| People outside the solar industry typically think of solar-electric photovoltaic (PV) panels when the words "solar collector" are used. Some may also associate flat panel or reflector style (solar thermal) hot water heaters with this term as well. Both of these types of systems have been popularized by the media in connection with discussions about solar energy. But advances in solar collectors have progressed to the point where traditional collection technology might well be called "old-fashioned". |
Construction of a Vacuum Collector
Source: http://www.apricus.com.au/evactubes.htm
Vacuum Collector Exposure Curves
Source: http://www.apricus.com
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This graph shows comparative light exposure curves.Vacuum collector curve is blue, conventional flat plate collector is red. Chart does not compare temperatures. Vacuum collectors produce temperatures much higher than conventional flate plate collectors without use of a reflector. |
| Array of Vacuum Solar Collection Tubes |
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| Source: Paradigma Energie- und Umwelttechnik GmbH & Co. KG |
| Improved Low-Cost Vacuum Collectors |
Source: http://www1.eere.energy.gov/solar/sh_basics_collectors.html
| Aerosolar Collector |
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This picture shows an experimental aerosolar collector developed to extract solar energy from the Earth's atmosphere with temperature differentials as low as 1 degree Fahrenheit. Aerosolar collectors use the atmosphere as a working medium and extract solar energy directly from the air. Unlike wind energy collectors (windmills), no natural air motion is required for operation. The primary advantages of this type of solar collector are that it is very compact, has a higher power density than conventional collectors, does not require direct exposure to sunlight and operates at night. Because the collector elements are distributed in a 3 dimensional space instead of a 2 dimensional area like conventional solar panels, a large volume of collector surface can be packed into a very small space. Scaling advantages are extremely favorable because of an engineering principle known as the square-cube law. Since aerosolar collectors operate on energy from the sun which is stored in the Earth's atmosphere, the amount of energy per unit time that can be obtained from such a collector is not limited to the energy flux from the sun. Extreme power levels are possible with this type of solar collector - an advantage for mobile transportation. Aerosolar collectors are also very suitable for fixed installations like air conditioning. Temperatures in the Arizona desert routinely exceed 100 degrees F. in the summer when air conditioning is most needed. The large collector surface and small physical size make it well-suited for refrigeration applications. Typically dismissed out-of-hand as a source of power, the amount of non-wind solar energy in the Earth's atmosphere is enormous. Compressed air locomotives once used in the mining industry obtained between 40% and 60% of their motive force from the atmosphere.* Modern designers have neglected this energy source because it was simply easier and cheaper to build engines using fossil fuels.
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