Analysis of a Solar Thermal Based Hot Water System for a Non- Residential Application

Abstract

Industries in Sri Lanka rely heavily on the use of hot water for their day-to-day applications. Industries such as hotels and hospitals utilise electrically powered geysers, while industries such as wood treating factories, garment industries, and paper manufacturing industries rely on boilers to obtain heated water. The rising cost of electricity production and the pollution associated with current power generation technologies in Sri Lanka have led to a need for a water heating framework which focuses on harnessing renewable energy. Since Sri Lanka is located in close proximity to the equatorial belt, solar thermal water heaters were selected as one of the most viable options. In this study, a hospital was selected as the base scenario onto which a solar water heating framework was to be designed for. The framework focused on the feasibility of three collector types, i.e., Flat Plate Collector, Evacuated Tube Collector and Parabolic Trough Collector. Initially theoretical efficiencies of each collector type were determined for the average annual solar radiation in Sri Lanka. Finally, RETScreen simulation software was used to perform sizing analysis of each water heating system, analyse each systems financial viability and analyse the reduction in annual Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions.