Performance of a High Solar Fraction District Heating System
Abstract
At the end of 2019, a high solar fraction district heating system was built in Zhongba town in the west of Tibet. This system includes 32,175 m2of solar collector, 15,000 m3 of storage tank, equipment room, heating supply pipe network, and indoor radiator. In the 2020-2021 heating season, the solar fraction of the system is 100%. This paper describes the operation, simulated system performance, and measured system performance of this system from2020 to 2021. The comparison of measured and simulated performance includes solar fraction, collector efficiency, heating loss of storage tank, and heat load of district heating system. After the comparison and analysis, themajority of the simulations are correct compared to the measured data, which provides important guidance for future projects. It aslo proves that high solar fraction district heating system is available in cold and high altitude areas.