28/12/2012

solar thermal overview

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Solar Thermal Energy

The use of solar ene rgy to generate heat is a tried and tested technology and has be en us ed for decades. Solar thermal energy can be used to heat water and to heat and cool or dehumidify buildings, for gene rating process heat and for drying. German solar thermal energy companies have many years of comprehensive experience in producing, planning and building solar heating systems and their components. The German solar thermal industry is a global leader.

Intersolar Europe 2013 full-line prov ider s-power Entwicklungs- & Vertriebs GmbH Viessmann Werke GmbH & C o. KG manufacturer

To date, solar heating systems in Germany ha ve primarily be en used in de tached and semi-detache d homes for water and domestic heating. For some time now, there ha ve been greater efforts to use solar he ating in apartment buildings, hospitals, residential homes, hotels and indus try too. La rge high-qua lity solar thermal systems are now also used in the renovation of rented apartments, such as high-rise buildings, so that heating is included in the rent at no extra expens e. The re are tw o types of solar thermal ene rgy systems for residential buildings: those used solely to he at water and those that also provide he ating, the latter are also known as combi systems. Systems that are used exclusively to heat water are typically de signe d to meet all hot water needs during the warmer half of the year. During the colder half of the year, a boiler fired by gas, oil or wood, or a heat pump, supported by the solar thermal energy system on sunny days, provides water heating. This means that around 60 per cent of water he ating requirements can be met by solar thermal ene rgy over the entire year. A system in Germany typically requires a collector area of about 6 m2 for this. Solar combi systems have a large r solar collector surface area and help to heat the building in the spring and autumn months . Detache d hous es usua lly have installed systems with collector surfaces of 11 to 14 m2. Solar energy typically supplies 20 to 30 per cent of a buildings total heating needs, depending on how w ell insulated the hous e is and on the extent of its heating requirements. There are also special solar hous es that obtain more than 50 per cent and up to 100 per cent of their total heating requirements from solar thermal ene rgy.
BSW- Solar/U pmann

Bosch Thermotechnik GmbH Dr. Valentin EnergieSoftware GmbH GFC AntriebsSysteme GmbH Wolf GmbH

Solar thermal energy systems for domestic water heating in a detached house: 1) C ollector 2) Solar storage tank 3) Boiler 4) Solar station with integrated solar switch 5) Hot water consumer (e.g. shower).

This solar thermal system on an apartment building in Berlin, Germany, supplies tenants with environmentally-friendly solar heat at no extra expense.

There are different types of solar collectors. The simplest form of collector is the unglazed plastic absorber. These black plastic mats are typically used to heat swimming pools. They are cheaper than a boiler fired with fossil fuels and reach temperatures of 30 to 50 C, helping reduce the running costs of the swimming pool. In flat plate collectors the metal solar absorbe r is installed in an insulated glazed
BM U /O berhus er

box to reduce heat loss. Flat plate collectors usua lly operate at temperatures ranging from 60 to 90 C. Air collectors are a special type of flat collector, which heat air

C ologne, Germany: Test plant for parabolic trough collectors for solar process heat.

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28/12/2012

solar thermal overview

and are usually used to heat buildings directly, without intermediate storage. The heated air can also be used to dry agricultural produce. Using an air-water-he at exchanger can also ena ble these systems to heat water for domestic use, for example. Vacuum tube collectors achieve even higher temperatures and efficiency levels because the strong ne gative pressure in the glass tubes further reduces heat loss. A collector comprises several glass tubes. The rotatable mounting of the individual tubes enables the flat absorbe r in the glass receiver to be optimally positioned towards the sun. For this reason, vacuum tube collectors can also be installed nearly horizontally on flat roofs. The individua l tubes form a closed system that transfers the heat to the water via a frost-resistant the rmal circuit.

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