Solar-energy system evaluation-Pennsylvania site
Solar-heating and hot-water system installed in single-family residence test program. Results of tests are available in 82 page report.
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Solar energy system performance evaluation: Seasonal report for Contemporary Newman, Newman, Georgia
A hot solar heating and hot water system's operational performance from June 1979 through April 1980 is evaluated. Solar energy satisfied 42 percent of the total measure load (hot water plus space heating), which was somewhat higher than the solar fraction of 32 percent. When system losses into the heating space from duct leaks and storage are included, the heating solar fraction increases from 42 to 64 percent. Net electrical energy savings were 5.47 million BTUs.
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Solar energy system performance evaluation: Seasonal report for Fern Lansing, Lansing, Michigan
A solar space heating and hot water system's operational performance from April 1979 through March 1980 is evaluated. Solar energy satisfied 15 percent of the total measured load (hot water plus space heating). Net savings were approximately 21 million BTUs.
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A solar-energy system in Pennsylvania
Report describes development of solar-heating system for single-family residence at site in Pennsylvania. 143 page document, containing detailed drawings, performance specifications, cost tradeoff studies, and other material, can assist those planning similar systems in areas of similar climate.
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Solar energy control system
A solar energy control system for a hot air type solar energy heating system wherein thermocouples are arranged to sense the temperature of a solar collector, a space to be heated, and a top and bottom of a heat storage unit is disclosed. Pertinent thermocouples are differentially connected together, and these are employed to effect the operation of dampers, a fan, and an auxiliary heat source. In accomplishing this, the differential outputs from the thermocouples are amplified by a single amplifier by multiplexing techniques. Additionally, the amplifier is corrected as to offset by including as one multiplex channel a common reference signal.
Currie, J. R.↗
Economic Evaluation of Dual-Level-Residence Solar-Energy System
105-page report is one in a series of economic evaluations of different solar-energy installations. Using study results, an optimal collector area is chosen that minimizes life-cycle costs. From this optimal size thermal and economic performance is evaluated.
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Evaluating Performances of Solar-Energy Systems
CONC11 computer program calculates performances of dish-type solar thermal collectors and power systems. Solar thermal power system consists of one or more collectors, power-conversion subsystems, and powerprocessing subsystems. CONC11 intended to aid system designer in comparing performance of various design alternatives. Written in Athena FORTRAN and Assembler.
Jaffe, L. D.↗
Performance analysis of integrated Nuclear-Solar Energy system sharing same molten salt thermal energy storage
Advanced nuclear reactors may be deployed with integrated thermal energy storage to improve flexibility and maximize revenue. This presents opportunities for thermal integration with concentrating solar power (CSP) to generate component synergies and/or improve performance. Here in this study, a computational model is developed for an integrated nuclear and CSP system that both share the same molten salt thermal energy storage (TES). Optimized dispatch schedules are developed subject to various market conditions, and the ratio of the nuclear to CSP thermal output is also varied. Performance of the combined system is compared to separate nuclear and solar plants, to determine if there is an overall benefit that can be derived from sharing the TES. Given sufficient volatility in electricity prices (e.g., under CAISO market conditions), synergies of up to 8% in net revenue are observed as a result of sharing the same TES, primarily due to improved revenue from enabling operation of the turbine closer to its design point, as well as being able to better take advantage of higher electricity prices. The synergy benefits are largest when the nuclear and solar plants have similar thermal output. However, when prices are less volatile the opposite behavior can be observed and it can be preferable to operate the nuclear plant as a baseload generator.
14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
Status of Goldstone solar energy system study of the first Goldstone energy project
The results reached by the DSN engineering section and private consultants in the review of the initial plan of the Golstone Energy Project are summarized. The main objectives were in the areas of energy conservation and the application of solar-driven systems for power and hydrogen generation. This summary will provide background data for management planning decisions both to the DSN engineering section and other organizations planning a similar program. The review showed that an add-on solar driven absorption refrigeration unit with its associated changes to the existing system was not cost-effective, having a payback period of 29 years. Similar economically unattractive results were found for both a solar-hydrogen and a wind-hydrogen generation plant. However, cutting the hydrogen generation linkage from this plant improved its economic feasibility.
Lansing, F. L.↗
Solar energy system performance evaluation: Seasonal report for Colt Yosemite, Yosemite National Park, California
The system's operational performance from May 1979 through April 1980 is described. Solar energy satisfied 23 percent of the total performance load, which was significantly below the design value of 56 percent. A fossil savings of 80.89 million Btu's or 578 gallons of fuel oil is estimated. If uncontrolled losses could have been reduced to an inconsequential level, the system's efficiency would have been improved considerably.
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Build solar-energy systems to last — save billions
Here, to withstand extreme weather, rapid innovation and rock-bottom prices, solar installations need tighter quality control, standards and testing. Solar energy is being adopted the world over. Prices have plunged 100-fold since 1980. By 2023, the installed capacity of photovoltaics globally is expected to surpass 1 terawatt — 30–100 TW will be required by 2050. Yet colliding trends mean that many of the technologies being installed today might not last until then if quality is not assured.
14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
Controller for solar-energy systems
Report describes operation and testing of computerized control unit for solar-heating and cooling systems. Unit includes electronics and 'plumbing'. Components are modular. Microprocessor with ROM and RAM operates fans, pumps, and valves, and retains selected data for 32 hours.
Hankins, J. D.↗
Solar energy system installed at the North Georgia APDC office building
A hydronic, automatic drain-down solar heating and cooling system is described. The system provides solar heat exchange from a 2,001 square foot effective collector area and supplies 65-70 percent of the building's cooling demand, 90-95 percent of the heating demand, and domestic hot water. The acceptance test plan and results, system operation and maintenance, and predicted system performance are presented.
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Heat-Transfer Fluids for Solar-Energy Systems
43-page report investigates noncorrosive heat-transport fluids compatible with both metallic and nonmetallic solar collectors and plumbing systems. Report includes tables and figures of X-ray inspections for corrosion and schematics of solar-heat transport systems and heat rejection systems.
Parker, J. C.↗
Non-tracking solar energy collector system
A solar energy collector system characterized by an improved concentrator for directing incident rays of solar energy on parallel vacuum-jacketed receivers or absorbers is described. Numerous individually mounted reflector modules of a common asymmetrical triangular cross-sectional configuration are supported for independent reorientation. Asymmetric vee-trough concentrators are defined.
Selcuk, M. K.↗
Non-tracking solar energy collector system
A solar energy collector system is described characterized by an improved concentrator for directing incident rays of solar energy on parallel strip-like segments of a flatplate receiver. Individually mounted reflector modules of a common asymmetrical triangular cross-sectional configuration supported for independent orientation are asymmetric included with vee-trough concentrators for deflecting incident solar energy toward the receiver.
Selcuk, M. K.↗
Hybrid Solar Thermal Energy System for District Heating Application
Solar district heating (SDH) systems can be good alternatives to conventional systems when they are optimized with hybrid configurations and thermal energy storage (TES). In this scope, a hybrid renewable thermal energy system (RTES) model has been built combining flat plate collector (FPC) solar system with parabolic trough collector (PTC) system via a heat exchanger and coupled with TES. To undertake the hybridization of the system, System Advisor Model (SAM) software was modified, which allowed control over configurations and more accurate modelling of heat transfer between the collectors. The model is first compared to an existing hybrid solar district heating systems (DHS) system in Taars, Denmark. The results showed a good correlation with an overestimation of only 6.4% compared to most recent heat output. Then the same system configuration was modeled in different geographic locations to investigate the impact of changes in direct normal irradiance (DNI) to the heat sink thermal output of the hybrid system. The results showed that the annual net thermal power output in California, USA can be three times more than the annual net thermal power output in Taars, Denmark. Finally, multiple hybrid configurations with varying solar field sizes were simulated based on the heat demand of two different university campuses DHS. The results showed that, retrofit applications of this hybrid DHS system coupled with TES could reduce the natural gas consumption of the existing systems between 25% and 41%. The use of hybrid RTES highlighted in this paper can be extended to many more opportunities.
district heating↗
Pump efficiency in solar-energy systems
Study investigates characteristics of typical off-the-shelf pumping systems that might be used in solar systems. Report includes discussion of difficulties in predicting pump efficiency from manufacturers' data. Sample calculations are given. Peak efficiencies, flow-rate control, and noise levels are investigated. Review or theory of pumps types and operating characteristics is presented.
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