Abstract
The highest percentage in home electricity demands in Brazil lies with the water heating systems, where the electric shower has a great contribution in consumption. The use of solar thermal panels is an alternative to minimize the strain on the electrical system by heating water. Current study evaluates a water heating system built with materials commonly used in home constructions. The tested collector is a 1 m² flat plate. Experiments were conducted at the State University of Western Parana (UNIOESTE), campus Cascavel, Parana State, Brazil. Temperature data were collected by PT100 sensors and solar radiation was measured with a pyranometer, coupled to a CR-1000 datalogger, with readings and collection every 5 minutes for 1 year. Data collection and analysis showed that the system presented monthly efficiency ranging between 33.7 and 53.54%, and energy absorbed between 30.79 and 75.29 kWh m - ².month. Results show the system is a good option for use in residential or rural water heating due to decrease in the electric bill.
Highlights
Home electricity consumption in Brazil corresponded to approximately 24% of total energy consumption in 2013 (Oliveira, Ferreira, Almeida, Lobato, & Medeiros, 2008), whereas the electric shower has a major slice in total energy consumption of households in Brazil, consuming approximately 26% of household electricity and totaling 6% of national consumption (Oliveira et al, 2008)
According to data by Pottmaier et al (2013), about 65.6% of electric energy generated in Brazil in 2012 came from hydroelectric plants, with their electricity generation potential directly affected by changes in rain cycles or climatic variations due to the use in power generation rainwater stored in reservoirs
Since Brazil's energy matrix is extremely vulnerable to climate variations, possible multiannual climate variability such as droughts may affect the capacity of power plants in the supply of Maringá, v. 39, n. 3, p. 279-284, July-Sept., 2017 electricity demand (Bessa & Prado, 2015)
Summary
Home electricity consumption in Brazil corresponded to approximately 24% of total energy consumption in 2013 (Oliveira, Ferreira, Almeida, Lobato, & Medeiros, 2008), whereas the electric shower has a major slice in total energy consumption of households in Brazil, consuming approximately 26% of household electricity and totaling 6% of national consumption (Oliveira et al, 2008). Most electricity for heating is consumed during peak hours, from 18 to 21h (Basso, Souza, Siqueira, Nogueira, & Santos, 2010), the time of day characterized by end of business, activation of street. According to data by Pottmaier et al (2013), about 65.6% of electric energy generated in Brazil in 2012 came from hydroelectric plants, with their electricity generation potential directly affected by changes in rain cycles or climatic variations due to the use in power generation rainwater stored in reservoirs. The above situation compels the activation of natural gas thermoelectric plants, which currently corresponds to 10.6% of the energy generated in Brazil (Pottmaier et al, 2013), without taking into consideration 1.6% nuclear energy, 1.5% coal and 5.7% of petroleum products. In addition to being non-renewables, the latter two cause air and environment pollution (Souza, Schulz, Fischer, Wagner, & Sellin, 2012)
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
