunlight worked synergistically with increasing water temperatures and were able to disinfect microorganisms at temperatures (45-56 degrees C), which were not effective in inactivating microorganisms. Relative resistance to the solar disinfecting effects were C. perfringens > FRNA coliphages > enterococci > E. coli > faecal coliform.

Study of thermal effects and optical properties of an innovative absorber in integrated collector storage solar water heater

Science.gov (United States)

Taheri, Yaser; Alimardani, Kazem; Ziapour, Behrooz M.

2015-10-01

Solar passive water heaters are potential candidates for enhanced heat transfer. Solar water heaters with an integrated water tank and with the low temperature energy resource are used as the simplest and cheapest recipient devices of the solar energy for heating and supplying hot water in the buildings. The solar thermal performances of one primitive absorber were determined by using both the experimental and the simulation model of it. All materials applied for absorber such as the cover glass, the black colored sands and the V shaped galvanized plate were submerged into the water. The water storage tank was manufactured from galvanized sheet of 0.0015 m in thickness and the effective area of the collector was 0.67 m2. The absorber was installed on a compact solar water heater. The constructed flat-plate collectors were tested outdoors. However the simulation results showed that the absorbers operated near to the gray materials and all experimental results showed that the thermal efficiencies of the collector are over than 70 %.

Actual performance and economic feasibility of residential solar water heaters

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anhalt, J.

1987-01-01

Four residential solar water heaters currently available on the Brazilian market have been evaluated to their possible use for substituting the common electric shower head. The tests were carried out with the solar systems mounted side by side on an artificial roof. The hot water demand was simulated following a consumer profile which represents a Brazilian family with an income of seven minimum salaries. The data, which was collected automatically and presented in the form of graphs and tables, shows that an optimized solar water heater could save as much as 65% of the energy demand for residential water heating in the state of Sao Paulo. An economical study concludes that the installation and maintenance of such a solar system is feasible if long term financing is available. (author)

Pasteurization of naturally contaminated water with solar energy.

Science.gov (United States)

Ciochetti, D A; Metcalf, R H

1984-02-01

A solar box cooker (SBC) was constructed with a cooking area deep enough to hold several 3.7-liter jugs of water, and this was used to investigate the potential of using solar energy to pasteurize naturally contaminated water. When river water was heated either in the SBC or on a hot plate, coliform bacteria were inactivated at temperatures of 60 degrees C or greater. Heating water in an SBC to at least 65 degrees C ensures that the water will be above the milk pasteurization temperature of 62.8 degrees C for at least an hour, which appears sufficient to pasteurize contaminated water. On clear or partly cloudy days, with the SBC facing magnetic south in Sacramento, bottom water temperatures of at least 65 degrees C could be obtained in 11.1 liters of water during the 6 weeks on either side of the summer solstice, in 7.4 liters of water from mid-March through mid-September, and in 3.7 liters of water an additional 2 to 3 weeks at the beginning and end of the solar season. Periodic repositioning of the SBC towards the sun, adjusting the back reflective lid, and preheating water in a simple reflective device increased final water temperatures. Simultaneous cooking and heating water to pasteurizing temperatures was possible. Additional uses of the SBC to pasteurize soil and to decontaminate hospital materials before disposal in remote areas are suggested.

Studi Kinerja Solar Water Heater Dengan Aliran Zig-zag Beralur Balok

OpenAIRE

Ikhsan, M. Rizki; Soeparman, Sudjito; Sasongko, Mega Nur

2017-01-01

Solar energy can be used for water heating by using solar water heater application. Therefore, its still needs some modification due to its low efficiency. This modification can be done by replacing the conventional plate of solar collectors into a double plate with a zig-zag pattern. The results shown that along with the decreasing of water flow rates could significantly increase the useful energy (Qu). Initial temperature of water inlet could affect the generated maximum temperature. The hi...

Experimental investigation of simple solar radiation spectral model performances under a Mediterranean Algerian's climate

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Koussa, Mustapha; Saheb-Koussa, Djohra; Hadji, Seddik

2017-01-01

In this work, models are presented that, under cloudless atmosphere conditions, calculate solar spectral normal direct and horizontal diffuse irradiance. Based on different monochromatic transmission factors related to the main constituents of the atmosphere, the models evaluate the spectral irradiance between 0.29 and 4.0 μm. Absorption by water vapor, uniformly mixed gas, and ozone are considered as well as scattering by the atmospheric aerosols. Based on the equations relative to each one of the two retained models, a MATLAB program is developed to evaluate the spectral distribution of each solar irradiance component. Hence, the geographical coordinates of the site, and the monochromatic distribution of the extraterrestrial irradiance are used as input data. From three-year data measurement records made in Bouzareah site (temperate climate), thirty eight days characterized by a clear sky state have been selected from over different months of the year and the corresponding main meteorological parameters used as input parameters. So, because only the five-minute broadband data measurements are available, the modified numerical trapeze method is used to integrate the monochromatic curve values related to each solar irradiance component. Consequently, the precipitable water vapor amount, the Angstrom and Linke turbidity factors are evaluated and a multi-linear correlation relating the Linke turbidity factor to the precipitable water vapor and the Angstrom turbidity coefficient is established. Hence, according to the mean values of Linke and Angstrom turbidity factors and those of the precipitable water vapor, the site of Bouzareah is classified as a rural site. So, the effect of the main constituents of the atmosphere on the spectral distribution of solar irradiance is discussed and, it is also observed that the aerosol amount contained in the atmosphere affects most both of the diffuse and direct solar irradiance amount than that of the horizontal and inclined

Solar heating and hot water system installed at Arlington Raquetball Club, Arlington, Virginia

Science.gov (United States)

1981-01-01

A solar space and water heating system is described. The solar energy system consists of 2,520 sq. ft. of flat plate solar collectors and a 4,000 gallon solar storage tank. The transfer medium in the forced closed loop is a nontoxic antifreeze solution (50 percent water, 50 percent propylene glycol). The service hot water system consists of a preheat coil (60 ft. of 1 1/4 in copper tubing) located in the upper third of the solar storage tank and a recirculation loop between the preheat coil and the existing electric water heaters. The space heating system consists of two separate water to air heat exchangers located in the ducts of the existing space heating/cooling systems. The heating water is supplied from the solar storage tank. Extracts from site files, specification references for solar modifications to existing building heating and hot water systems, and installation, operation and maintenance instructions are included.

A radiative transfer module for calculating photolysis rates and solar heating in climate models: Solar-J v7.5

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

J. Hsu

2017-07-01

Full Text Available Solar-J is a comprehensive radiative transfer model for the solar spectrum that addresses the needs of both solar heating and photochemistry in Earth system models. Solar-J is a spectral extension of Cloud-J, a standard in many chemical models that calculates photolysis rates in the 0.18–0.8 µm region. The Cloud-J core consists of an eight-stream scattering, plane-parallel radiative transfer solver with corrections for sphericity. Cloud-J uses cloud quadrature to accurately average over correlated cloud layers. It uses the scattering phase function of aerosols and clouds expanded to eighth order and thus avoids isotropic-equivalent approximations prevalent in most solar heating codes. The spectral extension from 0.8 to 12 µm enables calculation of both scattered and absorbed sunlight and thus aerosol direct radiative effects and heating rates throughout the Earth's atmosphere.The Solar-J extension adopts the correlated-k gas absorption bins, primarily water vapor, from the shortwave Rapid Radiative Transfer Model for general circulation model (GCM applications (RRTMG-SW. Solar-J successfully matches RRTMG-SW's tropospheric heating profile in a clear-sky, aerosol-free, tropical atmosphere. We compare both codes in cloudy atmospheres with a liquid-water stratus cloud and an ice-crystal cirrus cloud. For the stratus cloud, both models use the same physical properties, and we find a systematic low bias of about 3 % in planetary albedo across all solar zenith angles caused by RRTMG-SW's two-stream scattering. Discrepancies with the cirrus cloud using any of RRTMG-SW's three different parameterizations are as large as about 20–40 % depending on the solar zenith angles and occur throughout the atmosphere.Effectively, Solar-J has combined the best components of RRTMG-SW and Cloud-J to build a high-fidelity module for the scattering and absorption of sunlight in the Earth's atmosphere, for which the three major components – wavelength

Comparison between a new TRNSYS model and experimental data of phase change materials in a solar combisystem

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bony, J.; Citherlet, S.

2007-07-01

In the framework of the IEA Task 32 (Solar Heating and Cooling Programme), we developed a numeric model to simulate heat transfer in phase change materials (PCM), and experimental data. The analyzed system is bulk PCM plunged in a water tank storage of a solar combisystem (heating and domestic hot water production). The numerical model, based on the enthalpy approach, takes into account hysteresis and subcooling characteristic and also the conduction and the convection in the PCM. This model has been implemented in an existing TRNSYS type of water tank storage. The simulations has been compared with experimental data obtained with a solar installation using water tank storage of about 900 litres, already studied during the IEA Task 26 (Weiss 2003). (author)

Water recovery in a concentrated solar power plant

Science.gov (United States)

Raza, Aikifa; Higgo, Alex R.; Alobaidli, Abdulaziz; Zhang, TieJun

2016-05-01

For CSP plants, water consumption is undergoing increasing scrutiny particularly in dry and arid regions with water scarcity conditions. Significant amount of water has to be used for parabolic trough mirror cleaning to maintain high mirror reflectance and optical efficiency in sandy environment. For this specific purpose, solar collectors are washed once or twice every week at Shams 1, one of the largest CSP plant in the Middle East, and about 5 million gallons of demineralized water is utilized every year without further recovery. The produced waste water from a CSP plant contains the soiling i.e. accumulated dust and some amount of organic contaminants, as indicated by our analysis of waste water samples from the solar field. We thus need to develop a membrane based system to filter fine dust particulates and to degrade organic contaminant simultaneously. Membrane filtration technology is considered to be cost-effective way to address the emerging problem of a clean water shortage, and to reuse the filtered water after cleaning solar collectors. But there are some major technical barriers to improve the robustness and energy efficiency of filtration membranes especially when dealing with the removal of ultra-small particles and oil traces. Herein, we proposed a robust and scalable nanostructured inorganic microporous filtration copper mesh. The inorganic membrane surface wettability is tailored to enhance the water permeability and filtration flux by creating nanostructures. These nanostructured membranes were successfully employed to recover water collected after cleaning the reflectors of solar field of Shams 1. Another achievement was to remove the traces of heat transfer fluid (HTF) from run-off water which was collected after accidental leakage in some of the heat exchangers during the commissioning of the Shams 1 for safe disposal into the main stream. We hope, by controlling the water recovery factor and membrane reusability performance, the membrane

Performance test for a solar water heater

Science.gov (United States)

1979-01-01

Two reports describe procedures and results of performance tests on domestic solar powered hot water system. Performance tests determine amount of energy collected by system, amount of energy delivered to solar source, power required to operate system and maintain proper tank temperature, overall system efficiency, and temperature distribution in tank.

Two different sources of water for the early solar nebula.

Science.gov (United States)

Kupper, Stefan; Tornow, Carmen; Gast, Philipp

2012-06-01

Water is essential for life. This is a trivial fact but has profound implications since the forming of life on the early Earth required water. The sources of water and the related amount of delivery depend not only on the conditions on the early Earth itself but also on the evolutionary history of the solar system. Thus we ask where and when water formed in the solar nebula-the precursor of the solar system. In this paper we explore the chemical mechanics for water formation and its expected abundance. This is achieved by studying the parental cloud core of the solar nebula and its gravitational collapse. We have identified two different sources of water for the region of Earth's accretion. The first being the sublimation of the icy mantles of dust grains formed in the parental cloud. The second source is located in the inner region of the collapsing cloud core - the so-called hot corino with a temperature of several hundred Kelvin. There, water is produced efficiently in the gas phase by reactions between neutral molecules. Additionally, we analyse the dependence of the production of water on the initial abundance ratio between carbon and oxygen.

Solar Plus: A Holistic Approach to Distributed Solar PV

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

O' Shaughnessy, Eric [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Ardani, Kristen [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Cutler, Dylan [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Margolis, Robert [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)

2017-05-25

Solar 'plus' refers to an emerging approach to distributed solar photovoltaic (PV) deployment that uses energy storage and controllable devices to optimize customer economics. The solar plus approach increases customer system value through technologies such as electric batteries, smart domestic water heaters, smart air-conditioner (AC) units, and electric vehicles We use an NREL optimization model to explore the customer-side economics of solar plus under various utility rate structures and net metering rates. We explore optimal solar plus applications in five case studies with different net metering rates and rate structures. The model deploys different configurations of PV, batteries, smart domestic water heaters, and smart AC units in response to different rate structures and customer load profiles. The results indicate that solar plus improves the customer economics of PV and may mitigate some of the negative impacts of evolving rate structures on PV economics. Solar plus may become an increasingly viable model for optimizing PV customer economics in an evolving rate environment.

Solar Plus: A Holistic Approach to Distributed Solar PV

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

OShaughnessy, Eric J. [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Ardani, Kristen B. [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Cutler, Dylan S. [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Margolis, Robert M. [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)

2017-06-08

Solar 'plus' refers to an emerging approach to distributed solar photovoltaic (PV) deployment that uses energy storage and controllable devices to optimize customer economics. The solar plus approach increases customer system value through technologies such as electric batteries, smart domestic water heaters, smart air-conditioner (AC) units, and electric vehicles We use an NREL optimization model to explore the customer-side economics of solar plus under various utility rate structures and net metering rates. We explore optimal solar plus applications in five case studies with different net metering rates and rate structures. The model deploys different configurations of PV, batteries, smart domestic water heaters, and smart AC units in response to different rate structures and customer load profiles. The results indicate that solar plus improves the customer economics of PV and may mitigate some of the negative impacts of evolving rate structures on PV economics. Solar plus may become an increasingly viable model for optimizing PV customer economics in an evolving rate environment.

Field Surveys of Non-Residential Solar Water Heating Systems in Taiwan

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kung-Ming Chung

2012-02-01

Full Text Available To develop indigenous alternative and renewable energy resources, long-term subsidy programs (1986–1991 and 2000–present for solar water heaters have been enforced in Taiwan. By the end of 2010, the total installed area of solar collectors had exceeded 2 million square meters. However, over 98% of solar water heaters were used in residential systems for hot water production, with the areas of installed solar collector being less than 10 square meters. There were only 98 systems with area of solar collectors installed exceeding 100 square meters put into operation from 2001 to 2010. These systems were mainly installed for water heating in dormitories, swimming pools, restaurants, and manufacturing plants. In the present study, a comprehensive survey of these large-scale solar water heaters was conducted. The objectives of the survey were to assess the system performance and to collect feedback from individual users. It is found that lack of experience in system design and maintenance are the key factors affecting reliable operation of a system. Hourly, daily and long-term field measurements of a dormitory system were also examined to evaluate its thermal efficiencies. Results indicated that thermal efficiency of the system is associated with the daily solar radiation. Hot water use pattern and operation of auxiliary heater should be taken into account in system design.

Hybrid bio-photo-electro-chemical cells for solar water splitting.

Science.gov (United States)

Pinhassi, Roy I; Kallmann, Dan; Saper, Gadiel; Dotan, Hen; Linkov, Artyom; Kay, Asaf; Liveanu, Varda; Schuster, Gadi; Adir, Noam; Rothschild, Avner

2016-08-23

Photoelectrochemical water splitting uses solar power to decompose water to hydrogen and oxygen. Here we show how the photocatalytic activity of thylakoid membranes leads to overall water splitting in a bio-photo-electro-chemical (BPEC) cell via a simple process. Thylakoids extracted from spinach are introduced into a BPEC cell containing buffer solution with ferricyanide. Upon solar-simulated illumination, water oxidation takes place and electrons are shuttled by the ferri/ferrocyanide redox couple from the thylakoids to a transparent electrode serving as the anode, yielding a photocurrent density of 0.5 mA cm(-2). Hydrogen evolution occurs at the cathode at a bias as low as 0.8 V. A tandem cell comprising the BPEC cell and a Si photovoltaic module achieves overall water splitting with solar to hydrogen efficiency of 0.3%. These results demonstrate the promise of combining natural photosynthetic membranes and man-made photovoltaic cells in order to convert solar power into hydrogen fuel.

The Utilisation of Solar System in Combined Heating System of Water

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ján Jobbágy

2017-01-01

Full Text Available The paper assessed the topicality and returns of solar system utilization to heating of water. Practical measurements were conducted after reconstruction of the family house. (in Nesvady, Slovak republic, on which the solar system were assembled. The system consists of the gas heater, solar panels, distributions and circulation pump. The solar system was assembled due to decreasing of operation costs and connected with conventional already used gas heating system by boiler Quantum (V = 115 L. The conventional system was used for 21 days to gather basic values for evaluation. At this point it was observed that 11.93 m3 of gas is needed to heat up 1 m3 of water. Used water in this case was heated from initial 16.14 °C to 52.04 °C of output temperature. Stand by regime of boiler was characterized by 0.012 m3.h-1 consumption of gas. The rest of the measurements represent the annual (from 03/2013 to 02/2014 operation process of boiler Tatramat VTS 200L (trivalent with 200 litres of volume (as a part of Thermosolar solar system. The solar collectors TS 300 are also part of the solar system. An input and output temperatures of heating water we observed along with water and gas consumption, intensity of solar radiation and actual weather conditions. The amount of heat produced by solar system was then calculated. Total investment on solar system were 2,187.7 € (1,475.7 € with subsidy. Therefore, return on investment for the construction of the solar system was set at 23 years even with subsidy.

Atmospheric solar heating rate in the water vapor bands

Science.gov (United States)

Chou, Ming-Dah

1986-01-01

The total absorption of solar radiation by water vapor in clear atmospheres is parameterized as a simple function of the scaled water vapor amount. For applications to cloudy and hazy atmospheres, the flux-weighted k-distribution functions are computed for individual absorption bands and for the total near-infrared region. The parameterization is based upon monochromatic calculations and follows essentially the scaling approximation of Chou and Arking, but the effect of temperature variation with height is taken into account in order to enhance the accuracy. Furthermore, the spectral range is extended to cover the two weak bands centered at 0.72 and 0.82 micron. Comparisons with monochromatic calculations show that the atmospheric heating rate and the surface radiation can be accurately computed from the parameterization. Comparisons are also made with other parameterizations. It is found that the absorption of solar radiation can be computed reasonably well using the Goody band model and the Curtis-Godson approximation.

Use of reflectors to enhance the synergistic effects of solar heating and solar wavelengths to disinfect drinking water sources

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rijal, G.K. [Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago, Cicero, Illinois (United States); Fujioka, R.S. [University of Hawaii, Honolulu (United States). Water Resources Research Center

2004-07-01

Aluminum reflectors were added to solar units designed to inactivate faecal microorganisms (faecal coliform, E. coli, enterococci, FRNA coliphage, C. perfringens) in stream water and diluted sewage by the two mechanisms (solar heat, solar UV) known to inactivate microorganisms. During sunny conditions, solar units with and without reflectors inactivated E. coli to <1 CFU/100 ml to meet drinking water standards. Solar units with reflectors disinfected to the water sooner by increasing the water temperature by 8-10{sup o}C to 64-75{sup o}C. However, FRNA coliphages were still detected in these samples, indicating that this treatment may not inactivate pathogenic human enteric viruses. During cloudy conditions, reflectors only increased the water temperature by 3-4{sup o}C to a maximum of 43-49{sup o}C and E. coli was not completely inactivated. Under sunny and cloudy conditions, the UV wavelengths of sunlight worked synergistically with increasing water temperatures and were able to disinfect microorganisms at temperatures (45-56{sup o}C), which were not effective in inactivating microorganisms. Relative resistance to the solar disinfecting effects were C perfringens > FRNA coliphages > enterococci >E. coli > faecal coliform. (author)

Effects of solar collecting area and water flow rate on the performance of a sand bed solar collector

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Maganhar, A.L.; Memon, A.H.; Panhwar, M.I.

2005-01-01

The often discussed renewable sources of energy have been great interest to energy researchers and planners for quite some time. The primary of renewing all sources of energy is the sun. There have been two main problems not yet fully resolved. One is the large scale production of energy and other is the cost factor. In the present study, the cost factor is under consideration. In this regard a non-conventional solar collector using indigenous material (pit sand) as solar absorber is designed and manufactured. This paper presents the results of an investigation of the effect of solar collecting area and water flow rate on the performance of a pit sand bed solar collector especially in terms of rise in water temperature. Three pit sand solar collectors of area 1m/sup 2/ each were connected in series to enhance the collecting area and the system was tested for different flow rates. Experimental results proved that there was increase in water temperature with increase in solar collecting area an decreases in water temperature with increase in flow rate. (author)

Modelling solar-like oscillators

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Eggenberger, P; Miglio, A [Institut d' Astrophysique et de Geophysique de l' Universite de Liege, 17 Allee du 6 Aout, B-4000 Liege (Belgium); Carrier, F [Institute of Astronomy, University of Leuven, Celestijnenlaan 200 D, B-3001 Leuven (Belgium); Mathis, S [CEA/DSM/DAPNIA/Service d' Astrophysique, CEA/Saclay, AIM-Unite Mixte de Recherche CEA-CNRS-Universite Paris VII, UMR 7158, 91191 Gif-sur-Yvette Cedex (France)], E-mail: eggenberger@Qastro.ulg.ac.be

2008-10-15

The computation of models of stars for which solar-like oscillations have been observed is discussed. After a brief intoduction on the observations of solar-like oscillations, the modelling of isolated stars and of stars belonging to a binary system is presented with specific examples of recent theoretical calibrations. Finally the input physics introduced in stellar evolution codes for the computation of solar-type stars is discussed with a peculiar emphasis on the modelling of rotation for these stars.

Enhancement of Solar Water Pasteurization with Reflectors

OpenAIRE

Safapour, Negar; Metcalf, Robert H.

1999-01-01

A simple and reliable method that could be used in developing countries to pasteurize milk and water with solar energy is described. A cardboard reflector directs sunshine onto a black jar, heating water to pasteurizing temperatures in several hours. A reusable water pasteurization indicator verifies that pasteurization temperatures have been reached.

Enhancement of solar water pasteurization with reflectors.

Science.gov (United States)

Safapour, N; Metcalf, R H

1999-02-01

A simple and reliable method that could be used in developing countries to pasteurize milk and water with solar energy is described. A cardboard reflector directs sunshine onto a black jar, heating water to pasteurizing temperatures in several hours. A reusable water pasteurization indicator verifies that pasteurization temperatures have been reached.

Solar High Temperature Water-Splitting Cycle with Quantum Boost

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Taylor, Robin [SAIC; Davenport, Roger [SAIC; Talbot, Jan [UCSD; Herz, Richard [UCSD; Genders, David [Electrosynthesis Co.; Symons, Peter [Electrosynthesis Co.; Brown, Lloyd [TChemE

2014-04-25

A sulfur family chemical cycle having ammonia as the working fluid and reagent was developed as a cost-effective and efficient hydrogen production technology based on a solar thermochemical water-splitting cycle. The sulfur ammonia (SA) cycle is a renewable and sustainable process that is unique in that it is an all-fluid cycle (i.e., with no solids handling). It uses a moderate temperature solar plant with the solar receiver operating at 800°C. All electricity needed is generated internally from recovered heat. The plant would operate continuously with low cost storage and it is a good potential solar thermochemical hydrogen production cycle for reaching the DOE cost goals. Two approaches were considered for the hydrogen production step of the SA cycle: (1) photocatalytic, and (2) electrolytic oxidation of ammonium sulfite to ammonium sulfate in aqueous solutions. Also, two sub-cycles were evaluated for the oxygen evolution side of the SA cycle: (1) zinc sulfate/zinc oxide, and (2) potassium sulfate/potassium pyrosulfate. The laboratory testing and optimization of all the process steps for each version of the SA cycle were proven in the laboratory or have been fully demonstrated by others, but further optimization is still possible and needed. The solar configuration evolved to a 50 MW(thermal) central receiver system with a North heliostat field, a cavity receiver, and NaCl molten salt storage to allow continuous operation. The H2A economic model was used to optimize and trade-off SA cycle configurations. Parametric studies of chemical plant performance have indicated process efficiencies of ~20%. Although the current process efficiency is technically acceptable, an increased efficiency is needed if the DOE cost targets are to be reached. There are two interrelated areas in which there is the potential for significant efficiency improvements: electrolysis cell voltage and excessive water vaporization. Methods to significantly reduce water evaporation are

Potential application of solar thermal systems for hot water production in Hong Kong

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li Hong; Yang Hongxing

2009-01-01

This paper presents the evaluation results of conventional solar water heater (SWH) systems and solar assisted heat pump (SAHP) systems for hot water production in Hong Kong. An economic comparison and global warming impact analysis are conducted among the two kinds of solar thermal systems and traditional water heating systems (i.e. electric water heaters and towngas water heaters). The economic comparison results show that solar thermal systems have greater economic benefits than traditional water heating systems. In addition, conventional SWH systems are comparable with the SAHP systems when solar fractions are above 50%. Besides, analysis on the sensitivity of the total equivalent warming impact (TEWI) indicates that the towngas boosted SWH system has the greatest potential in greenhouse gas emission reduction with various solar collector areas and the electricity boosted SWH system has the comparative TEWI with the SAHP systems if its solar fraction is above 50%. As for SAHP systems, the solar assisted air source heat pump (SA-ASHP) system has the least global warming impact. Based on all investigation results, suggestions are given on the selection of solar thermal systems for applications in Hong Kong

Design data brochure: Solar hot water system

Science.gov (United States)

1978-01-01

A design calculation is detailed for a single-family residence housing a family of four in a nonspecific geographical area. The solar water heater system is designed to provide 80 gallons of 140 F hot water per day.

Investigation of a novel concept for hydrogen production by PEM water electrolysis integrated with multi-junction solar cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ferrero, Domenico; Santarelli, Massimo

2017-01-01

Highlights: • A 2D model of a PEM water electrolyzer is developed and validated. • A novel system integrating PEM and multi-junction solar cells is proposed. • The model is applied to the simulation of the novel system. • The integration of PEM and MJ cells enhances the hydrogen production efficiency. - Abstract: A 2D finite element model of a high-pressure PEM water electrolyzer is developed and validated over experimental data obtained from a demonstration prototype. The model includes the electrochemical, fluidic and thermal description of the repeating unit of a PEM electrolyzer stack. The model is applied to the simulation of a novel system composed by a high-temperature, high-pressure PEM electrochemical cell coupled with a photovoltaic multi-junction solar cell installed in a solar concentrator. The thermo-electrochemical characterization of the solar-driven PEM electrolysis system is presented and the advantages of the high-temperature operation and of the direct coupling of electrolyzer and solar cell are assessed. The results show that the integration of the multi-junction cell enhances the performance of the electrolyzer and allows to achieve higher system efficiency compared to separated photovoltaic generation and hydrogen production by electrolysis.

Feasibility study of a solar photovoltaic water pumping system for rural Ethiopia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Misrak Girma

2015-06-01

Full Text Available Solar Photovoltaic (SPV water pumping system is one of the best technologies that utilize the solar energy to pump water from deep well underground water sources and to provide clean drinking water worldwide. The availability of abundant solar radiation and enough underground water sources in Ethiopia can be combined together to make clean drinking water available to rural communities. The software PVsyst 5.56 was used to study the feasibility of solar photovoltaic water pumping system in the selected sites. The designed system is capable of providing a daily average of 10.5, 7 and 6.5 m3/day for 700, 467 and 433 people in Siadberand Wayu, Wolmera and Enderta sites respectively, with average daily water consumption of 15 liters per day per person and the costs of water without any subsidy, are approximately 0.1, 0.14 and 0.16 $/m3for each site respectively. If diesel generator is used instead of solar photovoltaic water pumping system, to provide the same average daily water for the selected community, the costs of water without any subsidy are approximately 0.2, 0.23 and 0.27 $/m3 for each site respectively. A life cycle cost analysis method was also carried out for economic comparison between solar PV and the diesel pumping system. The results of this study are encouraging the use of the PV system for drinking water supply in the remote areas of the country.

Dynamic model of an autonomous solar absorption refrigerator

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ali Fellah; Tahar Khir; Ammar Ben Brahim

2009-01-01

The performance analysis of a solar absorption refrigerator operating in an autonomous way is investigated. The water/LiBr machine satisfies the air-conditioning needs along the day. The refrigerator performances were simulated regarding a dynamic model. For the solar driven absorption machines, two applications could be distinguished. The sun provides the thermal part of the useful energy. In this case, it is necessary to use additional energy as the electric one to activate the pumps, the fans and the control system. On the other hand, the sun provides all the necessary energy. Here, both photovoltaic cells and thermal concentrators should be used. The simulation in dynamic regime of the cycle requires the knowledge of the geometric characteristics of every component as the exchange areas and the internal volumes. Real characteristics of a refrigerator available at the applied thermodynamic research unit (ATRU) at the engineers' national school of Gabes are notified. The development of the thermal and matter balances in every component of the cycle has permitted to simulate in dynamic regime the performances of a solar absorption refrigerator operating with the water/LiBr couple for air-conditioning needs. The developed model could be used to perform intermittent refrigeration cycle autonomously driven. (author)

Solar Desalination System Model for Sizing of Photovoltaic Reverse Osmosis (PVRO)

KAUST Repository

Habib, Abdulelah

2015-06-28

The focus of this paper is to optimize the solar energy utilization in the water desalination process. Due to variable nature of solar energy, new system design is needed to address this challenge. Here, reverse osmosis units, as the electrical loads, are considered as an ON/OFF units to track these solar energy variations. Reverse osmosis units are different in sizes and numbers. Various combinations of reverse osmosis units in size and capacity provide different water desalination system performances. To assess each scenario of reverse osmosis units, the total capital cost and operation and maintenance (O&M) cost are considered. The implemented optimization algorithm search all of the possible scenarios to find the best solution. This paper deploys the solar irradiance data which is provided from west coast (Red Sea) of Saudi Arabia for model construction and optimization algorithm implementation.

Weather-power station. Solar energy, wind energy, water energy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Schatta, M

1975-10-02

A combined power station is described, which enables one to convert solar energy and wind energy into other forms of energy. The plant consists of a water-filled boiler, in which solar energy heats the water by concentration, solar cells, and finally wind rotors, which transform wind energy into electrical energy. The transformed energy is partly available as steam heat, partly as mechanical or electrical energy. The plant can be used for supplying heating systems or electrolysis equipment. Finally, by incorporating suitable motors, a mobile version of the system can be produced.

Environmental aspects of the use of materials for solar water heaters

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Van der Leun, C.J.; De Jager, D.

1994-10-01

The study on the title subject has been carried out in order to apply the results in new designs and to improve the production of solar water heating systems. Attention is paid to solar water heaters that are under development and solar water heaters that are commercially available in the Netherlands. Use has been made of a IVAM-developed product analysis method. For seven solar water heater concepts, that were on the market or under development in the Netherlands in 1992, the applied amounts of materials have been inventorized. Data on the environmental effects of the production of these materials are outlined and aggregated on the level of the components and the systems. Based on those data, environmental profiles are drafted, comprising 'effect scores' on 9 environmental criteria. However, the environmental 'effect scores' are not reliable enough to determine the most important factors in order to identify options to reduce the negative environmental effects. Data on the energy consumption of the production of relevant materials are available and reliable. The solar water heaters, considered in this report, do not show large differences for that matter. It appears that the amounts of air pollution, water pollution and waste flow from the production of materials for solar water heaters are no reasons to further reduce environmental effects of the production. It is recommended to focus on the reduction of material quantities and to increase the quantity of recycled material. Also it is recommended that manufacturers of solar boilers set up a take-back system. 43 tabs., 1 appendix, 56 refs

Performance of Thermosyphon Solar Water Heaters in Series

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tsong-Sheng Lee

2012-08-01

Full Text Available More than a single thermosyphon solar water heater may be employed in applications when considerable hot water consumption is required. In this experimental investigation, eight typical Taiwanese solar water heaters were connected in series. Degree of temperature stratification and thermosyphon flow rate in a horizontal tank were evaluated. The system was tested under no-load, intermittent and continuous load conditions. Results showed that there was stratification in tanks under the no-load condition. Temperature stratification also redeveloped after the draw-off. Analysis of thermal performance of the system was conducted for each condition.

Solar Fuels: Photocatalytic Water Splitting Using a 2‐Photon Approach

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Seger, Brian; Mei, Bastian Timo; Bae, Dowon

2014-01-01

While the sun provides orders of magnitude more energy than we consume on earth, it is intermittent, and thus we must have storage reservoirs for when it is dark. Plants have realized early on that storing this energy in the form of molecular fuels is quite effective. In our work, we take...... a similarapproach and look to use solar cells to electrolyze water into hydrogen fuel and an oxygen byproduct. Modelling has shown that to optimize photoelectrolysis efficiency, a 2 photon tandem device (back toback solar cells) should be used. The underlying principle is that one solar cell should absorb high...... these issues and how to integrate them seamlessly together. In this talk I will discuss a) our optimizations of our solar cell, b) how we protect the solar cells from corrosion and c) our H2 and O2evolution catalysts. The talk will focus on what areas of the device we think are highly optimized and whatareas...

Preheating of tap water with solar collectors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Granum, H; Raaen, H

1992-05-05

In 1991 SINTEF Architecture and Building Technology won the second prize in 'The Nordic Competition for Low Energy Buildings' with a project proposal named 'LOWe'. The paper gives a description of the energy-saving features of this project, particularly the use of a solar collector for preheating of tap water. Compared with the economic profitability of other saving efforts in the project, such as good thermal insulation and efficient heat recovering system, the system for solar preheating of tap water does not seem very attractive for the time being. Loose estimates indicate a cost of close of NOK 1.00 per kWh for the produced energy in the solar collector, while the present price for electricity in Norway is about NOK 0.50 per kWh. Compared with a heat pump solution however the energy cost is not unreasonable.

Spectral Monte Carlo simulation of collimated solar irradiation transfer in a water-filled prismatic louver.

Science.gov (United States)

Cai, Yaomin; Guo, Zhixiong

2018-04-20

The Monte Carlo model was developed to simulate the collimated solar irradiation transfer and energy harvest in a hollow louver made of silica glass and filled with water. The full solar spectrum from the air mass 1.5 database was adopted and divided into various discrete bands for spectral calculations. The band-averaged spectral properties for the silica glass and water were obtained. Ray tracing was employed to find the solar energy harvested by the louver. Computational efficiency and accuracy were examined through intensive comparisons of different band partition approaches, various photon numbers, and element divisions. The influence of irradiation direction on the solar energy harvest efficiency was scrutinized. It was found that within a 15° polar angle of incidence, the harvested solar energy in the louver was high, and the total absorption efficiency reached 61.2% under normal incidence for the current louver geometry.

Enhancement of Solar Water Pasteurization with Reflectors

Science.gov (United States)

Safapour, Negar; Metcalf, Robert H.

1999-01-01

A simple and reliable method that could be used in developing countries to pasteurize milk and water with solar energy is described. A cardboard reflector directs sunshine onto a black jar, heating water to pasteurizing temperatures in several hours. A reusable water pasteurization indicator verifies that pasteurization temperatures have been reached. PMID:9925631

Solar heating and hot water system installed at Saint Louis, Missouri

Science.gov (United States)

1980-01-01

The solar heating and hot water system installed at the William Tao & Associates, Inc., office building in St. Louis, Missouri is described, including maintenance and construction problems, final drawings, system requirements, and manufacturer's component data. The solar system was designed to provide 50 percent of the hot water requirements and 45 percent of the space heating needs for a 900 sq ft office space and drafting room. The solar facility has 252 sq ft of glass tube concentrator collectors and a 1000 gallon steel storage tank buried below a concrete slab floor. Freeze protection is provided by a propylene glycol/water mixture in the collector loop. The collectors are roof mounted on a variable tilt array which is adjusted seasonally and is connected to the solar thermal storage tank by a tube-in-shell heat exchanger. Incoming city water is preheated through the solar energy thermal storage tank.

A Groundwater Model to Assess Water Resource Impacts at the Imperial East Solar Energy Zone

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Quinn, John [Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States); Greer, Chris [Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States); O' Connor, Ben L. [Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States); Tompson, Andrew F.B. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)

2013-12-01

The purpose of this study is to develop a groundwater flow model to examine the influence of potential groundwater withdrawal to support the utility-scale solar energy development at the Imperial East Solar Energy Zone (SEZ) as a part of the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) solar energy program.

The role of solar ultraviolet radiation in 'natural' water purification

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Calkins, J.; Buckles, J.D.; Moeller, J.R.

1976-01-01

The concentration of Eschericia coli in the input and output of a tertiary wastewater system (4 lagoons) has been monitored over an 11 month period. The integrated flux of biologically active solar ultraviolet (UV) radiation was measured during this period. By also determining (1) the effective temperature in the system, (2) the growth rate of E.coli at the effective temperature, (3) the penetration of the solar UV into the lagoons, (4) the dose-response relation for killing of E.coli by UV and (5) the retention time of water in the system, it is possible to compare the 'die off' expected from solar UV exposure to the actual 'die off' observed for different batches of water. The observed killing of E.coli was quite close to the values calculated, considering the numerous factors involved. Solar UV light would thus seem to be a very important factor in the natural purification of water. Because each successful species must possess characteristics (physiological or behavioral) which provide adequate resistance to solar UV, the ecological role of solar UV radiation has not been widely appreciated. (author)

Installation package for a solar heating and hot water system

Science.gov (United States)

1978-01-01

Development and installation of two commercial solar heating and hot water systems are reported. The systems consist of the following subsystems: collector, storage, transport, hot water, auxiliary energy and controls. General guidelines are provided which may be utilized in development of detailed installation plans and specifications. In addition, operation, maintenance and repair of a solar heating and hot water system instructions are included.

Hybrid bio-photo-electro-chemical cells for solar water splitting

OpenAIRE

Pinhassi, Roy I.; Kallmann, Dan; Saper, Gadiel; Dotan, Hen; Linkov, Artyom; Kay, Asaf; Liveanu, Varda; Schuster, Gadi; Adir, Noam; Rothschild, Avner

2016-01-01

Photoelectrochemical water splitting uses solar power to decompose water to hydrogen and oxygen. Here we show how the photocatalytic activity of thylakoid membranes leads to overall water splitting in a bio-photo-electro-chemical (BPEC) cell via a simple process. Thylakoids extracted from spinach are introduced into a BPEC cell containing buffer solution with ferricyanide. Upon solar-simulated illumination, water oxidation takes place and electrons are shuttled by the ferri/ferrocyanide redox...

Dimensioning of a solar water heater made from PET bottles; Dimensionamento de um aquecedor solar de agua feito com garrafas PET

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bertoleti, Pedro Henrique Fonseca; Souza, Teofilo Miguel de [Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP), Guaratingueta, SP (Brazil). Centro de Energias Renovaveis

2008-07-01

This document show the solar water heater made of PET bottles, a simple-construction solar water heater that try to give us two important solutions, water heating using solar energy and reutilization of the PET bottles left in the nature. Also, it will be showed how to do the dimensioning of it. Based on the showed dimensioning a application / software is developed and after that simulations are made using the application to provide how is the economy if it's used this kind of solar water heater and their environmental contribution by reutilization of the PET bottles abandoned in the nature. For example, in a common home the economy is about 45% of the electricity bill considering that the warmed water is used just to take a shower. So, the conclusion is: the solar water heater made by PET bottles is a very relevant equipment to the use of the solar energy, to useful applications and environmental contribution. (author)

Solar water heating for aquaculture : optimizing design for sustainability

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

McDonald, M.; Thwaites, J. [Taylor Munro Energy Systems Inc., Delta, BC (Canada)

2003-08-01

This paper presents the results of a solar water heating project at Redfish Ranch, the first Tilapia tropical fish farm in British Columbia. The fish are raised in land-based tanks, eliminating the risk of contamination of local ecosystems. As a tropical species, they requires warm water. Natural gas or propane boilers are typically used to maintain tank temperatures at 26 to 28 degrees C. Redfish Ranch uses solar energy to add heat to the fish tanks, thereby reducing fossil-fuel combustion and greenhouse gas emissions. This unique building-integrated solar system is improving the environmental status of of this progressive industrial operation by offsetting fossil-fuel consumption. The system was relatively low cost, although substantial changes had to be made to the roof of the main building. The building-integrated design of the solar water heating system has reduced operating costs, generated local employment, and shows promise of future activity. As such, it satisfies the main criteria for sustainability. 7 refs.

Study Design And Realization Of Solar Water Heater

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lounis, M.; Boudjemaa, F.; Akil, S. Kouider

2011-01-01

Solar is one of the most easily exploitable energy, it is moreover inexhaustible. His applications are many and are varied. The heating of the domestic water is one of the most immediate, simplest and also of most widespread exploitation of the solar energy. Algeria, from its geographical situation, it deposits one of the largest high sun surface expositions in the world. The exposition duration of the almost territory exceeds 2000 hours annually and can reach the 3900 hours (high plateaus and Sahara). By knowing the daily energy received by 1 m 2 of a horizontal surface of the solar thermal panel is nearly around 1700 KWh/m 2 a year in the north and 2263 KWh/m 2 a year in the south of the country, we release the most important and strategic place of the solar technologies in the present and in the future for Algeria. This work consists to study, conceive and manufacture solar water heating with the available local materials so, this type of the energy will be profitable for all, particularly the poor countries. If we consider the illumination duration of the panel around 6 hours a day, the water heat panel manufactured in our laboratory produce an equivalent energy of 11.615 KWh a day so, 4239 KWh a year. These values of energy can be easily increased with performing the panel manufacture.

Methodology for estimation of potential for solar water heating in a target area

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pillai, Indu R.; Banerjee, Rangan

2007-01-01

Proper estimation of potential of any renewable energy technology is essential for planning and promotion of the technology. The methods reported in literature for estimation of potential of solar water heating in a target area are aggregate in nature. A methodology for potential estimation (technical, economic and market potential) of solar water heating in a target area is proposed in this paper. This methodology links the micro-level factors and macro-level market effects affecting the diffusion or adoption of solar water heating systems. Different sectors with end uses of low temperature hot water are considered for potential estimation. Potential is estimated at each end use point by simulation using TRNSYS taking micro-level factors. The methodology is illustrated for a synthetic area in India with an area of 2 sq. km and population of 10,000. The end use sectors considered are residential, hospitals, nursing homes and hotels. The estimated technical potential and market potential are 1700 m 2 and 350 m 2 of collector area, respectively. The annual energy savings for the technical potential in the area is estimated as 110 kW h/capita and 0.55 million-kW h/sq. km. area, with an annual average peak saving of 1 MW. The annual savings is 650-kW h per m 2 of collector area and accounts for approximately 3% of the total electricity consumption of the target area. Some of the salient features of the model are the factors considered for potential estimation; estimation of electrical usage pattern for typical day, amount of electricity savings and savings during the peak load. The framework is general and enables accurate estimation of potential of solar water heating for a city, block. Energy planners and policy makers can use this framework for tracking and promotion of diffusion of solar water heating systems. (author)

Report of the workshop Energy Utility and Solar Water Heater 1993

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1993-01-01

The title workshop was organized to increase the interest of energy utilities for the Solar Water Heater campaign by providing representatives of the utilities with information about the technical and marketing aspects of solar boilers, and to stimulate knowledge transfer between the energy utilities about the method, the possibilities and bottlenecks of solar water heater projects

Building America Case Study: Addressing Multifamily Piping Losses with Solar Hot Water, Davis, California

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

2016-12-01

Solar thermal water heating is most cost effective when applied to multifamily buildings and some states offer incentives or other inducements to install them. However, typical solar water heating designs do not allow the solar generated heat to be applied to recirculation losses, only to reduce the amount of gas or electric energy needed for hot water that is delivered to the fixtures. For good reasons, hot water that is recirculated through the building is returned to the water heater, not to the solar storage tank. The project described in this report investigated the effectiveness of using automatic valves to divert water that is normally returned through the recirculation piping to the gas or electric water heater instead to the solar storage tank. The valves can be controlled so that the flow is only diverted when the returning water is cooler than the water in the solar storage tank.

The annual number of days that solar heated water satisfies a specified demand temperature

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yohanis, Y.G. [Thermal Systems Engineering Group, Faculty of Engineering, University of Ulster, BT37 0QB Northern Ireland (United Kingdom); Popel, O.; Frid, S.E. [Non-traditional Renewable Energy Sources, Institute for High Temperatures, Russian Academy of Sciences, 13/19 Izhorskaya str., IVTAN, Moscow 127412 (Russian Federation); Norton, B. [Dublin Institute of Technology, Aungier Street, Dublin 2 (Ireland)

2006-08-15

An analysis of solar water heating systems determines the number of days in each month when solar heated water wholly meets demand above a set temperature. The approach has been used to investigate the potential contribution to water heating loads of solar water heating in two UK locations. Correlations between the approach developed and the use of solar fractions are discussed. (author)

Potential for solar water heating in Zimbabwe

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Batidzirai, B.; Lysen, E.H.; van Egmond, S.; van Sark, W.G.J.H.M.

2009-01-01

This paper discusses the economic, social and environmental benefits from using solar water heating (SWH) in Zimbabwe. By comparing different water heating technology usage in three sectors over a 25-year period, the potential of SWH is demonstrated in alleviating energy and economic problems that

ANALYSIS AND MODELING OF SOLAR EVAPORATOR-COLLECTOR

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zakaria Mohd. Amin

2015-11-01

Full Text Available Solar energy is considered a sustainable resource that poses little to no harmful effects on the environment. The performance of a solar system depends to a great extent on the collector used for the conversion of solar radiant energy to thermal energy. A solar evaporator-collector (SEC is basically an unglazed flat plate collector where refrigerants, such as R134a is used as the working fluid. As the operating temperature of the SEC is very low, it utilizes both solar irradiation and ambient energy leading to a much higher efficiency than the conventional collectors. This capability of SECs to utilize ambient energy also enables the system to operate at night. This type of collector can be locally made and is relatively much cheaper than the conventional collector.   At the National University of Singapore, the evaporator-collector was integrated to a heat pump and the performance was investigated for several thermal applications: (i water heating, (ii drying and (iii desalination. A 2-dimensional transient mathematical model of this system was developed and validated by experimental data. The present study provides a comprehensive study of performance. KEYWORDS: heat pump; evaporator-collector.

Decentralized and cost-effective solar water purification system for remote communities

Science.gov (United States)

Abd-ur-Rehman, Hafiz M.; Shakir, Sehar; Atta-ur-Razaq; Saqib, Hamza; Tahir, Saad

2018-05-01

In this study, a modified stepped solar still is proposed for water desalination. The overall objective of this work is to develop and test the proposed still design to identify the productivity enhancement as compared to conventional basin type solar still. The proposed design takes the advantage of its stepped configuration that allows the water stream to maintain a minimum desirable water column height and the water flow through the stages under the force of gravity. A minimum water depth in the still results in a higher rate of evaporation. The still is also incorporated with Fresnel lens to increase the water temperature that eventually increases the rate of water evaporation. Another important aspect of this design is the incorporation of phase-change-material (PCM) to increase the operational hours of the solar still. Consequently, daily productivity of fresh water is increased.

Measurement of atmospheric precipitable water using a solar radiometer. [water vapor absorption effects

Science.gov (United States)

Pitts, D. E.; Dillinger, A. E.; Mcallum, W. E.

1974-01-01

A technique is described and tested that allows the determination of atmospheric precipitable water from two measurements of solar intensity: one in a water-vapor absorption band and another in a nearby spectral region unaffected by water vapor.

Solar-Based Fuzzy Intelligent Water Sprinkle System

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Riza Muhida

2012-03-01

Full Text Available A solar-based intelligent water sprinkler system project that has been developed to ensure the effectiveness in watering the plant is improved by making the system automated. The control system consists of an electrical capacitance soil moisture sensor installed into the ground which is interfaced to a controller unit of Motorola 68HC11 Handy board microcontroller. The microcontroller was programmed based on the decision rules made using fuzzy logic approach on when to water the lawn. The whole system is powered up by the solar energy which is then interfaced to a particular type of irrigation timer for plant fertilizing schedule and rain detector through a simple design of rain dual-collector tipping bucket. The controller unit automatically disrupted voltage signals sent to the control valves whenever irrigation was not needed. Using this system we combined the logic implementation in the area of irrigation and weather sensing equipment, and more efficient water delivery can be made possible. 

Solar Deployment System (SolarDS) Model: Documentation and Sample Results

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Denholm, P.; Drury, E.; Margolis, R.

2009-09-01

The Solar Deployment System (SolarDS) model is a bottom-up, market penetration model that simulates the potential adoption of photovoltaics (PV) on residential and commercial rooftops in the continental United States through 2030. NREL developed SolarDS to examine the market competitiveness of PV based on regional solar resources, capital costs, electricity prices, utility rate structures, and federal and local incentives. The model uses the projected financial performance of PV systems to simulate PV adoption for building types and regions then aggregates adoption to state and national levels. The main components of SolarDS include a PV performance simulator, a PV annual revenue calculator, a PV financial performance calculator, a PV market share calculator, and a regional aggregator. The model simulates a variety of installed PV capacity for a range of user-specified input parameters. PV market penetration levels from 15 to 193 GW by 2030 were simulated in preliminary model runs. SolarDS results are primarily driven by three model assumptions: (1) future PV cost reductions, (2) the maximum PV market share assumed for systems with given financial performance, and (3) PV financing parameters and policy-driven assumptions, such as the possible future cost of carbon emissions.

DEVELOPMENT AND PRELIMINARY TESTING OF A PARABOLIC TROUGH SOLAR WATER HEATER

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

O. A. Lasode

2011-06-01

Full Text Available Solar energy is a high-temperature, high-energy radiant energy source, with tremendous advantages over other alternative energy sources. It is a reliable, robust renewable resource which is largely undeveloped. The design and fabrication of parabolic trough solar water heater for water heating was executed. The procedure employed includes the design, construction and testing stages. The equipment which is made up of the reflector surface (curved mirror, reflector support, absorber pipe and a stand was fabricated using locally sourced materials. The results obtained. compared favourably with other research works in the literature. It depicts that employing a suitable design, selection of time of heating and proper focusing of the reflected rays to the focal spot region, solar radiation can efficiently be utilized for water heating in a tropical environment. This work presents a parabolic trough solar water heater as a suitable renewable energy technology for reducing water-heating costs.

Integrating a Semitransparent, Fullerene-Free Organic Solar Cell in Tandem with a BiVO4 Photoanode for Unassisted Solar Water Splitting.

Science.gov (United States)

Peng, Yuelin; Govindaraju, Gokul V; Lee, Dong Ki; Choi, Kyoung-Shin; Andrew, Trisha L

2017-07-12

We report an unassisted solar water splitting system powered by a diketopyrrolopyrrole (DPP)-containing semitransparent organic solar cell. Two major merits of this fullerene-free solar cell enable its integration with a BiVO 4 photoanode. First is the high open circuit voltage and high fill factor displayed by this single junction solar cell, which yields sufficient power to effect water splitting when serially connected to an appropriate electrode/catalyst. Second, the wavelength-resolved photoaction spectrum of the DPP-based solar cell has minimal overlap with that of the BiVO 4 photoanode, thus ensuring that light collection across these two components can be optimized. The latter feature enables a new water splitting device configuration wherein the solar cell is placed first in the path of incident light, before the BiVO 4 photoanode, although BiVO 4 has a wider bandgap. This configuration is accessed by replacing the reflective top electrode of the standard DPP-based solar cell with a thin metal film and an antireflection layer, thus rendering the solar cell semitransparent. In this configuration, incident light does not travel through the aqueous electrolyte to reach the solar cell or photoanode, and therefore, photon losses due to the scattering of water are reduced. Moreover, this new configuration allows the BiVO 4 photoanode to be back-illuminated, i.e., through the BiVO 4 /back contact interface, which leads to higher photocurrents compared to front illumination. The combination of a semitransparent single-junction solar cell and a BiVO 4 photoanode coated with oxygen evolution catalysts in a new device configuration yielded an unassisted solar water splitting system with a solar-to-hydrogen conversion efficiency of 2.2% in water.

A viable CDM model for solar water heaters; CDM-Clean Development Mechanism

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

2008-09-15

It is a well known fact that solar water Heaters (SWH) replace fossil fuels and they do not represent business as usual scenario. Therefore use of this appliance can qualify to be considered as Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) project. However a single solar water heater is a very small unit to be able to generate sufficient Certified Emission Reductions (CERs) to pursue it as a CDM project. Even if the project is considered at the level of local venders or at the level of a company engaged in manufacturing SWH, the CERs still remain very small. The study examines the size of the project from the perspective of its viability as a CDM project and also explores other related issues such as additionality requirement, selection of methodology, baseline calculations, approach for stakeholders' comments, potential bundlers, monitoring and verification, and required policy interventions. Bank of Maharashtra (BOM), a commercial bank in India engaged in financing Solar Water Heaters (SWH), was considered as the base for the study. The CERs were calculated considering Electricity and LPG as the baseline. For the purpose of sensitivity analysis, various price bands for CERs (between US$ 15-25/CER) were considered. The analysis was carried out with bundling of SWH at BOM level, and at the Association of Banks (AOB) / Ministry level (in which case SWH financed by several banks are bundled). Recently approved Programme of Activities (PoA) approach was also considered in the analysis. The analysis clearly indicated that: 1) The CDM project with bundling at an individual bank level with about 8600 installations, though cash surplus, would generate the cash just to meet its own sustainability. But it is a very small project. 2) Bundling of installations by various banks, through an entity such as Association of Banks, would be a viable and sustainable CDM project due to benefits arising out of scale of economy. 3) The profitability of the CDM project would improve further if

Solar energy conversion by photocatalytic overall water splitting

KAUST Repository

Takanabe, Kazuhiro

2015-07-04

Summary: Solar energy is abundant and renewable energy: however, extensive conversion of the solar energy can only be achieved by large-scale collection of solar flux. The technology that satisfies this requirement must be as simple as possible to reduce capital cost. Overall water splitting (OWS) by powder-form photocatalysts directly produces H2 as a chemical energy in a single reactor, which does not require any complicated parabolic mirrors and electronic devices. Because of its simplicity and low capital cost, it has tremendous potential to become the major technology of solar energy conversion. To achieve the OWS efficiently, the development of efficient photocatalysts is mandatory. The OWS hotocatalysis involves the electrocatalys is for both water reduction and oxidation on the surafce of photocatalysts, which is driven by particular semiconductors that absorb photons to generate excited carriers. Such photocatalysts must be designed to maximize the charge separation efficiency at the catalyst-semiconductor and semiconductor-electrolyte interface. In addition the low-overpotential electrocatalyts towards water redox reactions should be insensitive to the back-reaction of the produced H2 and O2 that produces H2O. In this presentation, some recent progress on the topic of the OWS in our group will be discussed.

Solar Hot Water System Matter in Turkey (Mersin Case

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Müjgan ŞEREFHANOĞLU SÖZEN

2010-01-01

Full Text Available When the effects of sustainability on the construction sector have been taken into consideration, solar active systems on buildings emerge as an important design issue in the context of renewal energy usage. Solar hot water systems such as those widely used in Turkey are inefficient and have a negative effect on a building’s aesthetic and the urban view in general because of the poor quality of installation. Natural circulated open loop systems are commonly used, particularly in the south of Turkey, as they are highly economical and require no regulation to install. Solar hot water systems tend to be clustered together on the roofs, causing visual pollution, and this situation arises largely because are not considered part of the architectural design. It is therefore important to consider the negative effects of such systems in the form of treatment studies. This study aims to determine the positive effects that will be gained by the renovation of solar hot water systems in Mersin, a city in the southern region of Turkey.

Procedures of water desalination with solar energy and f-chart method

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Petrović Andrija A.

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Due to rapid population growth, and climate change caused by environmental pollution needs for drinking water are increasing while amount of freshwater are decreasing. However possible solution for freshwater scarcity can be found in water desalination procedures. In this article three representative water desalination solar powered plants are described. Except explanation of processes it is also mentioned basic advantages and disadvantages of humidification, reverse osmosis and desalination evaporation by using solar energy. Simulation of the solar desalination system is analyzed with f-chart method monthly, located on located 42 degrees north latitude.

Experimentation of a Solar Water Heater with Integrated Storage Tank

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Elhmidi, I; Frikha, N; Chaouchi, B; Gabsi, S

2009-01-01

An integrated collector storage (ICS) solar water heater was constructed in 2004 and studied its optical and thermal performance. It was revealed that it has some thermal shortcomings of thermal performances. The ICS system consists of one cylindrical horizontal tank properly mounted in a stationary symmetrical Compound Parabolic Concentrating (CPC) reflector trough. The main objective was to delimit the causes of these deficiencies and trying to diagnose them. A rigorous experimentation of the solar water heater has been done over its daily energetic output as well as the evolution of the nocturnal thermal losses. In fact, three successive days, including nights, of operation have permitted to obtain diagrams describing the variations of mean temperature in the tank and the thermal loss coefficient during night of our installation. The experimental results, compared with those obtained by simulation, showed a perfecting of thermal performances of system which approach from those of other models introduced on the international market

Optimized operation of a solar driven thermoelectric dehumidification system for fresh water production

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jradi, M.; Ghaddar, N.; Ghali, K. [Department of Mechanical Engineering, American University of Beirut (Lebanon)], Email: maj18@aub.edu.lb, email: farah@aub.edu.lb, email: ka04@aub.edu.lb

2011-07-01

One of the biggest challenges facing humanity is the scarcity of water resources; around 15% of people in the Arab world who do not have access to fresh water. A solar-driven thermoelectric system has been designed to dehumidify air and generate fresh water and combined with a solar distiller, which humidifies the air, the quantity of fresh water produced is further increased. The aim of this study is to assess the performance of this system. A case study was carried out in the Lebanese coastal humid climate zone on a residential space of 80m2 with water needs of 10 liters per day during summer months. Results showed that water requirements can be met with 5 thermoelectrically cooled channels and a solar distiller and that it would result in energy savings of from 17 to 45% during summer. This study demonstrated that the association of solar-driven thermoelectric systems and a solar distiller can provide fresh water at a low cost.

Large Bandgap Semiconductors for Solar Water Splitting

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Malizia, Mauro

Photoelectrochemical water splitting represents an eco-friendly technology that could enable the production of hydrogen using water as reactant and solar energy as primary energy source. The exploitation of solar energy for the production of hydrogen would help modern society to reduce the reliance...... on fossil fuels as primary feedstock for hydrogen production and diminish the emission of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, weakening the global warming phenomenon.The dissertation reports the development of GaP (gallium phosphide) photocathodes as a large bandgap semiconductor for photoelectrochemical...... water splitting devices having tandem design. The increase of the photovoltage produced by GaP under illumination was the main goal of this work. GaP has a bandgap of 2.25 eV and could in theory produce a photovoltage of approximately 1.7 V. Instead, the photovoltage produced by the semiconductor...

Experimental investigation of stepped solar still with continuous water circulation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

El-Agouz, S.A.

2014-01-01

Highlights: • Comparison between modified stepped and conventional solar still was carried out. • Effect of storage tank and cotton absorber on productivity was investigated. • Efficiency for modified stepped still is higher than conventional still by 20%. • The day and night efficiency increases by 5% and 3.5% for salt and sea water. - Abstract: This paper presents a modification of stepped solar still with continuous water circulation using a storage tank for sea and salt water. Total dissolved solids (TDS) of seawater and salt water before desalination is 57,100 and 2370 mg/l. A comparison study between modified stepped and conventional solar still was carried out to evaluate the developed desalination system performance under the same climate conditions. The effect of installing a storage tank and cotton black absorber for modified stepped solar still on the distillate productivity was investigated. The results indicate that, the productivity of the modified stepped still is higher than that for conventional still approximately by 43% and 48% for sea and salt water with black absorber respectively, while 53% and 47% of sea and salt water, respectively with cotton absorber. Also, the daily efficiency for modified stepped still is higher than that for conventional still approximately by 20%. The maximum efficiency of modified stepped still is occurring at a feed water flow rate of 1 LPM for sea water and 3 LPM for salt water. Total dissolved solids (TDS) of seawater and salt water after desalination is 41, and 27 mg/l

Solar hot water systems application to the solar building test facility and the Tech House

Science.gov (United States)

Goble, R. L.; Jensen, R. N.; Basford, R. C.

1976-01-01

Projects which relate to the current national thrust toward demonstrating applied solar energy are discussed. The first project has as its primary objective the application of a system comprised of a flat plate collector field, an absorption air conditioning system, and a hot water heating system to satisfy most of the annual cooling and heating requirements of a large commercial office building. The other project addresses the application of solar collector technology to the heating and hot water requirements of a domestic residence. In this case, however, the solar system represents only one of several important technology items, the primary objective for the project being the application of space technology to the American home.

Basic principles of solar water heating

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Page-Shipp, RJ

1980-09-10

Full Text Available This article correctly reflects the principles of Solar Water Heating as they pertain to South African conditions. However, it was written in 1980 and the global energy situation has changed considerably. Furthermore, modern commercial units...

Solar disinfection of water for low income communities; Desinfeccao solar de agua para comunidades de baixa renda

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Felix, Lorna Falcao

2010-03-15

The use of solar energy for water disinfection, and is accessible to disadvantaged communities because of its low cost, has the advantage of using disposable materials such as bottles of polyethylene terephthalate (PET). We present a study that used two methods of disinfection: the methodology proposed by the project Solar Water Disinfection (SODIS), which consisted of water disinfection by solar radiation and temperature and the methodology which the temperature of the water for disinfection. In both, we seek to eliminate microorganisms that cause serious diseases such as dysentery, typhoid, cholera, etc. Water samples were collected in the community of Bass, where the population has low income and the incidence of waterborne diseases is high. The experiments were divided into two stages. In step 1 we studied the feasibility of disinfection and in step 2 the feasibility of the pilot plant to obtain adequate levels of disinfection temperatures desired. The results showed the efficiency of the disinfection process, reaching an average of 80 to 100% death of microorganisms, but regrowth was observed in some samples. Finally on the good results of stage 1, is designed and built and tested in an experimental pilot plant, which has shown to be feasible to promote water disinfection through the use of solar energy. The water after treatment is in accordance with the limits established by Brazilian legislation for clean water, maintaining a positive performance for the disinfection and acceptable levels of bacterial regrowth. (author)

Air-cooled LiBr-water absorption chillers for solar air conditioning in extremely hot weathers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, D.S.; Infante Ferreira, C.A.

2009-01-01

A low temperature-driven absorption cycle is theoretically investigated for the development of an air-cooled LiBr-water absorption chiller to be combined with low-cost flat solar collectors for solar air conditioning in hot and dry regions. The cycle works with dilute LiBr-water solutions so that risk of LiBr crystallization is less than for commercially available water-cooled LiBr-water absorption chillers even in extremely hot ambient conditions. Two-phase heat exchangers in the system were modelled taking account of the heat and mass transfer resistances in falling film flows by applying the film theory in thermal and concentration boundary layers. Both directly and indirectly air-cooled chillers were modelled by properly combining component models and boundary conditions in a matrix system and solved with an algebraic equation solver. Simulation results predict that the chillers would deliver chilled water around 7.0 deg. C with a COP of 0.37 from 90 deg. C hot water under 35 deg. C ambient condition. At 50 deg. C ambient temperature, the chillers retained about 36% of their cooling power at 35 deg. C ambient. Compared with the directly air-cooled chiller, the indirectly air-cooled chiller presented a cooling power performance reduction of about 30%

Development of a Greek solar map based on solar model estimations

Science.gov (United States)

Kambezidis, H. D.; Psiloglou, B. E.; Kavadias, K. A.; Paliatsos, A. G.; Bartzokas, A.

2016-05-01

The realization of Renewable Energy Sources (RES) for power generation as the only environmentally friendly solution, moved solar systems to the forefront of the energy market in the last decade. The capacity of the solar power doubles almost every two years in many European countries, including Greece. This rise has brought the need for reliable predictions of meteorological data that can easily be utilized for proper RES-site allocation. The absence of solar measurements has, therefore, raised the demand for deploying a suitable model in order to create a solar map. The generation of a solar map for Greece, could provide solid foundations on the prediction of the energy production of a solar power plant that is installed in the area, by providing an estimation of the solar energy acquired at each longitude and latitude of the map. In the present work, the well-known Meteorological Radiation Model (MRM), a broadband solar radiation model, is engaged. This model utilizes common meteorological data, such as air temperature, relative humidity, barometric pressure and sunshine duration, in order to calculate solar radiation through MRM for areas where such data are not available. Hourly values of the above meteorological parameters are acquired from 39 meteorological stations, evenly dispersed around Greece; hourly values of solar radiation are calculated from MRM. Then, by using an integrated spatial interpolation method, a Greek solar energy map is generated, providing annual solar energy values all over Greece.

Low-Cost Solar Water Heating Research and Development Roadmap

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hudon, K.; Merrigan, T.; Burch, J.; Maguire, J.

2012-08-01

The market environment for solar water heating technology has changed substantially with the successful introduction of heat pump water heaters (HPWHs). The addition of this energy-efficient technology to the market increases direct competition with solar water heaters (SWHs) for available energy savings. It is therefore essential to understand which segment of the market is best suited for HPWHs and focus the development of innovative, low-cost SWHs in the market segment where the largest opportunities exist. To evaluate cost and performance tradeoffs between high performance hot water heating systems, annual energy simulations were run using the program, TRNSYS, and analysis was performed to compare the energy savings associated with HPWH and SWH technologies to conventional methods of water heating.

Innovative Sustainable Water Management Practices in Solar Residential Design

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

C. Jason Mabry

2012-11-01

Full Text Available This paper communicates the results of an architectural research project which sought innovative design strategies for achieving energy and resource efficiencies in water management systems traditionally used in single-family housing. It describes the engineering of an efficient, multifaceted, and fully integrated water management system for a domesticenvironment of 800 sq. ft., entirely powered by solar energy. The four innovations whose details are conveyed include the use of alternate materials for piping distribution and collection, the use of water in solar energy generation, the design of a building skin which capitalizes on water’s capacity to store heat as well as the design of a ecological groundscape which re-usesand filters waste water and rain water.Keywords: energy, plumbing, home design

Economical judge possibility uses solar collectors to warm service water and heating

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lívia Bodonská

2006-09-01

Full Text Available The sun-heated water has been used from before fossil fuels started to determine the direction of our power consumption. This article is focused on the assessing of the use of solar energy as one of inexhaustible resources that has multiple uses, including hot water service systems. Heating is rendered through solar collectors that permit to transform solar energy to warm water. We divide solar collectors into various groups but in principle they are medium temperature collectors and low temperature collectors. The work is directed also on the solar collector market. In our case the market is just at its initial stage as this technology is little known and costs of collectors are rather high, compared to our conditions, on average, they may grow up to 100,000 Slovac crowns per a family house. Because it is the only investment and the costs of operation are minimum throughout the entire collectors lifetime, from the economic point of view, it is a rather advantageous investment. Solar collectors are used in heating and also in hot service water systems in family houses, where they permit to lower costs for the consumption of many kinds of energies. In the hot service water system, solar collectors permit to lower the consumption by almost 70 %. This way of using the solar energy is very prospective and in future it will be used in various sectors

Finite element modelling and simulation of free convection heat transfer in solar oven

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sobamowo, M.G.; Ogunmola, B.Y.; Ayerin A.M. [Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Lagos, Akoka, Lagos (Nigeria)

2013-07-01

The use of solar energy for baking, heating or drying represents a sustainable way of solar energy applications with negligible negative effects. Solar oven is an alternative to conventional oven that rely heavily on coal and wood or Electric oven that uses the power from the National grid of which the end users have little or no control. Since the Solar oven uses no fuel and it costs nothing to run, it uses are widely promoted especially in situations where minimum fuel consumption or fire risks are considered highly important. As useful as the Solar Oven proved, it major setback in the area of applications has been its future sustainability. For the use of Solar Oven/Cookers to be sustained in the future, the design and development of solar oven must rely on sound analytical tools. Therefore, this work focused on the design and development of the solar oven. To test the performance of the Small Solar Oven a 5000cm3 beaker of water was put into the Oven and the temperature of the water was found to reach 810C after about 3hrs under an average ambient temperature of 300C. On no load test, the oven reached a maximum temperature of 112oC in 6hrs. In order to carry out the parametric studies and improve the performance of the Solar Oven, Mathematical models were developed and solved by using Characteristics-Based Split (CBS) Finite Element Method. The Model results were compared with the Experimental results and a good agreement was found between the two results.

An overview of water disinfection in developing countries and the potential for solar thermal water pasteurization

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Burch, J.; Thomas, K.E.

1998-01-01

This study originated within the Solar Buildings Program at the U.S. Department of Energy. Its goal is to assess the potential for solar thermal water disinfection in developing countries. In order to assess solar thermal potential, the alternatives must be clearly understood and compared. The objectives of the study are to: (a) characterize the developing world disinfection needs and market; (b) identify competing technologies, both traditional and emerging; (c) analyze and characterize solar thermal pasteurization; (d) compare technologies on cost-effectiveness and appropriateness; and (e) identify research opportunities. Natural consequences of the study beyond these objectives include a broad knowledge of water disinfection problems and technologies, introduction of solar thermal pasteurization technologies to a broad audience, and general identification of disinfection opportunities for renewable technologies.

Training plumbers to design and install solar water heating systems for households (''SHINE 21'')

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2001-01-01

This report summarises the findings of a project to develop training materials to help the plumbing industry take advantage of the growth in the UK solar water heating market. Details are given of a questionnaire survey of plumbers relating to their experience of solar water heating and their attitudes to training, and the development of a new training course file, video, CD-ROM, trainer's pack, and business skills module. The development and piloting of the training programmes and the development of models for regional co-operation are described along with methods for driving the demand for training and co-operation with other European Member states. Recommendations for further work are given

Study on Thermal Performance Assessment of Solar Hot Water Systems in Malaysia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sulaiman Shaharin Anwar

2014-07-01

Full Text Available Solar Hot Water Systems (SHWS are gaining popularity in Malaysia due to increasing cost of electricity and also awareness of environmental issues related to the use of fossil fuels. The introduction of solar hot water systems in Malaysia is an indication that it has potential market. However, there is a need for a proper methodology for rating the energy performance of these systems. The main objective of this study is to assess the thermal performance of several SHWS subject to four different locations in Malaysia using combined direct measurement and computer modelling using the TRNSYS simulation program. The results showed distinct differences in performance of the systems as a result of locations and manufacturers. The findings could be used further in developing an acceptable rating system for SHWS in Malaysia.

Solar water heaters in China: A new day dawning

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Han, Jingyi; Mol, A.P.J.; Lu, Y.

2010-01-01

Solar thermal utilization, especially the application of solar water heater technology, has developed rapidly in China in recent decades. Manufacturing and marketing developments have been especially strong in provinces such as Zhejiang, Shandong and Jiangsu. This paper takes Zhejiang, a relatively

Solar water disinfection (SODIS): A review from bench-top to roof-top

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McGuigan, Kevin G.; Conroy, Ronán M.; Mosler, Hans-Joachim; Preez, Martella du; Ubomba-Jaswa, Eunice; Fernandez-Ibañez, Pilar

2012-01-01

Graphical abstract: . Water being treated by solar disinfection outside a primary school classroom in Southern Uganda. Students fill their bottles at home and expose them to the sun while they are at school. Highlights: ► A thorough review of current state of play of solar water disinfection. ► An examination of both laboratory and field studies. ► Description of the economic and behaviour change aspects of this technology. - Abstract: Solar water disinfection (SODIS) has been known for more than 30 years. The technique consists of placing water into transparent plastic or glass containers (normally 2 L PET beverage bottles) which are then exposed to the sun. Exposure times vary from 6 to 48 h depending on the intensity of sunlight and sensitivity of the pathogens. Its germicidal effect is based on the combined effect of thermal heating of solar light and UV radiation. It has been repeatedly shown to be effective for eliminating microbial pathogens and reduce diarrhoeal morbidity including cholera. Since 1980 much research has been carried out to investigate the mechanisms of solar radiation induced cell death in water and possible enhancement technologies to make it faster and safer. Since SODIS is simple to use and inexpensive, the method has spread throughout the developing world and is in daily use in more than 50 countries in Asia, Latin America, and Africa. More than 5 million people disinfect their drinking water with the solar disinfection (SODIS) technique. This review attempts to revise all relevant knowledge about solar disinfection from microbiological issues, laboratory research, solar testing, up to and including real application studies, limitations, factors influencing adoption of the technique and health impact.

Validation, Optimization and Simulation of a Solar Thermoelectric Generator Model

Science.gov (United States)

Madkhali, Hadi Ali; Hamil, Ali; Lee, HoSung

2017-12-01

This study explores thermoelectrics as a viable option for small-scale solar thermal applications. Thermoelectric technology is based on the Seebeck effect, which states that a voltage is induced when a temperature gradient is applied to the junctions of two differing materials. This research proposes to analyze, validate, simulate, and optimize a prototype solar thermoelectric generator (STEG) model in order to increase efficiency. The intent is to further develop STEGs as a viable and productive energy source that limits pollution and reduces the cost of energy production. An empirical study (Kraemer et al. in Nat Mater 10:532, 2011) on the solar thermoelectric generator reported a high efficiency performance of 4.6%. The system had a vacuum glass enclosure, a flat panel (absorber), thermoelectric generator and water circulation for the cold side. The theoretical and numerical approach of this current study validated the experimental results from Kraemer's study to a high degree. The numerical simulation process utilizes a two-stage approach in ANSYS software for Fluent and Thermal-Electric Systems. The solar load model technique uses solar radiation under AM 1.5G conditions in Fluent. This analytical model applies Dr. Ho Sung Lee's theory of optimal design to improve the performance of the STEG system by using dimensionless parameters. Applying this theory, using two cover glasses and radiation shields, the STEG model can achieve a highest efficiency of 7%.

Solar Radiation Disinfection of Drinking Water at Temperate Latitudes: Inactivation rates for an optimized reactor configuration

Science.gov (United States)

Solar radiation-driven inactivation of bacteria, virus and protozoan pathogen models was quantified in simulated drinking water at a temperate latitude (34°S). The water was seeded with Enterococcus faecalis, Clostridium sporogenes spores, and P22 bacteriophage, each at ca 1 x 10...

Survey of large-scale solar water heaters installed in Taiwan, China

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chang Keh-Chin; Lee Tsong-Sheng; Chung Kung-Ming [Cheng Kung Univ., Tainan (China); Lien Ya-Feng; Lee Chine-An [Cheng Kung Univ. Research and Development Foundation, Tainan (China)

2008-07-01

Almost all the solar collectors installed in Taiwan, China were used for production of hot water for homeowners (residential systems), in which the area of solar collectors is less than 10 square meters. From 2001 to 2006, there were only 39 large-scale systems (defined as the area of solar collectors being over 100 m{sup 2}) installed. Their utilization purposes are for rooming house (dormitory), swimming pool, restaurant, and manufacturing process. A comprehensive survey of those large-scale solar water heaters was conducted in 2006. The objectives of the survey were to asses the systems' performance and to have the feedback from the individual users. It is found that lack of experience in system design and maintenance are the key factors for reliable operation of a system. For further promotion of large-scale solar water heaters in Taiwan, a more compressive program on a system design for manufacturing process should be conducted. (orig.)

Water Vapor Remote Sensing Techniques: Radiometry and Solar Spectrometry

Science.gov (United States)

Somieski, A.; Buerki, B.; Cocard, M.; Geiger, A.; Kahle, H.-G.

The high variability of atmospheric water vapor content plays an important role in space geodesy, climatology and meteorology. Water vapor has a strong influence on transatmospheric satellite signals, the Earth's climate and thus the weather forecasting. Several remote sensing techniques have been developed for the determination of inte- grated precipitable water vapor (IPWV). The Geodesy and Geodynamics Lab (GGL) utilizes the methods of Water Vapor Radiometry and Solar Spectrometry to quantify the amount of tropospheric water vapor and its temporal variations. The Water Vapor Radiometer (WVR) measures the radiation intensity of the atmosphere in a frequency band ranging from 20 to 32 GHz. The Solar Atmospheric MOnitoring Spectrome- ter (SAMOS) of GGL is designed for high-resolution measurements of water vapor absorption lines using solar radiation. In the framework of the ESCOMPTE (ExpÊrience sur Site pour COntraindre les Mod- Éles de Pollution atmosphÊrique et de Transport d'Emissions) field campaign these instruments have been operated near Marseille in 2001. They have aquired a long time series of integrated precipitable water vapor content (IPWV). The accuracy of IPWV measured by WVR and SAMOS is 1 kg/m2. Furthermore meteorological data from radiosondes were used to calculate the IPWV in order to provide comparisons with the results of WVR and SAMOS. The methods of Water Vapor Radiometry and So- lar Spectrometry will be discussed and first preliminary results retrieved from WVR, SAMOS and radiosondes during the ESCOMPTE field campaign will be presented.

Modeling of the Enceladus water vapor jets for interpreting UVIS star and solar occultation observations

Science.gov (United States)

Portyankina, Ganna; Esposito, Larry W.; Aye, Klaus-Michael; Hansen, Candice J.

2015-11-01

One of the most spectacular discoveries of the Cassini mission is jets emitting from the southern pole of Saturn’s moon Enceladus. The composition of the jets is water vapor and salty ice grains with traces of organic compounds. Jets, merging into a wide plume at a distance, are observed by multiple instruments on Cassini. Recent observations of the visible dust plume by the Cassini Imaging Science Subsystem (ISS) identified as many as 98 jet sources located along “tiger stripes” [Porco et al. 2014]. There is a recent controversy on the question if some of these jets are “optical illusion” caused by geometrical overlap of continuous source eruptions along the “tiger stripes” in the field of view of ISS [Spitale et al. 2015]. The Cassini’s Ultraviolet Imaging Spectrograph (UVIS) observed occultations of several stars and the Sun by the water vapor plume of Enceladus. During the solar occultation separate collimated gas jets were detected inside the background plume [Hansen et al., 2006 and 2011]. These observations directly provide data about water vapor column densities along the line of sight of the UVIS instrument and could help distinguish between the presence of only localized or also continuous sources. We use Monte Carlo simulations and Direct Simulation Monte Carlo (DSMC) to model the plume of Enceladus with multiple (or continuous) jet sources. The models account for molecular collisions, gravitational and Coriolis forces. The models result in the 3-D distribution of water vapor density and surface deposition patterns. Comparison between the simulation results and column densities derived from UVIS observations provide constraints on the physical characteristics of the plume and jets. The specific geometry of the UVIS observations helps to estimate the production rates and velocity distribution of the water molecules emitted by the individual jets.Hansen, C. J. et al., Science 311:1422-1425 (2006); Hansen, C. J. et al, GRL 38:L11202 (2011

Solar water lifter

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Khandurdyyev, A; Daykhanov, S

1982-01-01

A water lifter is proposed which contains a piston pump, whose rod of the piston is connected to the drive element having periodic contact with the solar heater storage battery. In order to expand the range of operation and to simplify design, the drive element is made in the form of a hollow tube with closed ends equipped with mobile supports, and a ridged HE attached to its middle part, hydraulically connected to the cavity of the tube, and the latter is made of material which has the memory of the shape in the hot state.

Estimation of solar collector area for water heating in buildings of Malaysia

Science.gov (United States)

Manoj Kumar, Nallapaneni; Sudhakar, K.; Samykano, M.

2018-04-01

Solar thermal energy (STE) utilization for water heating at various sectorial levels became popular and still growing especially for buildings in the residential area. This paper aims to study and identify the solar collector area needed based on the user requirements in an efficient manner. A step by step mathematical approach is followed to estimate the area in Sq. m. Four different cases each having different hot water temperatures (45°, 50°C, 55°C, and 60°C) delivered by the solar water heating system (SWHS) for typical residential application at Kuala Lumpur City, Malaysia is analysed for the share of hot and cold water mix. As the hot water temperature levels increased the share of cold water mix is increased to satisfy the user requirement temperature, i.e. 40°C. It is also observed that as the share of hot water mix is reduced, the collector area can also be reduced. Following this methodology at the installation stage would help both the user and installers in the effective use of the solar resource.

Solar Water Heating as a Potential Source for Inland Norway Energy Mix

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dejene Assefa Hagos

2014-01-01

Full Text Available The aim of this paper is to assess solar potential and investigate the possibility of using solar water heating for residential application in Inland Norway. Solar potential based on observation and satellite-derived data for four typical populous locations has been assessed and used to estimate energy yield using two types of solar collectors for a technoeconomic performance comparison. Based on the results, solar energy use for water heating is competitive and viable even in low solar potential areas. In this study it was shown that a typical tubular collector in Inland Norway could supply 62% of annual water heating energy demand for a single residential household, while glazed flat plates of the same size were able to supply 48%. For a given energy demand in Inland Norway, tubular collectors are preferred to flat plate collectors for performance and cost reasons. This was shown by break-even capital cost for a series of collector specifications. Deployment of solar water heating in all detached dwellings in Inland could have the potential to save 182 GWh of electrical energy, equivalent to a reduction of 15,690 tonnes of oil energy and 48.6 ktCO2 emissions, and contributes greatly to Norway 67.5% renewable share target by 2020.

Performance enhancement of modified solar still using water sprinkler: An experimental approach

OpenAIRE

Gupta, Bhupendra; Sharma, Raghvendra; Shankar, Prem; Baredar, Prashant

2016-01-01

In this communication, existing design of single slope solar still has been modified, developed and tested. The modifications in conventional single slope solar still include (i) inside walls painted with white colour and (ii) attachment of water sprinkler with constant water flow rate of 0.0001 kg/s on the glass cover. The performance of modified single slope solar still has been evaluated and compared with conventional solar still. Experiments have been carried out on both modified and conv...

Modeling and experimental study of a corrugated wick type solar still: Comparative study with a simple basin type

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Matrawy, K.K.; Alosaimy, A.S.; Mahrous, A.-F.

2015-01-01

Highlights: • Performance of corrugated wick type solar still is compared with simple type. • Corrugated porous surface contributes by about 75% of the total productivity. • Productivity of corrugated solar still was 34% more than that for simple type. - Abstract: In the present work, the productivity of a solar still is modified by forming the evaporative surface as a corrugated shape as well as by decreasing the heat capacity with the use of a porous material. This target has been achieved by using black clothes in a corrugated shape that are immersed in water where the clothes absorbs water and get saturated by capillary effect. Along with the proposed corrugated wick type solar still, a simple basin still type was fabricated and tested to compare the enhancement accomplished by the developed solar still. Inclined reflectors were used to augment the solar radiation incident on the plane of the developed solar stills. The energy balance in the developed mathematical models takes into consideration the glass covers, the porous material, along with the portion of water exposed to the transmitted solar radiation as well as the portion of water shaded by the corrugated surface. The developed mathematical model was validated by fabricating and testing two models for the proposed and simple basin solar stills under the same conditions. Good agreement between the simulated and experimental results has been detected. It has been found that an improvement of about 34% in the productivity for the proposed wick type solar still is gained as compared to the simple basin case. Also, the best tilt angle for the inclined reflector has been found to be about 30° with respect to the vertical direction of the setup under consideration.

Efficiencies and Physical Principles of Various Solar Energy Conversion Processes Leading to the Photolysis of Water

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bergene, T

1996-12-31

In the application of solar energy, hydrogen is likely to be used as an energy carrier and a storage medium. Production of molecular hydrogen and oxygen from water requires energy input, which may come from solar energy in various ways. This thesis begins with a literature survey of the different conversion processes and the efficiencies, which is an introduction to a series of enclosed papers. These papers are: (1) Trapping of Minority Charge Carriers at Irradiated Semiconductor/Electrolyte Heterojunctions, (2) Model Calculations on Flat-Plate Solar Heat Collector With Integrated Solar Cells, and (3) Efficiencies and Physical Principles of Photolysis of Water By Microalgae. In the papers, The qualitative features of the ``illumination-current``-characteristic curve are deduced. The hypothesis is that trapping originates in some specific cases because of confinement, which leads to charge injections into energy states above that corresponding to the band edge. The quantitative features of certain hybrid photovoltaic/thermal configuration are deduced. An analysis of the theoretical and realizable efficiencies of the photolysis of water by micro algae is given. 151 refs., 18 figs., 1 table

Solar water disinfection (SODIS): A review from bench-top to roof-top

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

McGuigan, Kevin G., E-mail: kmcguigan@rcsi.ie [Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, Dublin 2 (Ireland); Conroy, Ronan M. [Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, Dublin 2 (Ireland); Mosler, Hans-Joachim [EAWAG, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Ueberlandstrasse 133: CH-8600 Duebendorf (Switzerland); Preez, Martella du; Ubomba-Jaswa, Eunice [CSIR, Natural Resources and the Environment, Pretoria, Gauteng (South Africa); Fernandez-Ibanez, Pilar [Plataforma Solar de Almeria - CIEMAT, P.O. Box 22, 07200 Tabernas, Almeria (Spain)

2012-10-15

Graphical abstract: . Water being treated by solar disinfection outside a primary school classroom in Southern Uganda. Students fill their bottles at home and expose them to the sun while they are at school. Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer A thorough review of current state of play of solar water disinfection. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer An examination of both laboratory and field studies. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Description of the economic and behaviour change aspects of this technology. - Abstract: Solar water disinfection (SODIS) has been known for more than 30 years. The technique consists of placing water into transparent plastic or glass containers (normally 2 L PET beverage bottles) which are then exposed to the sun. Exposure times vary from 6 to 48 h depending on the intensity of sunlight and sensitivity of the pathogens. Its germicidal effect is based on the combined effect of thermal heating of solar light and UV radiation. It has been repeatedly shown to be effective for eliminating microbial pathogens and reduce diarrhoeal morbidity including cholera. Since 1980 much research has been carried out to investigate the mechanisms of solar radiation induced cell death in water and possible enhancement technologies to make it faster and safer. Since SODIS is simple to use and inexpensive, the method has spread throughout the developing world and is in daily use in more than 50 countries in Asia, Latin America, and Africa. More than 5 million people disinfect their drinking water with the solar disinfection (SODIS) technique. This review attempts to revise all relevant knowledge about solar disinfection from microbiological issues, laboratory research, solar testing, up to and including real application studies, limitations, factors influencing adoption of the technique and health impact.

Simulation of the impact of financial incentives on solar energy utilization for space conditioning and water heating: 1985

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Petersen, H C

1979-01-01

Financial incentives designed to accelerate the use of solar energy for heating, cooling, and water heating of buildings have been proposed by both state and federal legislative bodies in the U.S.A. Among the most frequently mentioned incentives are sales and property tax exemptions, tax deductions and credits, rapid amortization provisions, and interest rate subsidies. At the present time there is little available information regarding the ability of such incentives to advance the rate of solar energy utilization. This paper describes the derivation and use of a computer simulation model designed to estimate solar energy use for space conditioning and water heating for given economic, climatic, and technological conditions. When applied to data from the Denver, Colorado metropolitan area, the simulation model predicts that sales tax exemptions would have little impact over the next decade, interest rate subsidies could more than double solar energy use, and the other proposed incentives would have an intermediate impact.

Preliminary design package for solar heating and hot water system

Science.gov (United States)

1976-01-01

Two prototype solar heating and hot water systems for use in single-family dwellings or commercial buildings were designed. Subsystems included are: collector, storage, transport, hot water, auxiliary energy, and government-furnished site data acquisition. The systems are designed for Yosemite, California, and Pueblo, Colorado. The necessary information to evaluate the preliminary design for these solar heating and hot water systems is presented. Included are a proposed instrumentation plan, a training program, hazard analysis, preliminary design drawings, and other information about the design of the system.

Predictive Power of Machine Learning for Optimizing Solar Water Heater Performance: The Potential Application of High-Throughput Screening

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hao Li

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Predicting the performance of solar water heater (SWH is challenging due to the complexity of the system. Fortunately, knowledge-based machine learning can provide a fast and precise prediction method for SWH performance. With the predictive power of machine learning models, we can further solve a more challenging question: how to cost-effectively design a high-performance SWH? Here, we summarize our recent studies and propose a general framework of SWH design using a machine learning-based high-throughput screening (HTS method. Design of water-in-glass evacuated tube solar water heater (WGET-SWH is selected as a case study to show the potential application of machine learning-based HTS to the design and optimization of solar energy systems.

Solar heating and domestic hot water system installed at Kansas City, Fire Stations, Kansas City, Missouri

Science.gov (United States)

1980-01-01

The solar system was designed to provide 47 percent of the space heating, 8,800 square feet area and 75 percent of the domestic hot water (DHW) load. The solar system consists of 2,808 square feet of Solaron, model 2001, air, flat plate collector subsystem, a concrete box storage subsystem which contains 1,428 cubic feet of 0.5 inch diameter pebbles weighing 71.5 tons, a DHW preheat tank, blowers, pumps, heat exchangers, air ducting, controls and associated plumbing. Two 120 gallon electric DHW heaters supply domestic hot water which is preheated by the solar system. Auxiliary space heating is provided by three electric heat pumps with electric resistance heaters and four 30 kilowatt electric unit heaters. There are six modes of system operation.

Solar heating and domestic hot water system installed at Kansas City, Fire Stations, Kansas City, Missouri

Science.gov (United States)

1980-07-01

The solar system was designed to provide 47 percent of the space heating, 8,800 square feet area and 75 percent of the domestic hot water (DHW) load. The solar system consists of 2,808 square feet of Solaron, model 2001, air, flat plate collector subsystem, a concrete box storage subsystem which contains 1,428 cubic feet of 0.5 inch diameter pebbles weighing 71.5 tons, a DHW preheat tank, blowers, pumps, heat exchangers, air ducting, controls and associated plumbing. Two 120 gallon electric DHW heaters supply domestic hot water which is preheated by the solar system. Auxiliary space heating is provided by three electric heat pumps with electric resistance heaters and four 30 kilowatt electric unit heaters. There are six modes of system operation.

Disinfection of municipal water using solar radiation: an economical approach for rural dwellers in the coastal region of Karachi

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ahmed, M.F.; Saleem, M.

2010-01-01

At present acquiring safe drinking water in rural or remote areas of Pakistan is a challenging task for dwellers. Coast line of Karachi is a sporadic habitat of villages not having access to safe drinking water. Many incidents of waterborne diseases have been reported in that area and attributed to contaminated municipal water supply. Solution of the problem is disinfection however, general methods of water disinfection such as boiling, UV-lamp, ozonation and chemical additive are costly or require skilled manpower. Present study investigates the solar disinfection method to treat municipal water supply at Karachi Institute of Power Engineering (KINPOE) located at the coastal belt of Karachi. Effect of exposure time, bottle material and turbidity of water on the process performance was evaluated. Model indicator bacteria total coliform (TC) was used to evaluate the solar disinfection process. Study revealed that in order to disinfect the municipal water, samples should be filled in PET transparent bottles, having turbidity below 23 NTU, and expose to solar radiation in the study area at least for one hour. Study shows that solar disinfection may provide safe drinking water meeting national and international water quality standards at minimum cost and effort in sunshine rich areas and not having access to other water purification systems. (author)

Development of domestic hot water systems in Costa Rica from solar energy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lizana-Moreno, Fernando

2015-01-01

A software tool is developed to implement the solar domestic hot water systems (DHW) in Costa Rica and to replace the electric water heating equipment. A database with information from the solar radiation is elaborated for different locations in Costa Rica. A manual of design DHW solar systems is realized for the country. An DHW solar system is designed for the type of average building the of country. A software is implemented to calculate the parameters and dimensions necessary for the solar installation of DHW, using the F-Chart method; in addition, the information of the mentioned database is included. A financial analysis is elaborated of the DHW solar systems in Costa Rica. The strategies are proposed for the implementation of DHW solar systems in Costa Rica [es

Numerical and experimental investigation of thermosyphon solar water heater

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zelzouli, Khaled; Guizani, Amenallah; Kerkeni, Chakib

2014-01-01

Highlights: • We studied a thermosyphon solar water heater composed of high-performance components. • A differential equations solution technique is investigated. • The influences of the collector and storage losses on the system performance were examined. • The storage losses have more influence on the long-term performance. - Abstract: A glassed flat plate collector with selective black chrome coated absorber and a low wall conductance horizontal storage are combined in order to set up a high performance thermosyphon system. Each component is tested separately before testing the complete system in spring days. During the test period, effect of different inlet water temperatures on the collector performance is studied and results have shown that the collector can reach a high efficiency and high outlet water temperature even for elevated inlet water temperatures. Subsequently, long term system performance is estimated by using a developed numerical model. The proposed model, accurate and gave a good agreement with experimental results, allowed to describe the heat transfer in the storage. It has shown also that the long-term performances are strongly influenced by losses from the storage than losses from the collector

Performance analysis of solar cogeneration system with different integration strategies for potable water and domestic hot water production

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Uday Kumar, N.T.; Mohan, Gowtham; Martin, Andrew

2016-01-01

Highlights: • Solar driven cogeneration system integrating membrane distillation technology is developed. • System utilizes solar thermal energy for the operations without auxiliary heaters. • Three different system integrations are experimentally investigated in UAE. • Economical benefits of solar cogeneration system is also reported. - Abstract: A novel solar thermal cogeneration system featuring the provision of potable water with membrane distillation in combination with domestic hot water supply has been developed and experimentally analyzed. The system integrates evacuated tube collectors, thermal storage, membrane distillation unit, and heat exchangers with the overall goals of maximizing the two outputs while minimizing costs for the given design conditions. Experiments were conducted during one month’s operation at AURAK’s facility in UAE, with average peak global irradiation levels of 650 W/m"2. System performance was determined for three integration strategies, all utilizing brackish water (typical conductivity of 20,000 μs/cm) as a feedstock: Thermal store integration (TSI), which resembles a conventional indirect solar domestic hot water system; Direct solar integration (DSI) connecting collectors directly to the membrane distillation unit without thermal storage; and Direct solar with thermal store integration (DSTSI), a combination of these two approaches. The DSTSI strategy offered the best performance given its operational flexibility. Here the maximum distillate productivity was 43 L/day for a total gross solar collector area of 96 m"2. In terms of simultaneous hot water production, 277 kWh/day was achieved with this configuration. An economic analysis shows that the DSTSI strategy has a payback period of 3.9 years with net cumulative savings of $325,000 during the 20 year system lifetime.

Optimization and modeling of a photovoltaic solar integrated system by neural networks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ashhab, Moh'd Sami S.

2008-01-01

A photovoltaic solar integrated system is modeled with artificial neural networks (ANN's). Data relevant to the system performance was collected on April, 4th 1993 and every 15 min during the day. This input-output data is used to train the ANN. The ANN approximates the data well and therefore can be relied on in predicting the system performance, namely, system efficiencies. The solar system consists of a solar trainer which contains a photovoltaic panel, a DC centrifugal pump, flat plate collectors, storage tank, a flowmeter for measuring the water mass flow rate, pipes, pyranometer for measuring the solar intensity, thermocouples for measuring various system temperatures and wind speed meter. The complex method constrained optimization is applied to the solar system ANN model to find the operating conditions of the system that will produce the maximum system efficiencies. This information will be very hard to obtain by just looking at the available historical input-output data

Optimization and modeling of a photovoltaic solar integrated system by neural networks

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ashhab, Moh' d Sami S. [Department of Mechanical Engineering, The Hashemite University, Zarqa 13115 (Jordan)

2008-11-15

A photovoltaic solar integrated system is modeled with artificial neural networks (ANN's). Data relevant to the system performance was collected on April, 4th 1993 and every 15 min during the day. This input-output data is used to train the ANN. The ANN approximates the data well and therefore can be relied on in predicting the system performance, namely, system efficiencies. The solar system consists of a solar trainer which contains a photovoltaic panel, a DC centrifugal pump, flat plate collectors, storage tank, a flowmeter for measuring the water mass flow rate, pipes, pyranometer for measuring the solar intensity, thermocouples for measuring various system temperatures and wind speed meter. The complex method constrained optimization is applied to the solar system ANN model to find the operating conditions of the system that will produce the maximum system efficiencies. This information will be very hard to obtain by just looking at the available historical input-output data. (author)

Water use and supply concerns for utility-scale solar projects in the Southwestern United States.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Klise, Geoffrey Taylor; Tidwell, Vincent Carroll; Reno, Marissa Devan; Moreland, Barbara Denise.; Zemlick, Katie M.; Macknick, Jordan

2013-07-01

As large utility-scale solar photovoltaic (PV) and concentrating solar power (CSP) facilities are currently being built and planned for locations in the U.S. with the greatest solar resource potential, an understanding of water use for construction and operations is needed as siting tends to target locations with low natural rainfall and where most existing freshwater is already appropriated. Using methods outlined by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to determine water used in designated solar energy zones (SEZs) for construction and operations & maintenance, an estimate of water used over the lifetime at the solar power plant is determined and applied to each watershed in six Southwestern states. Results indicate that that PV systems overall use little water, though construction usage is high compared to O&M water use over the lifetime of the facility. Also noted is a transition being made from wet cooled to dry cooled CSP facilities that will significantly reduce operational water use at these facilities. Using these water use factors, estimates of future water demand for current and planned solar development was made. In efforts to determine where water could be a limiting factor in solar energy development, water availability, cost, and projected future competing demands were mapped for the six Southwestern states. Ten watersheds, 9 in California, and one in New Mexico were identified as being of particular concern because of limited water availability.

Sustainable solar energy capability studies by using S2H model in treating groundwater supply

Science.gov (United States)

Musa, S.; Anuar, M. F.; Shahabuddin, M. M.; Ridzuan, M. B.; Radin Mohamed, R. M. S.; Madun, M. A.

2018-04-01

Groundwater extracted in Research Centre for Soft Soil Malaysia (RECESS) contains a number of pollutants that exceed the safe level for consumption. A Solar-Hydro (S2H) model which is a practical prototype has been introduced to treat the groundwater sustainably by solar energy process (evaporation method). Selected parameters was tested which are sulphate, nitrate, chloride, fluoride, pH and dissolved oxygen. The water quality result shows that all parameters have achieved 100% of the drinking water quality standard issued by the Ministry of Health Malaysia. Evaporation method was proven that this solar energy can be applied in sustainably treating groundwater quality with up to 90% effectiveness. On the other hand, the quantitative analysis has shown that the production of clean water is below than 2% according to time constraints and design factors. Thus, this study can be generate clean and fresh water from groundwater by using a simplified model and it has huge potential to be implemented by the local communities with a larger scale and affordable design.

Water Purification and Disinfection by using Solar Energy: Towards Green Energy Challenge

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Md Z.H. Khan

2015-12-01

Full Text Available The aim of this work was to design a solar water treatment plant for household purpose. Water purification is the process of eradicating detrimental chemicals, biological poisons, suspended solids and gases from contaminated water. In this work we have reported an investigation of compact filter which is cost effective for developing countries and ease of maintenance. We have arranged a solar water disinfection system that improves the microbiological quality of drinking water at household level. We get 14 L pure water and 16 ml water vapour within 240 min by using filtration method. From our work we get hot water up to 49°C. The efficiency of the system at sunny days and cloudy days are 18.23% and 18.13% respectively. This simple solar hybrid system helps to remove turbidity as well as chemical and pathogenic contaminants from water sources in the most affordable, and expedient manner possibly.

High-performance, low-cost solar collectors for disinfection of contaminated water.

Science.gov (United States)

Vidal, A; Diaz, A I

2000-01-01

Although the germicidal action of sunlight has long been recognized, its potential for practical applications has to be researched more thoroughly. This paper summarizes the progress made toward a commercially practical collector for solar disinfection applications. Nontracking compound parabolic collectors (CPCs), developed originally for capturing solar photons for thermal energy applications, were examined as potential solar photoreactors. A field demonstration of solar disinfection treatment using commercially manufactured solar reactors was conducted. Field tests showed successful destruction of Escherichia coli and Enterococcus faecalis and have provided data for full-scale design of water treatment systems. From above observations, a throughput value of 50 L/m2 h for the low-cost CPC reactor tested was estimated. For a 190 m3/d (0.05 MGD) facility, the estimated total costs for disinfection using UV-A is U.S. $0.19/m3 ($0.70/1000 gal). The use of near-UV sunlight to disinfect water supplies seems promising in rural communities of developing countries where treated water is unavailable.

Thermodynamic solar water pump with multifunction and uses

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ben Slama, R. [Gabes Univ. (Tunisia). Dept. of Electromechanics

2009-07-01

This paper discussed a thermodynamic solar water pump design. Reflectors were used on the pump in order to ensure that water evaporation was conducted at the highest possible temperature. A vacuum was created by steam condensation in a closed container. The influence of heating and cooling temperatures on pump vacuum performance was studied experimentally. Water and ambient temperatures were measured along with pressure drop. Incidental solar radiation on the tilted plane of the collector was measured with a pyranometer. The pumping cycle was characterized by measuring the temperature reached during heating before spontaneous cooling occurred. Results of the study were used to obtain curves corresponding to the cooling temperatures. The curves showed that pressure drop is higher when heating temperatures reached 100 degrees C. A cooling device system was included in order to increase the number of potential pumping cycles per day. It was concluded that the pump can also be used to create hot water. 11 refs., 11 figs.

Solar water-heating performance evaluation-San Diego, California

Science.gov (United States)

1981-01-01

Report describes energy saved by replacing domestic, conventional natural gas heater with solar-energy subsystem in single-family residence near San Diego, California. Energy savings for 6 month test period averaged 1.089 million Btu. Collector array covered 65 square feet and supplied hot water to both 66-gallon solar storage tank and 40-gallon tank for domestic use. Natural gas supplied house's auxiliary energy.

A model for calculating hourly global solar radiation from satellite data in the tropics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Janjai, S.; Pankaew, P.; Laksanaboonsong, J.

2009-01-01

A model for calculating global solar radiation from geostationary satellite data is presented. The model is designed to calculate the monthly average hourly global radiation in the tropics with high aerosol load. This model represents a physical relation between the earth-atmospheric albedo derived from GMS5 satellite data and the absorption and scattering coefficients of various atmospheric constituents. The absorption of solar radiation by water vapour which is important for the tropics, was calculated from ambient temperature and relative humidity. The relationship between the visibility and solar radiation depletion due to aerosols was developed for a high aerosol load environment. This relationship was used to calculate solar radiation depletion by aerosols in the model. The total column ozone from TOMS/EP satellite was employed for the determination of solar radiation absorbed by ozone. Solar radiation from four pyranometer stations was used to formulate the relationship between the satellite band earth-atmospheric albedo and broadband earth-atmospheric albedo required by the model. To test its performance, the model was used to compute the monthly average hourly global radiation at 25 solar radiation monitoring stations in tropical areas in Thailand. It was found that the values of monthly average of hourly global radiations calculated from the model were in good agreement with those obtained from the measurements, with the root mean square difference of 10%. After the validation the model was employed to generate hourly solar radiation maps of Thailand. These maps reveal the diurnal and season variation of solar radiation over the country.

A model for calculating hourly global solar radiation from satellite data in the tropics

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Janjai, S.; Pankaew, P.; Laksanaboonsong, J. [Solar Energy Research Laboratory, Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, Silpakorn University, Nakhon Pathom 73000 (Thailand)

2009-09-15

A model for calculating global solar radiation from geostationary satellite data is presented. The model is designed to calculate the monthly average hourly global radiation in the tropics with high aerosol load. This model represents a physical relation between the earth-atmospheric albedo derived from GMS5 satellite data and the absorption and scattering coefficients of various atmospheric constituents. The absorption of solar radiation by water vapour which is important for the tropics, was calculated from ambient temperature and relative humidity. The relationship between the visibility and solar radiation depletion due to aerosols was developed for a high aerosol load environment. This relationship was used to calculate solar radiation depletion by aerosols in the model. The total column ozone from TOMS/EP satellite was employed for the determination of solar radiation absorbed by ozone. Solar radiation from four pyranometer stations was used to formulate the relationship between the satellite band earth-atmospheric albedo and broadband earth-atmospheric albedo required by the model. To test its performance, the model was used to compute the monthly average hourly global radiation at 25 solar radiation monitoring stations in tropical areas in Thailand. It was found that the values of monthly average of hourly global radiations calculated from the model were in good agreement with those obtained from the measurements, with the root mean square difference of 10%. After the validation the model was employed to generate hourly solar radiation maps of Thailand. These maps reveal the diurnal and season variation of solar radiation over the country. (author)

Identification and assessment of environmental benefits from solar hot water production

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Haralambopoulos, D.; Spilanis, I.

1997-01-01

The environmental benefits associated with the utilization of solar energy for hot water production are estimated in this work. The case of a particular country, Greece, and its electricity production system is employed to show the direct consequences of substituting electricity with solar energy for hot water production. The amount of conventional fuel saved, i.e. lignite and oil, is estimated, and the reduction in air pollution is calculated. This allows the calculation of reduction emission factors for solar hot water production to be undertaken. Data, with respect to the materials and the amount of energy necessary for the construction of the solar heaters, are also presented. These can serve as inputs to an energy-environment policy framework in order to lead to reduction of air pollutants like SO 2 , NO X and particulates, and the release of the greenhouse gas CO 2 into the atmosphere. (Author)

Solar warming systems of water installed in Colombia. Photovoltaic solar systems installed in the Country

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rodriguez P, F.

1995-01-01

Between the systems that operate as of solar energy, the solar collectors to heat water have had wide use and application in the Country. Basically, a solar collector is constituted by: Box, thermal insulator, ducts and transparent roof. Generally, the used materials are the following: As thermal insulator: Polyurethane or glass fiber; as absorbent plate: Copper or aluminum, painting in dull black or selective surfaces; for the ducts: Generally it is used copper pipeline; and for the cover: Common glass or temperate glass

Effect of water and air flow on concentric tubular solar water desalting system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Arunkumar, T.; Jayaprakash, R.; Ahsan, Amimul; Denkenberger, D.; Okundamiya, M.S.

2013-01-01

Highlights: ► We optimized the augmentation of condense by enhanced desalination methodology. ► We measured ambient together with solar radiation intensity. ► The effect of cooling air and water flowing over the cover was studied. -- Abstract: This work reports an innovative design of tubular solar still with a rectangular basin for water desalination with flowing water and air over the cover. The daily distillate output of the system is increased by lowering the temperature of water flowing over it (top cover cooling arrangement). The fresh water production performance of this new still is observed in Sri Ramakrishna Mission Vidyalaya College of Arts and Science, Coimbatore (11° North, 77° East), India. The water production rate with no cooling flow was 2050 ml/day (410 ml/trough). However, with cooling air flow, production increased to 3050 ml/day, and with cooling water flow, it further increased to 5000 ml/day. Despite the increased cost of the water cooling system, the increased output resulted in the cost of distilled water being cut in roughly half. Diurnal variations of a few important parameters are observed during field experiments such as water temperature, cover temperature, air temperature, ambient temperature and distillate output.

About the standard solar model

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cahen, S.

1986-07-01

A discussion of the still controversial solar helium content is presented, based on a comparison of recent standard solar models. Our last model yields an helium mass fraction ∼0.276, 6.4 SNU on 37 Cl and 126 SNU on 71 Ga

Obtaining drinking water using solar electrodialysis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sandro César Silveira Jucá

2010-05-01

Full Text Available This paper shows the main worldwide experiments in PV powered electrodialysis plants and analyses possible applications of such systems in the Brazilian Northeast region. The use of PV arrays to power electrodialysis plants for desalination of brackish water from deep wells makes sense in arid and semiarid regions. In such areas there is often an inadequate water and energy supply infrastructure along with favorable levels of solar radiation for electric generation, as is the case of the Brazilian Northeast region.

Solar Measurement and Modeling | Grid Modernization | NREL

Science.gov (United States)

Measurement and Modeling Solar Measurement and Modeling NREL supports grid integration studies , industry, government, and academia by disseminating solar resource measurements, models, and best practices have continuously gathered basic solar radiation information, and they now gather high-resolution data

Ground water lifting in the remote and arid areas of Egypt using solar photovoltaic pumps

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Younes, M.A.

2006-01-01

An experimental study has been carried out at Mechanical and Electrical Research Institute, Qenater (300 N, 310 E), Egypt on a 2000 WP solar photovoltaic (PV) water pump. The main objective is to investigate the feasibility of utilizing solar energy in ground water lifting. A solar PV pumping system has been constructed as a prototype for a large-scale photovoltaic project in south of Egypt. Solar potential at the remote and arid areas of Egypt is discussed. Installation and operation factors as a function of environmental conditions are presented. Performance of the water pump has been evaluated. The water discharge and system efficiency has been estimated and presented. The changes in water discharge and system efficiency with change in solar radiation has been measured and presented. Preliminary results show that there is a huge potential and real-ability for solar PV submersible water pumping in the remote and arid areas of Egypt

Solar space and water heating system installed at Charlottesville, Virginia

Science.gov (United States)

1980-01-01

The solar energy system located at David C. Wilson Neuropsychiatric Hospital, Charlottesville, Virginia, is described. The solar energy system consists of 88 single glazed, Sunworks 'Solector' copper base plate collector modules, hot water coils in the hot air ducts, a Domestic Hot Water (DHW) preheat tank, a 3,000 gallon concrete urethane insulated storage tank and other miscellaneous components. Extracts from the site files, specifications, drawings, installation, operation and maintenance instructions are included.

design and experimental study of a solar system for heating water ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

M. Ghodbane, B. Boumeddane, N. Said

2016-09-01

Sep 1, 2016 ... This work presents a design and an experimental study of a linear Fresnel reflector solar with trapezoidal cavity. ... concentrator in the solar fields allocated to the domestics and industrial water-heaters. Keywords: ...... integrated photovoltaic panels, Journal of Solar Energy Engineering, Transactions of the ...

Application of solar energy to the supply of hot water for textile dyeing. Final report, CDRL/PA 10

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

None

1977-09-01

The design plan for a solar process hot water system for a textile dye beck at Riegel Textile Corporation's LaFrance, South Carolina, facilities is presented. The solar system consists of 396 GE model TC 100 evacuated tube collector modules arranged in a ground mounted array with a total collector area of 6680 square feet. The system includes an 8000-gallon hot water storage tank. Systems analyses, specification sheets, performance data, and an economic evaluation of the proposed system are presented. (WHK)

Technical Analysis of Combined Solar Water Heating Systems for Cold Climate Regions

OpenAIRE

Hossein Lotfizadeh; André McDonald; Amit Kumar

2016-01-01

Renewable energy resources, which can supplement space and water heating for residential buildings, can have a noticeable impact on natural gas consumption and air pollution. This study considers a technical analysis of a combined solar water heating system with evacuated tube solar collectors for different solar coverage, ranging from 20% to 100% of the total roof area of a typical residential building located in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. The alternative heating systems were conventional (n...

Triple junction polymer solar cells for photoelectrochemical water splitting

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Esiner, S.; Eersel, van H.; Wienk, M.M.; Janssen, R.A.J.

2013-01-01

A triple junction polymer solar cell in a novel 1 + 2 type configuration provides photoelectrochemical water splitting in its maximum power point at V ˜ 1.70 V with an estimated solar to hydrogen energy conversion efficiency of 3.1%. The triple junction cell consists of a wide bandgap front cell and

Studies in biogas technology. Part 4. A noval biogas plant incorporating a solar water-heater and solar still

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Reddy, A K.N. [Indian Inst. of Science, Bangalore; Prasad, C R; Sathyanarayan, S R.C.; Rajabapaiah, P

1979-09-01

A reduction in the heat losses from the top of the gas holder of a biogas plant has been achieved by the simple device of a transparent cover. The heat losses thus prevented have been deployed to heat a water pond formed on the roof of the gas holder. This solar-heated water is mixed with the organic input for hot-charging of the biogas plant. To test whether the advantages indicated by a thermal analysis can be realized in practice, a biogas plant of the ASTRA design was modified to incorporate a roof-top water-heater. The operation of such a modified plant, even under worst case conditions, shows a significant improvement in the gas yield compared to the unmodified plant. Hence, the innovation reported here may lead to drastic reductions in the sizes and therefore costs of biogas plants. By making the transparent cover assume a tent-shape, the roof-top solar heater can serve the additional function of a solar still to yield distilled water. The biogas plant-cum-solar still described here is an example of a spatially integrated hybrid device which is extremely cost-effective.

Solar Radiation Model for Development and Control of Solar Energy Sources

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dominykas Vasarevičius

2016-06-01

Full Text Available The model of solar radiation, which takes into account direct, diffused and reflected components of solar energy, has been presented. Model is associated with geographical coordinates and local time of every day of the year. It is shown that using analytic equations for modelling the direct component, it is possible to adopt it for embedded systems with low computational power and use in solar tracking applications. Reflected and diffused components are especially useful in determining the performance of photovoltaic modules in certain location and surroundings. The statistical method for cloud layer simulation based on local meteorological data is offered. The presented method can’t be used for prediction of weather conditions but it provides patterns of solar radiation in time comparable to those measured with pyranometer. Cloud layer simulation together with total solar radiation model is a useful tool for development and analysis of maximum power point tracking controllers for PV modules.

Installation package for a domestic solar heating and hot water system

Science.gov (United States)

1978-01-01

The installation of two prototype solar heating and hot water systems is described. The systems consists of the following subsystems: solar collector, storage, control, transport, and auxiliary energy.

Solar radiation for sea-water desalination and electric power generation via vacuum solar collectors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mottinelli, L.; Reali, M.; El-Nashar, A.M.; Giusiano, F.; Vigotti, R.

1996-01-01

The present report concerns the energetic potential of vacuum solar which are rather versatile and efficient devices for converting solar energy into thermal energy. Two main energetic applications have been analysed: the first one for a solar sea water desalination plant which has been operated in Abu Dhabi for the past ten years, the other for a conceptual solar thermoelectric-power plant having a fair thermodynamic efficiency (15-20%). A simple technology for the manufacture of vacuum solar collectors in a standard mechanical shop is being developed in collaboration between ENEL Sp A (DSR-CRIS, Milano) and WED (Abu Dhabi). Such technology should have an important economy-saving potential per se and would also make repair and substitution operations simple enough for the actual operators of the vacuum solar collector system without any need of external assistance. The technic-operative-economical features of the Abu Dhabi solar desalination plant suggest that the use novel simplified vacuum solar collectors could have a considerable technic economical potential. The analysis of the conceptual solar thermo-electric-power plant focuses on its general layout and singles out key technological issues which ought to be addressed in an overall feasibility study. 5 figs., 3 tabs

Solar-assisted dual-effect adsorption cycle for the production of cooling effect and potable water

KAUST Repository

Ng, K. C.

2009-05-17

This paper investigates the performance of a solar-assisted adsorption (AD) cycle which produces two useful effects, namely cooling and desalination, with only a low-temperature heat input such as thermal energy from solar collectors. Heat sources varying from 65 to 80°C can be obtained from 215-m2 flat plate-type solar collectors to regenerate the proposed silica gel-water-based AD cycle. In this paper, both mathematical modelling and experimental results from the AD cycle operation are discussed, in terms of two key parameters, namely specific daily water production (SDWP) and specific cooling capacity (SCC). The experimental results show that the AD cycle is capable of producing chilled water at 7 to 10°C with varying SCC range of 25-35 Rton/tonne of silica gel. Simultaneously, the AD cycle produces a SDWP of 3-5 m3 per tonne of silica gel per day, rendering it as a dual-effect machine that has an overall conversion or performance ratio of 0.8-1.1. © The Author 2009. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved.

Solar-assisted dual-effect adsorption cycle for the production of cooling effect and potable water

KAUST Repository

Ng, K. C.; Thu, K.; Chakraborty, A.; Saha, B. B.; Chun, W. G.

2009-01-01

This paper investigates the performance of a solar-assisted adsorption (AD) cycle which produces two useful effects, namely cooling and desalination, with only a low-temperature heat input such as thermal energy from solar collectors. Heat sources varying from 65 to 80°C can be obtained from 215-m2 flat plate-type solar collectors to regenerate the proposed silica gel-water-based AD cycle. In this paper, both mathematical modelling and experimental results from the AD cycle operation are discussed, in terms of two key parameters, namely specific daily water production (SDWP) and specific cooling capacity (SCC). The experimental results show that the AD cycle is capable of producing chilled water at 7 to 10°C with varying SCC range of 25-35 Rton/tonne of silica gel. Simultaneously, the AD cycle produces a SDWP of 3-5 m3 per tonne of silica gel per day, rendering it as a dual-effect machine that has an overall conversion or performance ratio of 0.8-1.1. © The Author 2009. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved.

Preliminary design package for solar hot water system

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fogle, Val; Aspinwall, David B.

1977-12-01

The information necessary to evaluate the preliminary design of the Solar Engineering and Manufacturing Company's (SEMCO) solar hot water system is presented. This package includes technical information, schematics, drawings and brochures. This system, being developed by SEMCO, consists of the following subsystems: collector, storage, transport, control, auxiliary energy, and Government-furnished site data acquisition. The two units being manufactured will be installed at Loxahatchee, Florida, and Macon, Georgia.

Advantages using inlet stratification devices in solar domestic hot water storage tanks

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Dragsted, Janne; Furbo, Simon; Bava, Federico

2017-01-01

performances of two solar domestic hot water systems are presented. One system is a traditional high flow system with a heat exchanger spiral in the tank. The other system is a low flow system with an external heat exchanger and a newly developed inlet stratifier from EyeCular Technologies ApS installed......The thermal performance of a domestic hot water system is strongly affected by whether the storage tank is stratified or not. Thermal stratification can be built up in a solar storage tank if the heated water from the solar collectors enters the tank through an inlet stratifier.Measured thermal...... with the stratification device has a higher thermal performance compared to the system with the heat exchanger spiral inside the tank.The relative performance (defined as the ratio between the net utilized solar energy of the low flow system and the net utilized solar energy of the high flow system), is a function...

High Efficiency Generation of Hydrogen Fuels Using Solar Thermochemical Splitting of Water

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Heske, Clemens; Moujaes, Samir; Weimer, Alan; Wong, Bunsen; Siegal, Nathan; McFarland, Eric; Miller, Eric; Lewis, Michele; Bingham, Carl; Roth, Kurth; Sabacky, Bruce; Steinfeld, Aldo

2011-09-29

The objective of this work is to identify economically feasible concepts for the production of hydrogen from water using solar energy. The ultimate project objective was to select one or more competitive concepts for pilot-scale demonstration using concentrated solar energy. Results of pilot scale plant performance would be used as foundation for seeking public and private resources for full-scale plant development and testing. Economical success in this venture would afford the public with a renewable and limitless source of energy carrier for use in electric power load-leveling and as a carbon-free transportation fuel. The Solar Hydrogen Generation Research (SHGR) project embraces technologies relevant to hydrogen research under the Office of Hydrogen Fuel Cells and Infrastructure Technology (HFCIT) as well as concentrated solar power under the Office of Solar Energy Technologies (SET). Although the photoelectrochemical work is aligned with HFCIT, some of the technologies in this effort are also consistent with the skills and technologies found in concentrated solar power and photovoltaic technology under the Office of Solar Energy Technologies (SET). Hydrogen production by thermo-chemical water-splitting is a chemical process that accomplishes the decomposition of water into hydrogen and oxygen using only heat or a combination of heat and electrolysis instead of pure electrolysis and meets the goals for hydrogen production using only water and renewable solar energy as feed-stocks. Photoelectrochemical hydrogen production also meets these goals by implementing photo-electrolysis at the surface of a semiconductor in contact with an electrolyte with bias provided by a photovoltaic source. Here, water splitting is a photo-electrolytic process in which hydrogen is produced using only solar photons and water as feed-stocks. The thermochemical hydrogen task engendered formal collaborations among two universities, three national laboratories and two private sector

Performance evaluation of a continuous flow inclined solar still desalination system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

El-Agouz, S.A.; El-Samadony, Y.A.F.; Kabeel, A.E.

2015-01-01

Highlights: • A mathematical model was presented to analyze the performance of inclined still. • The effect of air speed, water masses, film thickness and velocity was studied. • Productivity for the Model 3 was higher than conventional still by 57.2%. • The performance was strongly affected by water film thickness and velocity. • Model 3 gave the highest performance while Model 1 gave the lowest performance. - Abstract: In the present work, theoretical study of the performance evaluation of a continuous water flow inclined solar still desalination system is performed. Three models are studied for inclined solar still desalination system with and without water close loop. The effects of the water mass, water film thickness, water film velocity and air wind velocity on the performance of the three models are studied. The results show that the inclined solar still with a makeup water is superior in productivity (57.2% improvement) compared with a conventional basin-type solar still. Also, the application of inclined solar still with open water loop is recommended when combined with other still desalination system due to high water temperature output. The inclined solar still with a makeup (Model 3) gives the highest performance while Model 1 gives the lowest performance. Finally, the water film thickness, and velocity as well as wind velocity plays important roles in improving the still productivity and efficiency

Solar water heaters: possibilities of using in the climatic conditions of the Russia medium area

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Popel', O.S.; Frid, S.E.

2001-01-01

On the basis of mathematical simulation of the simplest solar water heating facility using up-to-date software and data of typical meteorological year it was shown that under the real climatic conditions peculiar to Russia central region it is appropriate to use seasonal solar water heaters operating from March up to September. It is shown that to promote solar water heaters in the Russian market one should elaborate engineering approaches and should introduce new materials ensuring reduction of cost of solar water heaters with the availability of high quality and durability [ru

Modeling and simulation of photovoltaic solar panel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Belarbi, M.; Haddouche, K.; Midoun, A.

2006-01-01

In this article, we present a new approach for estimating the model parameters of a photovoltaic solar panel according to the irradiance and temperature. The parameters of the one diode model are given from the knowledge of three operating points: short-circuit, open circuit, and maximum power. In the first step, the adopted approach concerns the resolution of the system of equations constituting the three operating points to write all the model parameters according to series resistance. Secondly, we make an iterative resolution at the optimal operating point by using the Newton-Raphson method to calculate the series resistance value as well as the model parameters. Once the panel model is identified, we consider other equations for taking into account the irradiance and temperature effect. The simulation results show the convergence speed of the model parameters and the possibility of visualizing the electrical behaviour of the panel according to the irradiance and temperature. Let us note that a sensitivity of the algorithm at the optimal operating point was observed owing to the fact that a small variation of the optimal voltage value leads to a very great variation of the identified parameters values. With the identified model, we can develop algorithms of maximum power point tracking, and make simulations of a solar water pumping system.(Author)

Entrance Effects in Solar Hot Water Stores

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Shah, Louise Jivan; Furbo, Simon

2003-01-01

A theoretical and experimental analysis of water jets entering a solar storage tank is performed. CFD calculations of three inlet designs with different inlet flow rates were carried out to illustrate the varying behaviour of the thermal conditions in a solar store. The results showed the impact ...... in an analysis using the first and second law of thermodynamics. The results showed how the entropy changes and the exergy changes in the storage during the draw-offs influenced by the Richardson number, the volume draw-off and the initial tank conditions....

Data analysis for solar neutrinos observed by water Cherenkov detectors{sup *}

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Koshio, Yusuke [Okayama University, Okayama (Japan)

2016-04-15

A method of analyzing solar neutrino measurements using water-based Cherenkov detectors is presented. The basic detection principle is that the Cherenkov photons produced by charged particles via neutrino interaction are observed by photomultiplier tubes. A large amount of light or heavy water is used as a medium. The first detector to successfully measure solar neutrinos was Kamiokande in the 1980's. The next-generation detectors, i.e., Super-Kamiokande and the Sudbury Neutrino Observatory (SNO), commenced operation from the mid-1990's. These detectors have been playing the critical role of solving the solar neutrino problem and determining the neutrino oscillation parameters over the last decades. The future prospects of solar neutrino analysis using this technique are also described. (orig.)

Solar water heating in the hotel industry

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Urbanek, A

1981-01-01

There is an increasing number of hotels, pensions, guest-houses and boarding-houses whose owners attempt to lower their energy cost - especially for water heating in summer - by installing solar systems. The article presents some examples of buildings in West Germany.

Why Do People Stop Treating Contaminated Drinking Water with Solar Water Disinfection (SODIS)?

Science.gov (United States)

Tamas, Andrea; Mosler, Hans-Joachim

2011-01-01

Solar Water Disinfection (SODIS) is a simple method designed to treat microbiologically contaminated drinking water at household level. This article characterizes relapse behavior in comparison with continued SODIS use after a 7-month nonpromotion period. In addition, different subtypes among relapsers and continuers were assumed to diverge mainly…

Predictive Control Applied to a Solar Desalination Plant Connected to a Greenhouse with Daily Variation of Irrigation Water Demand

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lidia Roca

2016-03-01

Full Text Available The water deficit in the Mediterranean area is a known matter severely affecting agriculture. One way to avoid the aquifers’ exploitation is to supply water to crops by using thermal desalination processes. Moreover, in order to guarantee long-term sustainability, the required thermal energy for the desalination process can be provided by solar energy. This paper shows simulations for a case study in which a solar multi-effect distillation plant produces water for irrigation purposes. Detailed models of the involved systems are the base of a predictive controller to operate the desalination plant and fulfil the water demanded by the crops.

Comparison of conventional and solar-water-heating products and industries report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Noreen, D; LeChevalier, R; Choi, M; Morehouse, J

1980-07-11

President Carter established a goal that would require installation of at least one million solar water heaters by 1985 and 20 million water-heating systems by the year 2000. The goals established require that the solar industry be sufficiently mature to provide cost-effective, reliable designs in the immediate future. The objective of this study was to provide the Department of Energy with quantified data that can be used to assess and redirect, if necessary, the program plans to assure compliance with the President's goals. Results deal with the product, the industry, the market, and the consumer. All issues are examined in the framework of the conventional-hot-water industry. Based on the results of this solar hot water assessment study, there is documented proof that the solar industry is blessed with over 20 good solar hot water systems. A total of eight generic types are currently being produced, but a majority of the systems being sold are included in only five generic types. The good systems are well-packaged for quality, performance and installation ease. These leading systems are sized and designed to fit the requirements of the consumer in every respect. This delivery end also suffers from a lack of understanding of the best methods for selling the product. At the supplier end, there are problems also, including: some design deficiencies, improper materials selection and, occasionally, the improper selection of components and subsystems. These, in total, are not serious problems in the better systems and will be resolved as this industry matures.

Longevity characteristics of flat solar water-heating collectors in hot-water-supply systems. Part 1. Procedure for calculating collector thermal output

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Avezova, N.R.; Ruziev, O. S.; Suleimanov, Sh. I.; Avezov, R. R.; Vakhidov, A.

2013-01-01

A procedure for calculating longevity indices (daily and monthly variations and, hence, annual thermal output) of flat solar water-heating collectors, amount of conditional fuel saved per year by using solar energy, and cost of solar fuel and thermal energy generated in hot-water-supply systems is described. (authors)

Water Footprint and Land Requirement of Solar Thermochemical Jet-Fuel Production.

Science.gov (United States)

Falter, Christoph; Pitz-Paal, Robert

2017-11-07

The production of alternative fuels via the solar thermochemical pathway has the potential to provide supply security and to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions. H 2 O and CO 2 are converted to liquid hydrocarbon fuels using concentrated solar energy mediated by redox reactions of a metal oxide. Because attractive production locations are in arid regions, the water footprint and the land requirement of this fuel production pathway are analyzed. The water footprint consists of 7.4 liters per liter of jet fuel of direct demand on-site and 42.4 liters per liter of jet fuel of indirect demand, where the dominant contributions are the mining of the rare earth oxide ceria, the manufacturing of the solar concentration infrastructure, and the cleaning of the mirrors. The area-specific productivity is found to be 33 362 liters per hectare per year of jet fuel equivalents, where the land coverage is mainly due to the concentration of solar energy for heat and electricity. The water footprint and the land requirement of the solar thermochemical fuel pathway are larger than the best power-to-liquid pathways but an order of magnitude lower than the best biomass-to-liquid pathways. For the production of solar thermochemical fuels arid regions are best-suited, and for biofuels regions of a moderate and humid climate.

Modelling, interpolation and stochastic simulation in space and time of global solar radiation

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bechini, L.; Ducco, G.; Donatelli, M.; Stein, A.

2000-01-01

Global solar radiation data used as daily inputs for most cropping systems and water budget models are frequently available from only a few weather stations and over short periods of time. To overcome this limitation, the Campbell–Donatelli model relates daily maximum and minimum air temperatures to

Renewable water: Direct contact membrane distillation coupled with solar ponds

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Suárez, Francisco; Ruskowitz, Jeffrey A.; Tyler, Scott W.; Childress, Amy E.

2015-01-01

Highlights: • Experimental investigation of direct contact membrane distillation driven by solar ponds. • The DCMD/SGSP system treats ∼6 times the water flow treated by an AGMD/SGSP system. • Half of the energy extracted from the SGSP was used to transport water across the membrane. • Reducing heat losses through the DCMD/SGSP system would yield higher water fluxes. - Abstract: Desalination powered by renewable energy sources is an attractive solution to address the worldwide water-shortage problem without contributing significant to greenhouse gas emissions. A promising system for renewable energy desalination is the utilization of low-temperature direct contact membrane distillation (DCMD) driven by a thermal solar energy system, such as a salt-gradient solar pond (SGSP). This investigation presents the first experimental study of fresh water production in a coupled DCMD/SGSP system. The objectives of this work are to determine the experimental fresh water production rates and the energetic requirements of the different components of the system. From the laboratory results, it was found that the coupled DCMD/SGSP system treats approximately six times the water flow treated by a similar system that consisted of an air–gap membrane distillation unit driven by an SGSP. In terms of the energetic requirements, approximately 70% of the heat extracted from the SGSP was utilized to drive thermal desalination and the rest was lost in different locations of the system. In the membrane module, only half of the useful heat was actually used to transport water across the membrane and the remainder was lost by conduction in the membrane. It was also found that by reducing heat losses throughout the system would yield higher water fluxes, pointing out the need to improve the efficiency throughout the DCMD/SGSP coupled system. Therefore, further investigation of membrane properties, insulation of the system, or optimal design of the solar pond must be addressed in

A miniature solar device for overall water splitting consisting of series-connected spherical silicon solar cells

KAUST Repository

Kageshima, Yosuke

2016-04-18

A novel “photovoltaics (PV) + electrolyzer” concept is presented using a simple, small, and completely stand-alone non-biased device for solar-driven overall water splitting. Three or four spherical-shaped p-n junction silicon balls were successfully connected in series, named “SPHELAR.” SPHELAR possessed small projected areas of 0.20 (3PVs) and 0.26 cm2 (4PVs) and exhibited working voltages sufficient for water electrolysis. Impacts of the configuration on the PV module performance were carefully analyzed, revealing that a drastic increase in the photocurrent (≈20%) was attained by the effective utilization of a reflective sheet. Separate investigations on the electrocatalyst performance showed that non-noble metal based materials with reasonably small sizes (<0.80 cm2) exhibited substantial currents at the PV working voltage. By combining the observations of the PV characteristics, light management and electrocatalyst performance, solar-driven overall water splitting was readily achieved, reaching solar-to-hydrogen efficiencies of 7.4% (3PVs) and 6.4% (4PVs).

A miniature solar device for overall water splitting consisting of series-connected spherical silicon solar cells

KAUST Repository

Kageshima, Yosuke; Shinagawa, Tatsuya; Kuwata, Takaaki; Nakata, Josuke; Minegishi, Tsutomu; Takanabe, Kazuhiro; Domen, Kazunari

2016-01-01

A novel “photovoltaics (PV) + electrolyzer” concept is presented using a simple, small, and completely stand-alone non-biased device for solar-driven overall water splitting. Three or four spherical-shaped p-n junction silicon balls were successfully connected in series, named “SPHELAR.” SPHELAR possessed small projected areas of 0.20 (3PVs) and 0.26 cm2 (4PVs) and exhibited working voltages sufficient for water electrolysis. Impacts of the configuration on the PV module performance were carefully analyzed, revealing that a drastic increase in the photocurrent (≈20%) was attained by the effective utilization of a reflective sheet. Separate investigations on the electrocatalyst performance showed that non-noble metal based materials with reasonably small sizes (<0.80 cm2) exhibited substantial currents at the PV working voltage. By combining the observations of the PV characteristics, light management and electrocatalyst performance, solar-driven overall water splitting was readily achieved, reaching solar-to-hydrogen efficiencies of 7.4% (3PVs) and 6.4% (4PVs).

Water in the Solar System: The Development of Science Education Curriculum Focused on Planetary Exploration

Science.gov (United States)

Edgar, L. A.; Anderson, R. B.; Gaither, T. A.; Milazzo, M. P.; Vaughan, R. G.; Rubino-Hare, L.; Clark, J.; Ryan, S.

2017-12-01

"Water in the Solar System" is an out-of-school time (OST) science education activity for middle school students that was developed as part of the Planetary Learning that Advances the Nexus of Engineering, Technology, and Science (PLANETS) project. The PLANETS project was selected in support of the NASA Science Mission Directorate's Science Education Cooperative Agreement Notice, with the goal of developing and disseminating OST curriculum and related professional development modules that integrate planetary science, technology, and engineering. "Water in the Solar System" is a science activity that addresses the abundance and availability of water in the solar system. The activity consists of three exercises based on the following guiding questions: 1) How much water is there on the Earth? 2) Where can you find water in the solar system? and 3) What properties affect whether or not water can be used by astronauts? The three exercises involve a scaling relationship demonstration about the abundance of useable water on Earth, a card game to explore where water is found in the solar system, and a hands-on exercise to investigate pH and salinity. Through these activities students learn that although there is a lot of water on Earth, most of it is not in a form that is accessible for humans to use. They also learn that most water in the solar system is actually farther from the sun, and that properties such as salinity and pH affect whether water can be used by humans. In addition to content for students, the activity includes background information for educators, and links to in-depth descriptions of the science content. "Water in the Solar System" was developed through collaboration between subject matter experts at the USGS Astrogeology Science Center, and curriculum and professional development experts in the Center for Science Teaching and Learning at Northern Arizona University. Here we describe our process of curriculum development, education objectives of

Modelling and simulation of a hybrid solar heating system for greenhouse applications using Matlab/Simulink

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kıyan, Metin; Bingöl, Ekin; Melikoğlu, Mehmet; Albostan, Ayhan

2013-01-01

Highlights: • Matlab/Simulink modelling of a solar hybrid greenhouse. • Estimation of greenhouse gas emission reductions. • Feasibility and cost analysis of the system. - Abstract: Solar energy is a major renewable energy source and hybrid solar systems are gaining increased academic and industrial attention due to the unique advantages they offer. In this paper, a mathematical model has been developed to investigate the thermal behavior of a greenhouse heated by a hybrid solar collector system. This hybrid system contains an evacuated tube solar heat collector unit, an auxiliary fossil fuel heating unit, a hot water storage unit, control and piping units. A Matlab/Simulink based model and software has been developed to predict the storage water temperature, greenhouse indoor temperature and the amount of auxiliary fuel, as a function of various design parameters of the greenhouse such as location, dimensions, and meteorological data of the region. As a case study, a greenhouse located in Şanlıurfa/Turkey has been simulated based on recent meteorological data and aforementioned hybrid system. The results of simulations performed on an annual basis indicate that revising the existing fossil fuel system with the proposed hybrid system, is economically feasible for most cases, however it requires a slightly longer payback period than expected. On the other hand, by reducing the greenhouse gas emissions significantly, it has a considerable positive environmental impact. The developed dynamic simulation method can be further used for designing heating systems for various solar greenhouses and optimizing the solar collector and thermal storage sizes

Analysis of solar water heater with parabolic dish concentrator and conical absorber

Science.gov (United States)

Rajamohan, G.; Kumar, P.; Anwar, M.; Mohanraj, T.

2017-06-01

This research focuses on developing novel technique for a solar water heating system. The novel solar system comprises a parabolic dish concentrator, conical absorber and water heater. In this system, the conical absorber tube directly absorbs solar radiation from the sun and the parabolic dish concentrator reflects the solar radiations towards the conical absorber tube from all directions, therefore both radiations would significantly improve the thermal collector efficiency. The working fluid water is stored at the bottom of the absorber tubes. The absorber tubes get heated and increases the temperature of the working fluid inside of the absorber tube and causes the working fluid to partially evaporate. The partially vaporized working fluid moves in the upward direction due to buoyancy effect and enters the heat exchanger. When fresh water passes through the heat exchanger, temperature of the vapour decreases through heat exchange. This leads to condensation of the vapour and forms liquid phase. The working fluid returns to the bottom of the collector absorber tube by gravity. Hence, this will continue as a cyclic process inside the system. The proposed investigation shows an improvement of collector efficiency, enhanced heat transfer and a quality water heating system.

Experimental and theoretical evaluation of the performance of a tar solar water heater

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ammari, H.D.; Nimir, Y.L.

2003-01-01

The paper presents an experimental and theoretical evaluation of the performance of a tar solar water heater and comparison with that of a conventional type collector. The performance of both collectors is assessed under the same conditions. Both of the collectors have the same surface area and are glazed. The conventional type has the water tubes welded to the absorber plate, whereas in the tar type, the tar acts as an absorber plate that covers the water tubes. The theoretical model for each collector type, with the transient effects taken into account, is based on a control volume and a time base in the related energy equations. By considering a small element of the collector in each case, three partial differential equations were developed for each collector and were solved numerically by the Runge-Kutta method of the fifth order. A good agreement was achieved between the numerical and experimental results for both the conventional and tar collectors, indicating the feasibility of employing the theoretical model in the design of flat plate solar collectors. The results also showed that the conventional collector is more efficient than the tar type during most of the daylight, but the tar collector had the added advantage of better conservation of energy in late afternoon and evening

Numerical analysis of using hybrid photovoltaic-thermal solar water heater in Iran

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M Mohammadi Sarduei

2017-05-01

Full Text Available Introduction Electrical performance of solar cells decreases with increasing cell temperature, basically because of growth of the internal charge carrier recombination rates, caused by increased carrier concentrations. Hybrid Photovoltaic/thermal (PVT systems produce electrical and thermal energy simultaneously. PVT solar collectors convert the heat generated in the solar cells to low temperature useful heat energy and so they provide a lower working temperature for solar cells which subsequently leads to a higher electrical efficiency. Recently, in Iran, the reforming government policy in subsidy and increasing fossil fuels price led to growing an interest in use of renewable energies for residual and industrial applications. In spite of this, the PV power generator investment is not economically feasible, so far. Hybrid PVT devices are well known as an alternative method to improve energy performance and therefore economic feasibility of the conventional PV systems. The aim of this study is to investigate the performance of a PVT solar water heater in four different cities of Iran using TRNSYS program. Materials and Methods The designed PVT solar water system consists of two separate water flow circuits namely closed cycle and open circuit. The closed cycle circuit was comprised of a solar PVT collector (with nominal power of 880 W and area of 5.6 m2, a heat exchanger in the tank (with volume of 300 L, a pump and connecting pipes. The water stream in the collector absorbs the heat accumulated in the solar cells and delivers it to the water in the tank though the heat exchanger. An on/off controller system was used to activate the pump when the collector outlet temperature was higher than that of the tank in the closed cycle circuit. The water in the open circuit, comes from city water at low temperature, enters in the lower part of the storage tank where the heat transfer occurs between the two separate circuits. An auxiliary heater, connected

Water disinfection with solar radiation; Desinfeccion del agua con radiacion solar

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Martin, Alejandra; Cortes, Juana E; Rodriguez, Miriam; Mundo, Alfredo; Vazquez, Sandra [Instituto Mexicano de Tecnologia del Agua, Jiutepec, Morelos (Mexico); Estrada, Claudio A [Centro de Investigacion en Energia, Temixco, Morelos (Mexico)

2000-07-01

Water disinfection by exposure to solar radiation is a low cost and easy application option to rural communities. The treatment of water can be done using plastic bags or plastic bottles of two litters setting on a reflective material. The efficient of the plastic bottles is lower than the one plastic bags, but the plastic bottles have a much better control of the treated water avoiding its recontamination. In order to increase the efficiency of disinfection using plastic bottles, two solar concentrators, using flat mirrors, were designed and built. Effluent water from a treatment plant of residual waters was used for the testing. Several comparison were carried out taking into account the position of the concentrators, the transparency of the bottles and the bags. The results show that using the concentrator that adjust its position to the sun every hour, a 100% disinfection is obtained in 4 hours of direct exposure to the sun rays in a sunny day. The period of time can be reduced up to 2 hours, if instead using transparent bottles, the bottles are black painted at their bottom half. With these results, the basis to design a cheap concentrator of easy construction to be used in rural communities have been settle. [Spanish] La desinfeccion del agua por exposicion a la luz solar fotodesinfeccion es una opcion de bajo costo y facil aplicacion para las comunidades rurales. El tratamiento puede llevarse a cabo utilizando bolsas o botellas de plastico transparente de dos litros de capacidad colocadas sobre un material reflejante. Las botellas son menos eficientes que las bolsas, pero permiten un mejor control del agua tratada evitando su recontaminacion. Para aumentar la eficiencia de la desinfeccion utilizando las botellas, se disenaron y construyeron dos concentradores solares de espejos planos que permitieron disminuir el tiempo de exposicion requerido cuando se utilizan estas. Para las pruebas de desinfeccion se utilizo agua del efluente de una planta de tratamiento

Multi-objective analytical model for optimal sizing of stand-alone photovoltaic water pumping systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Olcan, Ceyda

2015-01-01

Highlights: • An analytical optimal sizing model is proposed for PV water pumping systems. • The objectives are chosen as deficiency of power supply and life-cycle costs. • The crop water requirements are estimated for a citrus tree yard in Antalya. • The optimal tilt angles are calculated for fixed, seasonal and monthly changes. • The sizing results showed the validity of the proposed analytical model. - Abstract: Stand-alone photovoltaic (PV) water pumping systems effectively use solar energy for irrigation purposes in remote areas. However the random variability and unpredictability of solar energy makes difficult the penetration of PV implementations and complicate the system design. An optimal sizing of these systems proves to be essential. This paper recommends a techno-economic optimization model to determine optimally the capacity of the components of PV water pumping system using a water storage tank. The proposed model is developed regarding the reliability and cost indicators, which are the deficiency of power supply probability and life-cycle costs, respectively. The novelty is that the proposed optimization model is analytically defined for two-objectives and it is able to find a compromise solution. The sizing of a stand-alone PV water pumping system comprises a detailed analysis of crop water requirements and optimal tilt angles. Besides the necessity of long solar radiation and temperature time series, the accurate forecasts of water supply needs have to be determined. The calculation of the optimal tilt angle for yearly, seasonally and monthly frequencies results in higher system efficiency. It is, therefore, suggested to change regularly the tilt angle in order to maximize solar energy output. The proposed optimal sizing model incorporates all these improvements and can accomplish a comprehensive optimization of PV water pumping systems. A case study is conducted considering the irrigation of citrus trees yard located in Antalya, Turkey

Solar hot water system installed at Quality Inn, Key West, Florida

Science.gov (United States)

1980-04-01

The solar energy hot water system installed in the Quality Inn, Key West, Florida, which consists of four buildings is described. Three buildings are low-rise, two-story buildings containing 100 rooms. The fourth is a four-story building with 48 rooms. The solar system was designed to provide approximately 50 percent of the energy required for the domestic hot water system. The solar system consists of approximately 1400 square feet of flat plate collector, two 500 gallon storage tanks, a circulating pump, and a controller. Operation of the system was begun in April 1978, and has continued to date with only three minor interruptions for pump repair. In the first year of operation, it was determined that the use of the solar facility resulted in forty percent fuel savings.

Fabrication and characterization of a slanting-type solar water ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The system includes four major components; a wooden basin of surface area 0.16 m2, an absorber surface, a slanting glass roof and a condensate channel. Very cheap locally available materials were used to fabricate the solar still. The solar still produced an average of 0.09 m3 of distilled water per day, and this study was ...

Prediction of photovoltaic and solar water heater diffusion and evaluation of promotion policies on the basis of consumers’ choices

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yamaguchi, Yohei; Akai, Kenju; Shen, Junyi; Fujimura, Naoki; Shimoda, Yoshiyuki; Saijo, Tatsuyoshi

2013-01-01

Highlights: ► Consumers’ preference on PV and solar water heater were investigated. ► Diffusion of the technologies in Japan was modeled by using Bass diffusion model. ► Policy measures to diffuse the technologies were evaluated by using the framework. ► Subsidy is more cost effective than FIT to diffuse PV. ► Public perception is the bottleneck of diffusion of solar water heater. -- Abstract: This paper proposes an integrated analytical framework consisting of the following three steps: (1) investigation of consumers’ preferences, (2) prediction of technology diffusion by taking into account consumers’ preferences, and (3) estimation of CO 2 emission reduction caused by the diffusion of the examined technology. By using this framework, this paper evaluates the policy measures implemented for disseminating photovoltaics and solar water heaters in terms of the contribution to reducing CO 2 emissions from the residential sector. We investigated consumer preferences for these technologies as well as the effects of attributes such as installation cost, energy price, energy efficiency, and perception on consumers’ choices. Considering these effects, we developed a model that estimates the diffusion of these technologies into the residential sector of Japan through 2025 and the resulting CO 2 emission reduction. We found that the policy measures for the diffusion of photovoltaics that reduce initial cost (e.g., subsidy programs) are more cost effective for reducing CO 2 emission than those reducing users’ operating expenditure (e.g., feed-in tariff programs). For solar water heater to be able to reduce the CO 2 emissions considerably, the public perception must be improved.

Theoretical model of an evacuated tube heat pipe solar collector integrated with phase change material

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Naghavi, M.S.; Ong, K.S.; Badruddin, I.A.; Mehrali, M.; Silakhori, M.; Metselaar, H.S.C.

2015-01-01

The purpose of this paper is to model theoretically a solar hot water system consisting of an array of ETHPSC (evacuated tube heat pipe solar collectors) connected to a common manifold filled with phase change material and acting as a LHTES (latent heat thermal energy storage) tank. Solar energy incident on the ETHPSC is collected and stored in the LHTES tank. The stored heat is then transferred to the domestic hot water supply via a finned heat exchanger pipe placed inside the tank. A combination of mathematical algorithms is used to model a complete process of the heat absorption, storage and release modes of the proposed system. The results show that for a large range of flow rates, the thermal performance of the ETHPSC-LHTES system is higher than that of a similar system without latent heat storage. Furthermore, the analysis shows that the efficiency of the introduced system is less sensitive to the draw off water flowrate than a conventional system. Analysis indicates that this system could be applicable as a complementary part to conventional ETHPSC systems to be able to produce hot water at night time or at times with weak radiation. - Highlights: • The ETHPSC is integrated with PCM at manifold side for night hot water demands. • The thermal performance of the ETHPSC-PCM is often higher than the baseline model. • The efficiency of the proposed model is stable for different flow rates. • Using PCM as thermal storage increases reliability on the performance of the system.

Solar Space and Water Heating for Hospital --Charlottesville, Virginia

Science.gov (United States)

1982-01-01

Solar heating system described in an 86-page report consists of 88 single-glazed selectively-coated baseplate collector modules, hot-water coils in air ducts, domestic-hot-water preheat tank, 3,000 Gallon (11,350-1) concrete urethane-insulated storage tank and other components.

Theoretical model and experimental validation of a direct-expansion solar assisted heat pump for domestic hot water applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moreno-Rodríguez, A.; González-Gil, A.; Izquierdo, M.; Garcia-Hernando, N.

2012-01-01

This paper has shown the development of a theoretical model to determine the operating parameters and consumption of a domestic hot water (DHW) installation, which uses a direct-expansion solar assisted heat pump (DXSAHP) with refrigerant R-134a, a compressor with a rated capacity of 1.1 kW and collectors with a total area of 5.6 m 2 . The model results have been compared and validated the experimental results obtained with the equipment installed at the University Carlos III, South of Madrid. The analysis was conducted over the course of a year, and the results have been represented depending on the meteorological and process variables of several representative days. Taking into account the thermal losses of the installation and the dependency on the operating conditions, the acquired experimental coefficient of performance is between 1.7 and 2.9, while the DHW tank temperature over the course of the study is 51 °C. -- Highlights: ► The study aims to present a new theoretical model and an experimental validation. ► The experimental COP vary between 1.7 and 2.9 (max. condensation temperature 57 °C). ► The operating parameters respond to the solar radiation. The COP may increase up to 50%. ► The useful surface area varies between 50% and 85% of the total surface. ► The system stops if conditions exceed the maximum value of the absorbed heat.

A framework for investigating the interactions between climate, dust, solar power generation and water desalination processes in Desert Climate

Science.gov (United States)

Siam, M. S.; Alqatari, S.; Ibrahim, H. D.; AlAloula, R. A.; Alrished, M.; AlSaati, A.; Eltahir, E. A. B.

2016-12-01

Increasing water demand in Saudi Arabia due to rapid population growth has forced the rapid expansion of seawater desalination plants in order to meet both current and future freshwater needs. Saudi Arabia has a huge potential for solar energy, hence, solar-powered desalination plants provide an opportunity to sustainably address the freshwater demand in the kingdom without relying on fossil fuels energy. However, the desert climate of Saudi Arabia and limited access to the open ocean imposes several challenges to the expansion and sustainability of solar-powered desalination plants. For example, the frequent and intense dust storms that occur in the region can degrade solar panels and significantly reduce their efficiency. Moreover, the high salinity Arabian Gulf is both the source of feedwater and sink of hypersaline discharge (brine) for many plants in the east of the Kingdom, and the brine may alter the salinity, temperature and movement of the water thereby reducing the quality of the feedwater to the desalination plants. Here, we propose a framework to investigate the different interactions between climate, dust, solar power generation and seawater desalination in order to identify optimal parameters such as locations of solar panels and seawater intake for sustainable implementation of solar-powered desalination plants. This framework integrates several numerical models including regional climate, hydrodynamics, Photovoltaics (PV) and Photovoltaic-Reverse Osmosis (PV-RO) models that are used to investigate these interactions for a solar-powered desalination plant at AlKhafji on the Northeastern coast of Saudi Arabia.

CFD Study of Fluid Flow in an All-glass Evacuated Tube Solar Water Heater

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ai, Ning; Fan, Jianhua; Li, Yumin

2008-01-01

Abstract: The all-glass evacuated tube solar water heater is one of the most widely used solar thermal technologies. The aim of the paper is to investigate fluid flow in the solar water heater by means of computational fluid dynamics (CFD). The investigation was carried out with a focus on the co...... for future system optimization....

Verification of high-speed solar wind stream forecasts using operational solar wind models

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Reiss, Martin A.; Temmer, Manuela; Veronig, Astrid M.

2016-01-01

and the background solar wind conditions. We found that both solar wind models are capable of predicting the large-scale features of the observed solar wind speed (root-mean-square error, RMSE ≈100 km/s) but tend to either overestimate (ESWF) or underestimate (WSA) the number of high-speed solar wind streams (threat......High-speed solar wind streams emanating from coronal holes are frequently impinging on the Earth's magnetosphere causing recurrent, medium-level geomagnetic storm activity. Modeling high-speed solar wind streams is thus an essential element of successful space weather forecasting. Here we evaluate...... high-speed stream forecasts made by the empirical solar wind forecast (ESWF) and the semiempirical Wang-Sheeley-Arge (WSA) model based on the in situ plasma measurements from the Advanced Composition Explorer (ACE) spacecraft for the years 2011 to 2014. While the ESWF makes use of an empirical relation...

Technology Solutions for New and Existing Homes Case Study: Addressing Multifamily Piping Losses with Solar Hot Water

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

D. Springer, M. Seitzler, and C. Backman

2016-12-01

Sun Light & Power, a San Francisco Bay Area solar design-build contractor, teamed with the U.S. Department of Energy’s Building America partner the Alliance for Residential Building Innovation (ARBI) to study this heat-loss issue. The team added three-way valves to the solar water heating systems for two 40-unit multifamily buildings. In these systems, when the stored solar hot water is warmer than the recirculated hot water returning from the buildings, the valves divert the returning water to the solar storage tank instead of the water heater. This strategy allows solar-generated heat to be applied to recirculation heat loss in addition to heating water that is consumed by fixtures and appliances.

Cyprus solar water heating cluster: A missed opportunity?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Maxoulis, Christos N.; Charalampous, Harris P.; Kalogirou, Soteris A.

2007-01-01

Cyprus is often called the 'sun island' because of the amount of sunshine received all year round. The abundance of solar radiation together with a good technological base has created favourable conditions for the exploitation of solar energy on the island. This led to the development of a pioneering solar collector industry in Cyprus, which in the mid-1980s was flourishing. The result was an outstanding figure of installed solar collector area per inhabitant. Nowadays, Cyprus is cited as the country with the highest solar collector area installed per inhabitant, worldwide. This means that the local market for solar thermal collectors (for domestic applications) is now rather saturated. It was only rational to assume that Cypriot firms equipped with their gained expertise and leading edge would have safeguarded a sustainable growth and have an international orientation, focusing on exports in an emerging European and eastern Mediterranean thermal solar market. Unfortunately, this is not the case today. This paper reviews the economic performance and the competitiveness of Cyprus and the evolution of the solar water heating (SWH) industry using the cluster theory of Michael Porter. Its aim is to give insight and explanations for the success of the sector domestically, its failure with regards to exporting activity, pinpoint the industry in the European map and finally give recommendations for the cross the boarders commercial success of the industry

Residential solar air conditioning: Energy and exergy analyses of an ammonia–water absorption cooling system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aman, J.; Ting, D.S.-K.; Henshaw, P.

2014-01-01

Large scale heat-driven absorption cooling systems are available in the marketplace for industrial applications but the concept of a solar driven absorption chiller for air-conditioning applications is relatively new. Absorption chillers have a lower efficiency than compression refrigeration systems, when used for small scale applications and this restrains the absorption cooling system from air conditioning applications in residential buildings. The potential of a solar driven ammonia–water absorption chiller for residential air conditioning application is discussed and analyzed in this paper. A thermodynamic model has been developed based on a 10 kW air cooled ammonia–water absorption chiller driven by solar thermal energy. Both energy and exergy analyses have been conducted to evaluate the performance of this residential scale cooling system. The analyses uncovered that the absorber is where the most exergy loss occurs (63%) followed by the generator (13%) and the condenser (11%). Furthermore, the exergy loss of the condenser and absorber greatly increase with temperature, the generator less so, and the exergy loss in the evaporator is the least sensitive to increasing temperature. -- Highlights: • 10 kW solar thermal driven ammonia–water air cooled absorption chiller is investigated. • Energy and exergy analyses have been done to enhance the thermal performance. • Low driving temperature heat sources have been optimized. • The efficiencies of the major components have been evaluated

Creating a Comprehensive Solar Water Heating Deployment Strategy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Focus Marketing Services

1999-01-01

This report details the results of a research conducted in 1998 and 1999 and outlines a marketing deployment plan designed for businesses interested in marketing solar water heaters in the new home industry

Creating a Comprehensive Solar Water Heating Deployment Strategy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Focus Marketing Services

1999-08-18

This report details the results of a research conducted in 1998 and 1999 and outlines a marketing deployment plan designed for businesses interested in marketing solar water heaters in the new home industry.

The thermotidal exciting function for water vapour absorption of solar radiation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. BONAFEDE

1976-06-01

Full Text Available The thermotidal exciting function J is considered, for
the absorption of solar radiation by water vapour, according to the model
derived by Siebert. The Mugge-Moller formula for water vapour absorption
is integrated numerically, using experimental data for the water vapour
concentration in the troposphere and the stratosphere. It appears that
Siebort's formula is a reasonable approximation at low tropospheric levels
but it dramatically overestimates the water vapour thermotidal heating
in the upper troposphere and in the stratosphere. It seems thus possible
that, if the correct vertical profile is employed for J , the amplitudes and
phases of the diurnal temperature oscillations and of the tidal wind speeds
may suffer significant changes from those previously calculated and possibly explain the three hours delay of the observed phases from the computed values.

Solar Energy for Domestic Hot Water: Case Studies in Sisimiut 1999-2005

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Reimann, Gregers Peter

2005-01-01

Two pioneer solar domestic hot water systems were installed at Bygge- og Anlægsskolen in Sisimiut in 1999 and 2000. Detailed measurements of energy flows and solar radiation incl. snow reflectance has been undertaken for both plants. Since August 2004 data logging of the measurements was made...... available online on the website www.arcticsolar.com. Measurements show that solar plant 1 and 2 cover 22% and 23%, respectively, of the energy spent for domestic hot water heating. This paper summarises the findings from the past 5 years....

Simulation of solar lithium bromide-water absorption cooling system with parabolic trough collector

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mazloumi, M.; Naghashzadegan, M.; Javaherdeh, K.

2008-01-01

Ahwaz is one of the sweltering cities in Iran where an enormous amount of energy is being consumed to cool residential places in a year. The aim of this research is to simulate a solar single effect lithium bromide-water absorption cooling system in Ahwaz. The solar energy is absorbed by a horizontal N-S parabolic trough collector and stored in an insulated thermal storage tank. The system has been designed to supply the cooling load of a typical house where the cooling load peak is about 17.5 kW (5 tons of refrigeration), which occurs in July. A thermodynamic model has been used to simulate the absorption cycle. The working fluid is water, which is pumped directly to the collector. The results showed that the collector mass flow rate has a negligible effect on the minimum required collector area, but it has a significant effect on the optimum capacity of the storage tank. The minimum required collector area was about 57.6 m 2 , which could supply the cooling loads for the sunshine hours of the design day for July. The operation of the system has also been considered after sunset by saving solar energy

Ayres' bifurcated solar model

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kalkofen, W.

1985-01-01

The assumptions of Ayres' model of the upper solar atmosphere are examined. It is found that the bistable character of his model is postulated - through the assumptions concerning the opacity sources and the effect of mechanical waves, which are allowed to destroy the CO molecules but not to heat the gas. The neglect of cooling by metal lines is based on their reduced local cooling rate, but it ignores the increased depth over which this cooling occurs. Thus, the bifurcated model of the upper solar atmosphere consists of two models, one cold at the temperature minimum, with a kinetic temperature of 2900 K, and the other hot, with a temperature of 4900 K. 8 references

Modeling and simulation of a New Design of the SMCEC Desalination Unit Using Solar Energy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhani, K.; Ben Bacha, H.

2009-01-01

The aim of this research is to parametrically study a new process working design with Humidification/Dehumidification (HD) technique using solar energy which is developed to ameliorate the production of the SMCEC unit (Solar Multiple Condensation Evaporation Cycle). The SMCEC unit is currently operating at Sfax's national engineering school in Tunisia. The improvement of the production consists in increasing the capacity of air to load water vapor with heating and subsequent humidification of air at the exit of the condensation tower instead of rejecting or recycling it. So, to attend our objective, we need to integrate into the SMCEC unit a flat plate solar air collector for heating air and a humidifier for its humidification. Then, the newly designed system is basically composed of a flat plate solar air collector, a flat plate solar water collector, a humidifier, an evaporation tower and a condensation tower. A general model based on heat and mass transfers in each component of the unit is developed in a steady state regime. The obtained set of ordinary differential equations is converted to a set of algebraic system of equations by the functional approximation method of orthogonal collocation. The developed model is used to investigate both the effect of different operating modes on the water condensation rate and the steady state behavior of each component of the unit and the entire system exposed to a variation of the entrance parameters and meteorological conditions.

Thermal Modeling of a Hybrid Thermoelectric Solar Collector with a Compound Parabolic Concentrator

Science.gov (United States)

Lertsatitthanakorn, C.; Jamradloedluk, J.; Rungsiyopas, M.

2013-07-01

In this study radiant light from the sun is used by a hybrid thermoelectric (TE) solar collector and a compound parabolic concentrator (CPC) to generate electricity and thermal energy. The hybrid TE solar collector system described in this report is composed of transparent glass, an air gap, an absorber plate, TE modules, a heat sink to cool the water, and a storage tank. Incident solar radiation falls on the CPC, which directs and reflects the radiation to heat up the absorber plate, creating a temperature difference across the TE modules. The water, which absorbs heat from the hot TE modules, flows through the heat sink to release its heat. The results show that the electrical power output and the conversion efficiency depend on the temperature difference between the hot and cold sides of the TE modules. A maximum power output of 1.03 W and a conversion efficiency of 0.6% were obtained when the temperature difference was 12°C. The thermal efficiency increased as the water flow rate increased. The maximum thermal efficiency achieved was 43.3%, corresponding to a water flow rate of 0.24 kg/s. These experimental results verify that using a TE solar collector with a CPC to produce both electrical power and thermal energy seems to be feasible. The thermal model and calculation method can be applied for performance prediction.

Models of diffuse solar radiation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Boland, John; Ridley, Barbara [Centre for Industrial and Applied Mathematics, University of South Australia, Mawson Lakes Boulevard, Mawson Lakes, SA 5095 (Australia); Brown, Bruce [Department of Statistics and Applied Probability, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117546 (Singapore)

2008-04-15

For some locations both global and diffuse solar radiation are measured. However, for many locations, only global is measured, or inferred from satellite data. For modelling solar energy applications, the amount of radiation on a tilted surface is needed. Since only the direct component on a tilted surface can be calculated from trigonometry, we need to have diffuse on the horizontal available. There are regression relationships for estimating the diffuse on a tilted surface from diffuse on the horizontal. Models for estimating the diffuse radiation on the horizontal from horizontal global that have been developed in Europe or North America have proved to be inadequate for Australia [Spencer JW. A comparison of methods for estimating hourly diffuse solar radiation from global solar radiation. Sol Energy 1982; 29(1): 19-32]. Boland et al. [Modelling the diffuse fraction of global solar radiation on a horizontal surface. Environmetrics 2001; 12: 103-16] developed a validated model for Australian conditions. We detail our recent advances in developing the theoretical framework for the approach reported therein, particularly the use of the logistic function instead of piecewise linear or simple nonlinear functions. Additionally, we have also constructed a method, using quadratic programming, for identifying values that are likely to be erroneous. This allows us to eliminate outliers in diffuse radiation values, the data most prone to errors in measurement. (author)

Solar heating and hot water system installed at Listerhill, Alabama