ABSTRACT

The performance of any solar energy system is directly related to the amount of solar radiation available, the outdoor conditions, the heat load thermal characteristics, and the solar energy system characteristics. Useful energy is transferred directly to the heated space, hot water load, or thermal storage device (TSD) by a working fluid. The TSD is necessary due to the intermittent nature of solar energy and is characterized by the TSD heat capacity. The procedure can accommodate various nontracking flat-plate collector designs when the thermal performance is available in terms of the effective collection and conversion of solar radiation into useful thermal energy for a range of operating conditions. The procedure for calculating the performance of solar heating and/or hot water systems allows the estimation of long-term solar heating system performance applicable for space heating and domestic hot water systems, either individually or combined.