Solar Heating With Solar Concentrator Versus Flat Panels

Many people are familiar with flat panels on roofs to provide solar heating

. However, there is a more efficient and cost effective solution called Solar Concentrators. These are parabolic shaped systems that track the sun and produce a lot of thermal energy. They are better than flat panels because they do not cause heat stagnation and they have tracking capabilities. The best solar concentrator is the one manufactured by SolarTron Energy Systems. Their system creates up to 13kW of thermal heat per hour and has a patent-pending tracking system.

Shown below are the current problems with the existing solar energy system and how they compare to Concentrated Solar Power. This is an interesting comparison because solar systems are an expensive investment and you want to make sure that you are getting one with long term benefits.

Current Problems with Existing Solar Energy Systems (flat panels, evacuated tubes)

Peak efficiency only reached for a couple hours per day

Evacuated tube systems have high loss in cold weather (low efficiency in winter)

Large surface area is needed

Static installation must face specific direction and angle, limiting possible locations

If installed on a building, extensive disassembly of solar system is required to access roof

Expensive with long payback time

Made of fragile materials

Advantages of Concentrated Solar Power

Less expensive than flat panels or evacuated tubes

Has a dual axis tracking system

Collects more energy per square foot, so less space is required

Collects energy at peak efficiency throughout the entire day

Faster payback than other solar technologies

More durable and resilient than glass tube systems (flat panel)

Installed on its own post so there is no interference with roof maintenance

Many companies can benefit from solar heating to reduce their energy costs because it is the most efficient use of solar energy. One solar concentrator can heat a 120 gallon to 90 degrees within 3 hours, which means free hot water, and reduced energy costs. One company has reduced its operating costs by 40% at their beverage facility by using SolarBeam Concentrators to provide free solar heating for their hot water tanks. Stores can also benefit from free solar heating because they use a lot of solar hot water for sanitizing their equipment and when their employees wash their hands. Solar heating can also be converted into air conditioning by means of an absorption chiller. This is very beneficial in hot countries that have a lot of sun because they can get free cooling by using a 10 ton absorption chiller and a group of solar concentrators that can produce 177,000 BTUs of thermal heat per hour. Although this is not the most efficient use of solar energy it is very practical in areas like Texas and Florida where cooling is more important than heat.

by: Edward Herniak

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