Solar Thermal Collector Types

Solar thermal power plants use concentrating solar collector systems because they can produce the high temperature heat needed to generate electricity.

Solar thermal collector types.

Solar thermal collectors are either non concentrating or concentrating. A solar thermal collector is a device designed specifically to collect heat by absorbing sunlight and may be used to heat air or water for building heating. The collector usually moves throughout the day so that it maintains a high degree of concentration on the absorber. A solar thermal collector collects heat by absorbing sunlight the term solar collector commonly refers to a device for solar hot water heating but may refer to large power generating installations such as solar parabolic troughs and solar towers or non water heating devices such as solar air heaters.

This process is facilitated by a hot water solar collector. The collector focuses or concentrates solar energy onto an absorber. Thermal solar collectors turn the sun s radiation into heat and then transfer that heat to air or water. If you need water at a higher temperature to heat with radiators for example the vacuum tube collectors are more suitable.

The radiation from the sun heats a liquid that goes to a hot water tank. There are multiple types of solar thermal collectors. The evacuated tube solar thermal system is one of the most popular solar thermal systems in operation. A solar collector operates on a very simple basis.

As an example if the collector generates 3000 kilowatt hours of energy in a year then 2100. For hot water the type of thermal collector will be defined by the final water temperature.