Comparative Studies of Solar Collectors in Southern China Hotels

Abstract

In order to overcome the energy crisis caused by the depletion of fossil fuel, as one of the most popular renewable energies, solar thermal power has been widely studied and applied for water heating in both domestic and commercial areas. This study examines the energy performance of two types of solar collectors, and evaluates and compares their financial performance by examining the indicators in terms of net present value, internal rate of return, and payback period, as well as calculates the greenhouse gas reduction. The findings provide reliable and independent data on the economic viability and energy performance of existing solar devices for hotel owners when selecting solar panels in the future. The findings reveal that the heat output or potential of conversion of the two studied solar collectors is promising. Surprisingly, the domestic solar water heater has better performance than the imported one. The energy savings derived from both collectors could somehow mitigate the emissions released from other fossil fuel consumption for water heating. The findings also further confirm the usefulness of flat panel solar collectors in generating hot water for lodging businesses in low-rise buildings.

为了克服化石燃料消耗所造成的能源危机，太阳热能作为最流行的可再生能源之一，已经被广泛地研究并且应用于家用和商用的热水提供。本研究测试了两种类型的太阳能集热器的能源性能。通过计算净现值，内部收益率，投资回收期等指标，评估比较了它们的财务性能。同时本研究也计算了它们的温室气体减排量。研究结果提供了关于现有太阳能装置的经济可行性和能源性能的可靠及独立的数据，为酒店业主将来选择太阳能板提供了依据。研究结果表明所研究的两款太阳能集热器的热功率和转换潜力很有市场前景。出乎意料的是，国产的太阳能热水器比进口的太阳能热水器有更好的性能。利用太阳能集热器提供热水可以在一定程度上减少使用化石燃料造成的气体排放。研究结果也进一步的证明了平板太阳能热水器为楼层较低的酒店提供热水的有效性。

Keywords:

• Solar thermal power
• energy saving in hotels
• economic viability
• energy performance

Keywords:

• 太阳热能
• 酒店节能
• 经济可行性
• 能源性能

Acknowledgment

The project is financed by the Hong Kong Polytechnic University (1-ZV6U) and the Research Grant Council (BQ-15T or 512008).