Capital cost and economic viability of thermosyphonic solar water heaters manufactured from alternate materials in India

Many companies in India manufacture solar water heaters but these are not becoming popular in the domestic sector because of their high cost. The Ministry of Non-Conventional Energy Sources (MNES), New Delhi is recommending flat-plate collectors with copper (Cu) risers, headers and plate. Therefore, their cost is high. Long term studies have been carried out at the Central Arid Zone Research Institute, Jodhpur, to reduce the cost by replacing copper tubes with galvanised steel (G.S.) tube and copper plate with aluminium (Al) plate. The aluminium plate is wrapped over the G.S. tube by a special wire wound technique so that good contact of plate with risers and headers has been maintained. In this paper performance and testing of solar water heaters having G.S.–Al fin, Cu–Al fin and Cu–Cu fin in flat-plate collectors have been compared. It has been found that performance of all the three heaters is almost similar. The heater can provide 100 litres of hot water at an average temperature 62.0°C at 4 pm that can be retained to 50.4°C when average tap water temperature was 23.9°C. The efficiency of the heater is 51.9%. The cost of the heater with G.S.–Al collector is only Rs. 8,000.00 while it is Rs. 10,250.00 for solar water heaters with Cu–Cu collectors. The payback period of a solar water heater with G.S.–Al collector has been worked out by considering 10% compound annual interest, 5% maintenance cost, 5%, inflation in fuel prices and maintenance cost. The payback period varies between 2.92 years to 4.53 years depending upon which fuel it replaces. The payback periods are in increasing order with respect to fuels: electricity, firewood, LPG, charcoal, and kerosene.     

Performance study of thermosyphonic circulation solar water heaters using packed bed collectors

In the present investigation the performance behaviour of thermosyphonic circulation solar water heaters using packed bed collectors has been analysed. Iron chips, gravels and stones have been used as packing materials. Average tank water temperature, collector as well as system efficiency and mony pay-back for these packed bed solar water heaters are compared with those for solar water heater using a plane collector. Experimental results reveal that the performance of solar water heater improves appreciably by packing its collector with packing material. Among the packed-bed solar water heaters tested the iron chips packed-bed solar water heater gives the overall best performance.     

Performance of solar water heaters with narrow mantle heat exchangers

This paper evaluates the performance of narrow-gap vertical mantle heat exchangers with a two-pass arrangement for use in pumped-circulation solar water heaters. Both measured mantle side and tank side heat transfer correlations have been developed and implemented in a TRNSYS model of a complete solar water heater incorporating this type of heat exchanger. Predictions of the annual solar contribution for mantle-tank systems are compared to direct-coupled systems. The direct-coupled systems are found to provide slightly higher annual energy saving than mantle-tank systems for standard domestic hot water demand in Australia. However, the reduction in performance is outweighed by the benefit of freeze protection provided by incorporating a collector loop heat exchanger in the system.     

Performance study of forced circulation solar water heaters using packed-bed collectors

A performance study of forced circulation solar water heaters using packed-bed solar collectors is presented. Iron chips, gravel and stones have been used as packing materials. Thermal energy stored in the tank, system overall efficiency and pay-back capital for these solar water heaters are compared with those for solar water heaters using a plane collector. It is observed that the performance of the solar water heater is improved appreciably by packing its collector with packing material. A solar water heater using an iron chip, packed-bed collector shows the best performance.     

Subsidy programs on diffusion of solar water heaters: Taiwan’s experience

Financial incentives are essentially one of the key factors influencing diffusion of solar water heaters in many countries. Two subsidy programs were initiated by the government of Taiwan in 1986 (1986–1991) and 2000 (2000–present), respectively. Those long-term national programs are considered to be the driving force on local market expansion. In 2008, the regional subsidy programs for solar water heaters were announced by Kaohsiung city and Kiemen county, which resulted in the growth in sales. A revised subsidy was also initiated by the government of Taiwan in 2009. The subsidy is 50% more. However, the tremendous enlargement of market size with a high-level ratio of subsidy over total installation cost might result in a negative impact on a sustainable SWH industry and long-term development of the local market, which is associated with system design and post-installation service. This paper aims to address the relative efficiency and pitfalls of those national and regional programs.     

Diffusion of solar water heaters in regional China: Economic feasibility and policy effectiveness evaluation

Whereas the technical feasibility of solar water heaters (SWHs) has long been established, the economic feasibility of SWHs in regional China remains to be examined. This paper constructs cost models to calculate costs per unit energy saving of SWHs in 27 Chinese provincial capital cities. The cost effectiveness of SWHs is examined at the national level. At a micro level, we analyze the financial attractiveness of consumers’ investment in SWHs. A panel data model is employed to evaluate the effectiveness of a subsidy program in rural China. The results show that SWH costs, ranging from 0.305 to 0.744 CNY/kW h, are much lower than those of other major renewable energies across China. This finding indicates that the diffusion of SWHs is a cost-effective way to reach China’s renewable energy target. For consumers, incentive programs for SWHs are needed to improve the financial attractiveness of the devices in China. Existing subsidy policies for rural China have failed to significantly enhance the deployment of SWHs. The causes of the failure are examined and a new incentive program is suggested for rural areas of the country.     

Local market of solar water heaters in Taiwan: Review and perspectives

For promotion of solar water heaters in Taiwan, incentive programs were first initiated from 1986 to 1991 and re-initiated from 2000 to the present. The subsidies create an economic incentive for the end users and have been rather instrumental at the initial stage of each program but lost their significance thereafter. To analyze the behavior of the major actors in the local market, two questionnaires were developed. One was addressed to sales and distribution agents while the other one consisted of person-to-person interviews with household owners. The market-driven mechanism is a multi-parametric phenomenon. Other than the capital cost and energy price (cost to benefit), architectural type of buildings (or degree of urbanization) and household composition play the major roles in market diffusion.     

Collector efficiency improvement of recyclic double-pass sheet-and-tube solar water heaters with internal fins attached

The sheet-and-tube solar water heater is a convenient and common heater to be used as domestic hot water heating. This paper investigates the effects on collector efficiency of a double-pass sheet-and-tube solar water heater with fins attached under various arrayed density. In addition, the number of pair ducts and total mass flow rate are taken into account during the calculation procedure. The theoretical prediction shows that the higher collector efficiency is obtained under the suitable designing and operating parameters. Considerable improvement in collector performance is obtained by employing a recyclic operation with fins attached and under various arrayed density, instead of employing a single-pass flat-plate device. The effect of the recycle ratio, arrayed density and number of fins attached on the collector efficiency enhancement as well as the power consumption increment has also delineated.     

Year-round performance of an improved collector-cum-storage type solar water heater

Systematic studies have been carried out on collector-cum-storage type solar water heaters, and efforts were made to minimise heat losses so that this type of water heater can be used for getting hot water at 40°–45°C for taking baths in the early morning hours of the next day. This paper reports year round performace, the performance equation and economics of this new improved solar water heater. This heater can supply 100 litres of hot water at 60°–70°C in the afternoon, and 40°–45°C temperature can be retained till next day morning. Its efficiency is 70.1%.     

A new type of solar water heater

This investigation reports a new type of solar water heating system without water pipes on the collector surface or a separate storage tank. The water to be heated continuously flows perpendicularly from an upper transparent cover to a porous absorber and is stored in a small volume beneath this assembly. Three different systems were designed, manufactured and tested but only one proved to be successful; this design indicated higher thermal efficiency compared to conventional collectors at high flow rates whereas at low flow rates the opposite is true.     

太阳能热水器和电热水器的环境和经济效益分析与评价

运用生命周期方法（LCA）对家用太阳能热水器进行了系统、全面的环境影响评价。主要分析了太阳能热水器的用材、生产和运输3个阶段，分别计算3个阶段的单位能耗和环境影响，并与电热水器进行了比较。结果表明，太阳能热水器具有显著的节能和环保效应。     

Performance and testing of large-size solar water heater cum solar cooker

The performance of a novel device has been tested. The device can be used as a collector cum storage type solar water heater during the winter, and, with minor adjustments, it can be used as a hot-box solar cooker. The device can provide hot water at 50–60°C in the evening, which can be maintained at 40–45°C until the following morning. It can also be used for cooking food for about 40 people. The efficiencies of the device as a solar water heater and as a solar cooker have been found to be 67.7% and 29.8%, respectively. The payback period varies between 1.64 to 5.90 years depending on the fuel it replaces. The payback periods are of increasing length with respect to the fuels firewood, coal, electricity, LPG and kerosene.     

Experimental studies of a new solar water heater system using a solar water pump

The research goal was to develop a new solar water heater system (SWHS) that used a solar water pump instead of an electric pump. The pump was powered by the steam produced from a flat plate collector. Therefore, heat could be transferred downward from the collector to a hot water storage tank. The designed system consisted of four panels of flat plate solar collectors, an overhead tank installed at an upper level and a large water storage tank with a heat exchanger at a lower level. Discharge heads of 1, 1.5 and 2 m were tested. The pump could operate at the collector temperature of about 70–90 °C and vapor gage pressure of 7–14 kPa. It was found that water circulation within the SWHS ranged between 12 and 59 l/d depending on the incident solar intensity and system discharge head. The average daily pump efficiency was about 0.0014–0.0019%. Moreover, the SWHS could have a daily thermal efficiency of about 7–13%, whereas a conventional system had 30–60% efficiency. The present system was economically comparable to a conventional one.     

Performance of commercially available solar and heat pump water heaters

Many countries are using policy incentives to encourage the adoption of energy-efficient hot water heating as a means of reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Such policies rely heavily on assumed performance factors for such systems. In-situ performance data for solar and heat pump hot water systems, however, are not copious in the literature. Otago University has been testing some systems available in New Zealand for a number of years. The results obtained are compared to international studies of in-situ performance of solar hot water systems and heat pump hot water systems, by converting the results from the international studies into a single index suitable for both solar and heat pump systems (COP). Variability in the international data is investigated as well as comparisons to model results. The conclusions suggest that there is not too much difference in performance between solar systems that have a permanently connected electric boost backup and heat pump systems over a wide range of environmental temperatures. The energy payback time was also calculated for electric boost solar flat plate systems as a function of both COP and hot water usage for a given value of embodied energy. The calculations generally bode well for solar systems but ensuring adequate system performance is paramount. In addition, such systems generally favour high usage rates to obtain good energy payback times.     

A simplified approach for evaluating performance of a solar water heater with side losses

We present a simplified method which could be used to calculate, to a first approximation, the energy losses from the sides of a solar collector/water heater. The inclusion of energy losses through the side walls of a reasonable thickness reduce the efficiency of the system by about 5%. The integrated side energy losses for the whole day are not equal for the various segments of the wall. Hence, it will be economical to construct wedge shape walls, thickness decreasing downward, instead of usual rectangular walls.     

Effect of aspect ratio on the collector efficiency of sheet-and-tube solar water heaters with the consideration of hydraulic dissipated energy

With the consideration of hydraulic dissipated energy, the influence of collector aspect ratio on the modified collector efficiency of sheet-and-tube solar water heaters has been investigated theoretically. As the collector area and the distance between tubes is fixed, the collector efficiency increases with increasing collector aspect ratio (i.e., either increasing tube length or decreasing tube number). However, based on the same hydraulic dissipated energy, decreasing the collector aspect ratio enhances the performance.     

Comparative study of transparent insulation materials cover systems for integrated-collector-storage solar water heaters

The thermal performance of transparently insulated integrated-collector-storage solar water heaters is investigated theoretically as well as experimentally for a comparative study of cover systems having transparent insulation materials devices placed between the top glazing and the absorber. The data on solar transmittance, heat loss reduction characteristics and solar collector-storage efficiencies of various configurations is generated for the system performance comparisons. These hot water systems exhibit average (diurnal basis) solar collection and storage efficiencies in the range of 20–40% at a collection temperature of 40–50°C. The performance of water heaters with cover system having absorber-perpendicular configuration of TIM excel over absorber-parallel TIM covers. The effect of variation in the temperature of heat collected and cost of cover systems on the performance comparisons is also discussed.     

Year round performance of a cylindrical solar water heater

A cylindrical collector-cum-storage type solar water heater has been designed, developed and tested. Its year round performance has been carried out and reported in this paper. The heater can provide 50 litres of hot water at 50–60°C in the afternoon and a temperature of 35°C can be retained till the next day for early morning use. The heater receives approximately 30% more radiation as compared to a flat surface. The economics of the heater has been worked out and it has been found that the cost can be recovered within one year.     

Thermal evaluation of a “Winter House”

In this paper, the transient thermal model of a “Winter House” has been presented for a cold climatic region of Srinagar in India. In order to reduce the fluctuations in living room temperature, the effect of an isothermal mass has been incorporated in the thermal model. An analytical expression for room temperature has been derived to evaluate the performance of the “Winter House” by incorporating the effect of movable insulation during the night. Numerical calculations were done in terms of system as well as climatical parameters. Some isothermal mass, like water, has been considered to stabilize the room temperature throughout the day and right. For further heating, the effect of the roof as an air collector has also been taken into account.     

Transient performance of closed loop solar water heating system with heat exchanger

The present paper deals with an analysis of a forced circulation closed loop solar water heating system; withdrawal of hot water of constant flow rate from a storage tank through a heat exchanger is considered. The effect of flow rate and heat exchanger length on the performance has also been discussed for a typical set of parameters and for a typical cold day in Delhi (26 January 1980).