The low conversion efficiency of solar cells produces large amounts of thermal energy to the cells, and with an increase in the temperature of solar cells, their electrical efficiency decreases. Therefore, a hybrid photovoltaic thermal system improves the overall efficiency of the system by adding thermal equipment to the solar cell and removing excessive heat from these cells. In this paper, w...

Solar thermal water heating systems reduce household energy bills by using the free solar radiation provided by the sun to heat water for residential needs. In order to eliminate the need for electricity to run a pump to drive the fluid circulation in these systems, fluid buoyancy effects can be employed to move the fluid from lower elevations to higher elevations. There are several operational...

A box-type solar heater was designed, constructed, and used to determine the effect of solar heating on quality of domestic roof-harvested rainwater (DRHRW). During testing, naturally contaminated DRHRW was harvested in Ibadan, Nigeria, and released into the system at 93.96 Lh(-1) (2.61 × 10(-5) m(3) s(-1)) in a continuous flow process. Water temperatures at inlet, within the heating chamber, a...

With the urbanization process of the hot summer and cold winter (HSCW) zone in China, the energy consumption of space and water heating in urban residential buildings of the HSCW zone has increased rapidly. This study presents the energy efficiency and sustainability evaluation of various ways of space and water heating taking 10 typical cities in the HSCW zone as research cases. Two indicators...

The mode of operation of mini parabolic solar panels made of germanium, mild steel and aluminium were investigated experimentally, as means of providing heated water on a farmland; the process was also modelled. Angular adjustments of the solar collectors from 70-90o were adopted in order to determine, the best material of construction for the parabolic solar collector and the angular orientati...

This paper introduces the functioning principle as well as dimensioning elements of a new active solar heating system using air as heat carrier. The air is heated in flat-plate collectors and then circulated through the building walls having circulation “hollows”. The heat storage function is performed by a rockbed storage unit. The solar collectors have water-air double service and supply the ...