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Thermal Heat Transfer in Solar Panels. Tech Topic Krista Miller 03/06/2007. Power in Panel. Where does Heat Transfer Occur?. Permeation of Glass. Into Thermal Fluid. Permeation.
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Thermal Heat Transfer in Solar Panels Tech Topic Krista Miller 03/06/2007
Power in Panel Where does Heat Transfer Occur? Permeation of Glass Into Thermal Fluid
Permeation Different types of Low-E coatings have been designed to allow for high solar gain, moderate solar gain, or low solar gain. In our case, high solar gain!
Power into Panel For any specific solar panel, one can graph efficiency using the equation: Efficiency = intercept + slope (Ti-To)/(Io) Where intercept & slope are given as panel specifications, Ti is temperature in the panels, To is outside temperature, and Io is the solar radiation (based on location & day). Multiplying this times the solar radiation (in watts) will give you total Watts out of the system – the harnessable energy.
Thermal Capacity of Fluid In order to calculate how much thermal energy you can store in a specific fluid, Specific Heat * Density * Meters^3 per gallon * flow rate * Minutes per second = Power per Degree Celsius J * kg * m^3 * gal * min = Watts kgC m^3 gal min sec C
In Conclusion • Heat transfer needs to be taken into account when selecting solar panels • Heat is transferred: through glass / surface, into panel, into fluid • Specifications are your friend!
Sources • http://www.lyondell.com/html/products/markets/coolants/technical_information/ • www.wikipedia.org • http://aetsolar.com/ • http://www.off-grid.net/index.php?p=483 • Summary of SRCC certified solar collector… System Ratings