If you want to produce your own electricity and are thinking about purchasing a solar system or solar thermal, you can choose between different types of solar collectors. The use of a flat plate collector is most suitable if the house and roof area have a good location and are exposed to a lot of sunlight. If the house is located in a shady, cooler area, vacuum tube collectors can be used to achieve higher operating temperatures and supply the house with sufficient self-produced electricity or heat.
Flat-plate collectors are the most popular solar collectors in Germany not only because of their low-cost and proven technology, but also because of their good energy yield as well as their long service life of up to 25 years. The collectors are made of glass, which captures the solar heat and directs it to an aluminum absorber surface. The heat transfer fluid contained in the absorber surface brings the heat to the storage tank, while an insulating layer prevents heat from being lost. The compact design, their sturdy but lightweight housing, which can withstand all weather conditions, as well as a good ecological balance and good performance values make solar collectors so popular.
Vacuum tube collectors are a much more expensive variant. However, their great advantage is that they guarantee a high energy yield and produce thermal energy even with a low solar radiation. In each of the tubes made of glass there is a circular absorber in a vacuum environment. The heat transfer fluid in the absorber flows to the focal point of a semicircular mirror, and with this mode of operation it reaches higher operating temperatures than those of flat plate collectors. Thus, evacuated tube collectors are more powerful and are ideal if, in addition to electricity production, they are also to be used, for example, as a solar heating backup.
Source: Efficiency House Online
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