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thermal energy > flat panel solar collectors
Our home uses two solar thermal flat plate collectors
that use a water-based fluid to capture the energy
of the sun. These collectors are small rectangular
boxes with well-insulated bottom and sides. The insulation
on the bottom of the box is covered with an absorber
made of a material that conducts heat very well. This
conductor is painted black to absorb as much sunlight
as possible. A series of tubes filled with propylene
glycol, a water-based material that has the ability
to store a lot of heat, sit on top of this plate.
The box is topped with a translucent cover that allows
sunlight to strike the absorber while reducing the
amount of heat that has been absorbed from escaping
from the box and back into the environment.
The
thermal system consists of an 80-gallon hot water
storage tank and a heat exchanger to transfer heat
from the propylene glycol flowing through the collectors
to the water in the heavily insulated hot water storage
tank. If heat is required, any excess hot water will
be used for radiant baseboard heating system. |
