Within BRICKER it is being applied to the retrofit of existing public buildings as part of an integrated system. Some critical aspects of the collectors, such as their modular structure and receiver tube are being optimised to the specific needs of the integrated system.
The structure suits the needs of both ground and roof mounted installations. The receiver tube will increase its operating range from up to 250° C to up to 280 - 300°C, depending on the needs of the integrated system. The collectors have a modular design, so that no welding will be necessary to install them on their foundations.
In the Spanish site, a rooftop installation of n.12 enhanced PTMx-24 type collectors provide an overall collecting area of 648 m2, corresponding to a thermal output of 407 thermal kW in reference conditions.
The BRICKER demonstrations use both rooftop and ground mounted installations and therefore it will be possible to compare the pros and cons of each option. This will provide two useful references for future projects.
In addition, the application of concentrated solar thermal energy together with other renewable sources such as biomass and, potentially in Turkey, geothermal, represents high technical value. This combination will feed the renewable polygeneration system equipped with ORC turbine and absorption chillers.
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