Cooling Thermal System Using Solar Energy

A solar thermal cooling system uses solar energy to reduce the electricity needed for the process.

Cooling thermal system using solar energy.

Active solar heating systems use solar energy to heat a fluid either liquid or air and then transfer the solar heat directly to the interior space or to a storage system for later use. There are two main solar cooling processes. Cooling with solar thermal as paradoxical as it may seem cooling using solar energy is feasible using solar thermal energy. Low temperature collectors are generally unglazed and used to heat swimming pools or to heat ventilation air.

Solar heating cooling shc technologies collect the thermal energy from the sun and use this heat to provide hot water space heating cooling and pool heating for residential commercial and industrial applications. The thermal collection unit is installed on the discharge side hot gas side of the compressor. The diagram below shows the typical vapor compression cycle supported by a solar thermal panel. A typical solar cooling system also provides space heating and hot water besides cooling.

Thermally driven cooling machines such as ab or ad sorption chillers have been used for many decades. When the sun is at its hottest solar irradiation is high the maximum energy is available and the demand is also high. Solar thermal collectors are classified by the united states energy information administration as low medium or high temperature collectors. This type of solar application is an attractive option for the preservation of food and the refrigeration of vaccines and medicines in areas with a high intensity of solar radiation and no electricity supply.

If the solar system cannot provide adequate space heating an auxiliary or back up system provides the additional heat. Solar refrigeration technologies harness the energy of the sun and use it to run a cooling system. Thermal energy can be generated from many renewable sources such as solar biomass and geothermal. In solar cooling systems solar thermal heat is used as the driving force behind the cooling process.

These technologies displace the need to use electricity or natural gas. Solar chillers use thermal energy provided by the sun or other backup sources to produce cold and or dehumidification.