Solar energy captured by a curved collector designed for architectural integration

• Published in: Applied energy Vol. 116; pp. 66 - 75
• Main Authors: Rodríguez-Sánchez, D., Belmonte, J.F., Izquierdo-Barrientos, M.A., Molina, A.E., Rosengarten, G., Almendros-Ibáñez, J.A.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Kidlington Elsevier Ltd 01.03.2014; Elsevier
• Subjects: Accumulators; Applied sciences; Architectural integration; Architecture; Beams (radiation); Collectors; Curved; Energy; Exact sciences and technology; Mathematical analysis; Natural energy; Solar collector; Solar collectors; Solar energy; Solar heating; Solar radiation; Solar thermal conversion; Visual; Solar collector; Architectural integration; Solar radiation; Solar energy
• ISSN: 0306-2619; 1872-9118
• DOI: 10.1016/j.apenergy.2013.10.059

•We present a new prototype of solar collector for architectural integration.•Equations of the solar radiation on a curved surface.•We compare the energy intercepted by the prototype with the energy intercepted by conventional collectors.•The prototype can be competitive compared with conventional collectors. In this paper we present a prototype for a new type of solar thermal collector designed for architectural integration. In this proposal, the conventional geometry of a flat solar thermal collector is changed to a curved geometry, to improve its visual impact when mounted on a building facade or roof. The mathematical equations for the beam and diffuse solar radiation received by a collector with this geometry are developed for two different orientations, horizontal and vertical. The performance of this curved prototype, in terms of solar radiation received, is compared with a conventional tilted-surface collector for different orientations in Madrid (Spain). The comparison is made for typical clear-sky days in winter and summer as well as for an entire year. The results demonstrate that the curved collector only receives between 12% and 25% less radiation than the conventional tilted-surface collectors when oriented horizontally, depending on the azimuth of the curved surface, although these percentages are reduced to approximately 50% when the collector is oriented vertically.