In these applications, solar collectors and thermal energy storage systems are the two core components. This paper focuses on the latest developments and advances in solar thermal applications, providing a review of solar collectors and thermal energy storage systems.
After completing and before the commercial operation, large solar systems in utility-sized power plants need to pass performance acceptance tests conducted by the engineering, procurement and construction contractor or owners.
This work presented detailed guidelines applied to an operating commercial PT solar field power plants. It will help to improve the currently developing acceptance test guidelines. It is a forward step to validate the proposed acceptance performance test guidelines of the PT solar field.
Sallaberry et al. made a compilation of other quality standards related to solar concentrating collectors, including standards for qualifying thermal performance and durability and standards related to the quality of HTFs. Two UNE standards characterize the properties of materials of PTC technology used in CSP plants .
As the use of solar heating increases, so has the need for testing methods to evaluate the thermal and mechanical performance of solar collectors. Standards have been created over the years defining test methods and acceptable performance.
Standard 102: Test methods and minimum standards for certifying solar thermal collectors; 2010. Search in Google Scholar ISO. Standard 9806: Solar energy - Solar thermal collector – Test methods; 2013. Search in Google Scholar Epp B. EN ISO 9806: Upcoming global collector standard [internet]. 2012 May 26 [cited 2014 Sep 18].