Integration of Different Solar Collectors into District Heating Networks and Floor Space Allocation
Abstract
For the direct integration of solar thermal systems into district heating networks many collectors with different design and thermal behavior are possible. This paper investigates four suitable collectors under different operating temperatures (TDH,s = 95…140 °C) representing different generations of district heating networks. A flat plate collector, a compound parabolic concentrator (CPC) collector and two parabolic trough collectors (PTC) were modeled in TRNSYS and simulated over a period of one year in three different scenarios and with different collector row distances. To determine a favorable collector, the method of levelized cost of heat (LCOH) was applied. The results show that in the investigated temperature range the CPC collector is the most suitable one. Depending on the defined scenario the CPC collector provides a specific annual yield (based on gross area) of 460…565 kWh m-2 a-1 with LCOH of 33.41…40.85 € MWh-1. This indicates that for most district heating applications the CPC collector is favorable.