Matching Solar Systems to Industrial Needs

This paper presents the results of an applications analysis of solar industrial process heat for six cities in the United States. Over 70 percent of the industrial plants in each city are identified and process heat requirements typical of the industries are recorded. Using actual meteorological and economic data for these sites and actual solar system component characteristics, a long-term average performance estimate is generated for each of six generic solar systems using each of approximately 20 actual collectors. The simulation program used in obtaining long-term annual performance has been specifically developed by SERI and is a significant tool in such analyses because of its short computational time and flexibility. A cost analysis is made for each case in order to provide criteria by which promising specific applications can be identified.