IEA Task 45 Large Solar Heating & Cooling Systems

Large Solar thermal Systems (> 0,5MW) have enormous potential for fossils and CO2 reduction. International large solar thermal plants are getting more importance in heat production for feeding district heat networks, industrial processes and thermal driven chillers.
Numerous projects in Europe (especially in Denmark), China and Arabic area emphasize this trend impressively. Beneath the large potential large solar thermal installations have been proven to be economical and sustainable. Feeding the local district heat network with exceeding energy is reasonable and has been demonstrated extensively in Denmark and also Austria very effective.
The central problem of solar thermal plants is that there is selective know-how available for different system parts, but most important issues like overall system concepts, collector fields, storages, heat pumps for lowering temperature and more storage density, monitoring concepts and efficient operating control, financing models etc. have no proven and harmonized standards. So potential for economics of scale and cost reduction for large scale solar thermal plants could not build advantages so far. Also a structured technology development on international level is not given until now.

Central aim of Task 45 is to connect the most substantial players through analysis, discussion of implemented and future projects and simulation based optimization of components and systems, as well as the development of components and systems standards beneath considerable cost reduction potential at coincidental increased system efficiency to reach the next generation of large solar thermal installations. The planned transfer to central players and stakeholders is essential for sustainable impact the current market development.
Facing the increasing demand and the enormous potential of large solar thermal plants the need for competent and independent answering of these questions is given and will be handled in Task 45.

Department of Civil Engineering is the subtask A leader of the project. SUBTASK A “Collectors and collector loop” serves the need for research, development and/or optimization on:

• Components for solar collector fields
• Design of solar collectors for different applications
• Thermal performance of solar collectors for different volume flow rates, collector tilts and solar collector fluids
• Control strategy for solar collector fields
• Requirements and test methods for solar collector loop pipes
• Requirements on hydraulic design of solar collector fields
• Precautions for safety and expansion
• Guaranteed performance of solar collector fields
• Description of further needed research on solar collector fields
• Contribution on planning and installation of solar collector fields for design handbook