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If you want to reduce your home energy costs then you need a basic understanding of how solar energy works and how efficient solar power actually is..


Solar power efficiency is determined by a number of factors. In this article I look at some of the factors you need to consider when thinking about going green and slashing your home energy costs.

There are many different methods of harnessing solar energy. One of these methods is the use of solar collectors. Solar collectors do the job of converting solar energy into heat energy. This heat energy is used to support heating systems, heat water and swimming pools.

The solar energy efficiency factor, which is defined as the usable thermal energy versus the incoming solar energy, varies from collector to collector.

Every collector is fitted with an absorber. The absorbers are made from different materials. Copper and aluminum are typically used; however, absorbers used in swimming pools are made of plastic.

The level of absorption shows the amount of short-wave solar radiation being absorbed. The degree of emission shows the ratio of absorbed energy to emitted heat. To ensure that a good proportion of the solar radiation is converted into heat energy, selective surface coating is used in absorbers. More than 90% of the radiation can be absorbed with the help of usual coating materials.

All collectors lose energy in the form of thermal and optical loss. Percentage of transmitted rays and the percentage that are absorbed is represented by conversion factor or optical efficiency h0. Basically, it is the product of the rate of transmission of the cover of the collector and the absorption rate of the absorber.

The heat loss is given in watt per m² of collector surface and the difference in temperature (in °C) between absorber and its surroundings. Heat loss is directly proportional to the temperature difference. It’s shown with the help of thermal loss factor or k-value. A high conversion factor and a low k-value are associated with a good collector.

The conversion factor and thermal loss factor depend on the type of collector being used. For instance, the conversion factor for flat-plate collector is 0.66 to 0.83. Its temperature range is between 20 to 80 degree centigrade and the thermal loss factor is 2.9 to 5.3.

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