ABSTRACT
Experiments on solar heating have ranged from laboratory tests on individual components to long-term trials with full-scale systems in everyday use. The simplest level of monitoring is the recording of the energy consumption employed in water heating, preferably for comparison with that used in an otherwise identical situation without solar heating. The low sensitivities found lend support to the view that the behaviour of solar water-heating systems can be modelled simply and reliably today. Tests on components such as collectors and heat exchangers, and experiments to determine likely ranges of operational variables such as solar irradiance and water supply inlet temperatures, are required so that these elements may be satisfactorily represented in computer models. It has been seen that the results of experimental work provide controlled demand and simulated heat inputs to procedures for determining system performance and design optimization.
