Construction of a Low-Cost Solar Air Collector Prototype for Heating Andean Houses

Abstract

Solar energy is crucial to reduce the carbon footprint and combat the consequences of climate change in the ecosystems of the Andes, and the cold is a product of this phenomenon, the buildings are not conditioned to combat this effect by its technological and constructive precariousness. The objective was to develop a low-cost solar air collector prototype to increase the interior temperature of rural buildings in the high Andean climates of the Peruvian Andes. Two prototypes of similar structural characteristics (three chambers) were built, the solar air collector for heating 1 (SAHC1) adopted as thermal storage the chillihua type ichu located in its chamber 1, the solar air collector for heating 2 (SAHC2) without thermal storage. The final cost of each prototype is $28.22, in addition, the thermal behavior of both prototypes has been compared, which shows no significant differences, however, the temperature of SAHC1 is 46.87 ± 4.21 ℃ and SAHC2 is 44.81 ± 2.80 ℃ in the morning, in the afternoon the temperature of SAHC1 is 53.09 ± 4.06 ℃ and 46.50 ± 2.07 ℃ in SAHC2. The horizontal and vertical hot air flow performance is the same in both collectors.