Thermal solar panels Portugal Algarve - Thermal energy storage system project for heating water for domestic use. With Sun energy products in the Algarve is an excellent way to heat your pool, jacuzzi or household water with thermal panels of high quality.
How do thermal collectors work:
Thermal energy storage system advantages:
The choice for Evacuated tube heating is because it has the highest efficiency. Evacuated tube panels are the most expensive but most efficient type for a thermal hot water system. They have a conversion rate of 90%, so they can produce more heat than other types of solar thermal energy panels like flat plate collectors.
If you look at the picture on the head of this article, you see a installation off 15 panels. Each board has 25 tubes. Five heat modules are in serial connection, the three rows are parallel.
The control unit, DeltaSol master brain.
A Solar controller DeltaSol computer controls the whole system. Inside there is a pump for the water flow in the heating tubes. This computer monitors the temperature of the panels.
If the temperature is 10 degrees higher than required, the pump will start to run and the hot water will start to flow from the boards to a heatsink changer. Of course there are all kinds of variables to set.
This control computer also checks which source the heated water is going to. To control the sources is done by three-way valves. Within this energy project there are two sources that need to be heated. And one source for dumping the generated energy what can not be used anymore in the thirst two sources.
First the boiler for domestic use. As second the jaccuzi and finally the pool. You can set the priority of the sources in the resol solar control computer without changing the hardware.
The solar boiler:
Above all, reflex indirectly fired Storatherm Aqua water heaters with A-label. Thanks to unique patented rECOflex rigid foam insulation, the boilers are very economical. They heat up quickly and very evenly and have an attractive design.
There is a connection for electrical heating in the front of the boiler. Not shown on this image. For the days when the sun does not shine enough in the algarve. The heater can also keep the boiler at the right temperature during the night.
The red and the blue barrels are there to absorb pressure differences. The red for the thermal collectors system, and the blue for the boiler.
I took this picture at the time that I was doing a lime inspection. The grey PVC tube on the front ( picture right ) is temporarily replacing the electric heater.
Likewise, according to the set heating algorithm, the boiler is at a temperature at 62 degrees. By switching an electric valve, the hot water goes to a heat exchanger for the jacuzzi.
The same principle also applies here. With a preset temperature of 36 degrees, the resol control computer starts to heat the pool. If during the heating of the swimming pool or the jacuzzi it turns out that the boiler temperature is lower than 58 degrees, the cycle starts over again. And start to get the domestic water supply back on temperature.
The exchangers for the pool and the jacuzzi are very different from the boiler.
But, it is important to maintain a good flow for the water quality. A pipe heat exchanger gives this possibility. The jacuzzi has a volume of 9m3.
In conclusion, in terms of efficiency, the plate exchanger has the highest transfer coefficient. But also the lowest flow speed.
This whole project has been realised by https://www.solar2power.pt/. This company has delivered and installed all necessary equipment. My job as energy project manager was fine tuning according to customer requirements.
Read more about other projects.
More about other solar thermal technologies: SUN_Thermal_Technologies.
In conclusion, all the advantage of thermal heating, the conclusion is that it produces a lot of work to install and maintain the installation. From experience, I can say that water heating with photovoltaic solar PV panels is more efficient. And surely more controllable.
In conclusion i can say that, If you are planning thermal energy storage system, to do somthing with the free sun energy. First, explore other energy systems and products, like a solar system with My-PV, to lower the energy bill.