An experimental study of solar receiver under cloudy weather conditions

Abstract

The performance of the central solar receiver should be properly examined for an effective design of a solar power or solar heating system. The performance of solar receiver is affected by three parameters. These are the amount of solar radiations, the state of the heating medium and the temperature of the surrounding air. Also, while evaluating the performance of a solar receiver, the ambient weather conditions should be taken into account. As a result, when a large amount of direct light strikes a solar receiver, the power generated increases as well. In contrast, as the amount of direct light falling on the solar receiver diminishes, so does the amount of electricity generated. As a result, it is generally understood that on sunny days, the performance of the central solar receiver will be higher, while on overcast days, the performance will be reduced. The solar receiver collects heat from diffused or reflecting light (when the sun is obscured by clouds) and absorbs reflective light from glossy or light-colored surfaces. The experimental results reveal that solar radiation collection performance is dependent on climatic circumstances; thus, when installing a solar receiver, it should be suitable for the specific region depending on weather conditions.