In order to further promote the utilization of solar thermal systems, solar collectors need to become more efficient and cost effective. This can be accomplished by a variety of methods, either by using lower cost materials, or/and by increasing their thermal efficiency by novel design. The...

The use of different materials for the same solar system component (collector, water tank, etc.) affects both the efficiency and the amount of conventional energy substituted by the system and hence the overall environmental impact of a Domestic Solar Hot Water System (DSHWS). The net...

This article presents the implemented policies of the European Union in the broader field of energy and provides a picture of the Union′s strategy on energy related issues. A brief historical background is provided, covering the period from the beginning of the Union′s creation in 1951, when...

The effort to reduce the dependence on imported crude oil in Greece, after the oil crises in the '70s, has resulted, among others, in a total installed area of 3.57millionm2 solar collectors in 2007, making Greece one of the pioneers in the use of domestic solar hot water system (DSHWS) worldwide.

A polymer solar collector is developed and its behavior is investigated both experimentally and with computational fluid dynamics (CFD). Solar irradiation as well as convection and heat transfer in the circulating fluid and between the parts of the collector is considered in the model. The...

A methodology for the environmental impact evaluation over the life span of a Domestic Solar Hot Water System (DSHWS) is presented. The results are compared to the environmental consequences of the conventional energy form substituted and the total environmental gain is calculated. For the...