ABSTRACT
The purpose of a solar collector is to capture the sun’s radiant energy. This energy is then transported to something that will benefit from the energy. The basic configuration of a solar collector includes a surface that collects the sun’s heat and transfers this heat to a working fluid, such as water or air. There are several types of solar collectors. The most common are flat plate collectors, vacuum tube collectors, and concentrating collectors. Vacuum tube solar collectors are efficient devices meaning that much of the solar radiation hitting the panel is absorbed and “used” by the collector but are relatively expensive. Concentrating collector is efficient as well and can yield high temperatures to the working fluid. Concentrating collectors need to be rotated in order to keep the solar energy focused on the absorber tube. The most common type of solar collector is the flat plate collector.
