Picture: Luis Cámara-Díaz, principal researcher see more
Image source: University of Cordoba
A research team from the University of Cordoba has designed a sustainable photovoltaic solar installation that can heat water to 80 degrees-just like a normal electric heater
A large part of the energy consumption of buildings is the production of hot water. Photovoltaic solar heating can be considered a clean and renewable energy option. Easy to install, quiet and low-maintenance, it also prevents the consumption of fossil fuels normally used in this process. Now, a research team from the University of Cordoba has designed a photovoltaic solar heating device that can use 95.06% of the available energy to produce domestic hot water.
The prototype they designed manages to heat water to 80 degrees, just like a normal electric heater. In this process, no waste or polluting gas of any kind will be produced. Compared with solar thermal energy that requires hydraulic devices, this model only uses an electric box similar to a traditional electric box in a house. Solar panels and traditional electric water heaters are connected to the electric box with two cables. Lead researcher Luis Cámara-Díaz explained: “This is a more versatile, sustainable and economical model, and it only produces 5% energy loss”.
According to Cámara-Díaz, this new system is dedicated to domestic hot water, but it can also be used for commercial and industrial purposes. The heating process relies on thermal resistance powered by photovoltaic solar energy. "The traditional hot water tank has a resistor inside that generates heat when connected to electricity. We call it a thermal resistance. Unlike our prototype, we connect it to a photovoltaic solar panel instead of electricity," He added. In this way, the existing solar energy is converted into photovoltaic energy, which can be used for heating at any time of the day. The water tank acts as a storage battery for all daily energy, without the need to install batteries.
A breakthrough of this low-cost electronic system is that the available photovoltaic energy can be converted into heat regardless of the current solar radiation level is high or low.
In addition, its installation does not require a large number of solar panels, nor does it need to be connected to the grid. And, it complies with safety measures, just like any other electrical/electronic equipment, the researchers said. The device is currently in the experimental stage and is expected to be commercialized in the future. One of the developments the research team is still working on is the application of artificial intelligence to the device to enhance the security and monitoring of the system.
Cámara-Díaz, Luis, José Ramírez-Faz, Rafael López-Luque and Francisco J. Casares 2021. "A cost-effective electronic design of photovoltaic systems for solar hot water production". Sustainability 13, no. 18: 10270. https://doi.org/10.3390/su131810270
An economical and efficient electronic design of photovoltaic system for solar hot water production
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Copyright © 2021 American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
Copyright © 2021 American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)