Solar Thermal Technologies and their

Performance Evaluation
Vikrant Yadav
Deputy Director (Technical)

Hydrogen and Solar Thermal Division

NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF SOLAR ENERGY
(An Autonomous Institute of Ministry of New & Renewable Energy)
 Table of Content
 Potential Application of Solar Thermal Technologies
 Types of Solar Thermal technologies
 Non Concentrating Solar thermal Technologies
Flat plate Collector
Evacuated Tube Collector
 Concentrating Solar Thermal technologies
Compound Parabolic Concentrator
Scheffler Dish
Parabolic Trough Concentrator
Linear Fresnel reflector
Parabolid Dish
Power Tower
 Performance Parameters of Solar Thermal Technologies
 Innovative Technologies Developed
ENERGY CONVERSION SYSTEMS

Heat Light

Solar Thermal Technologies Solar Photovoltaic

Technologies
Types of Applications

Application of Solar Energy

• Photovoltaic (PV)
• Electricity

• Solar thermal energy

• Water Heating
• Drying
• Cooking
• Space Heating
• Cooling
• Desalination
• Industrial Process Heating
• Power Generation
Application of Solar Thermal Technologies with Temperature Range
Different Solar Thermal Technologies
Solar Thermal Energy System

 Solar thermal collectors are special kind of Heat Exchangers that transforms solar
radiation in useful heat energy.
 The heat may be extracted from the solar collectors by circulating the working
fluid.

Energy from Sun Thermal Energy

Storage System
Solar Thermal Hot Working Heating/Cooling
Collector/Concentrator Fluid Application
and Receiver

Power
Generation
Circulation of Condensed
Working Fluid (Closed Loop)
Fluid Let off
Solar Thermal Energy System – Basic Configuration (Open Cycle)

7
 Flat Plate Solar Collector

 Flat plate solar collector consists of

absorber plate, flow tubes, glass
cover, insulation and outer cover.

 Absorber plate is made of metal

(Copper, aluminium and steel) plate
and the surface is coated with
selective coating.

 The heat transfer fluid (HTF) is

circulated through the flow tubes to
collect the heat energy. The flow
tubes are connected with header pipe
for HTF distribution. Flat Plate Solar Collector
Flat Plate Solar Collector

 A glass cover is used to minimize the convective and radiative heat losses.Also, it
protects the absorber surface from the environment (dust, rain andetc.)

 Insulation is provided at the bottom and side of the collector to minimize the heat
loss. Typical insulation material used in the flat plate collectors are mineral wool,
fiberglass and so on.

 Outer cover to protect the collector from the environment (wind, rain, humidity etc).
Sectional View of Flat Plate
Solar Collector
 The efficiency of flat plate solar collector is ~ 50% at 60 °C.

Absorptivity and emissivity values for few selective coatings

Selective Coating Absorptivity (α) Emissivity (ε)
Copper oxide on copper plate 0.89 0.17
Nickel black on GI 0.89 0.16
Black chrome on Al & Steel 0.87 0.09

9
Flat Plate Solar Collector

 Flat plate collector absorbs both beam and diffuse

radiation.
 The working fluid circulated through the flow tubes
to collect the heat energy.
 The flow tubes may be arranged in parallel and
serpentine configuration following manner to
absorb more solar radiation.
 The collector titled at an angle equivalent to latitude
of the location to maximize the annual performance
of the collector.

Schematic of Flat Plate Solar Collector Parallel Flow Configuration Serpentine Flow Configuration

10
 Performance of a Flat Plate Solar Collector
Following are the parameters which influence the performance of flat plate solar collector.

 Selective coating for the absorber surface

 Number of glass cover
 Spacing between the covers Design Parameters
 Shading of side walls
 Tilt of the collector
 Fluid inlet temperature Operational Parameter

 Incident solar flux

Meteorological Parameters
 Wind velocity
 Dust settlement on the glass cover Environmental Parameter

11
 Parameters to be Considered to Design FPC

Losses due to:

Reflection by the glass : 10%
Absorption of glass cover : 5%
Reflection by the absorber plate : 5%
Heat Losses : 35%
Total loss : 55%

Useful Heat Gain : 45%

Energy Flow Diagram

Ref. : Patil and Deshmukh, Int. J. of Science, 3(2), 2015.

12
Flat Plate Collector Solar Water Heater
Classifications of Solar Water Heating System

 A well known application of solar energy is heating of water for domestic and industrial
applications.

 Small scale systems are used for domestic hot water applications while large scale systems
are used for community, commercial and industrial process heating applications.

 There are two types of water heating systems

• Natural circulation or passive solar system (thermo-syphon)
• Forced circulation or active solar system.

Natural Circulation Forced Circulation

14
Evacuated Tube Solar Collector

15
 Evacuated Tube Solar Collector

 Evacuated tube solar collector is usually

made of parallel rows of transparent
cylindrical glass tubes connected with
header pipe.

 Each tube consists of a thick glass outer

tube and a thinner glass inner tube.

 The inner glass tube has an absorber plate

with flow tube.

 The annulus space between the two glass

tubes is evacuated to minimize the Schematic of an Evacuated Tube Solar Collector
with Heat Pipes
convective heat loss.

16
 Evacuated Tube Solar Collector
 Evacuated tubes are cylindrical in shape, the angle of
incident solar radiation is more or less uniform
throughout the day.

 It enables the ETC collectors to perform well even early

in the morning or late in the afternoon. Cut Section View of a Evacuated Tube

 Evacuated tube solar collectors are available in the

market with tube diameter varies from 1" (25 mm) to
3" (75 mm) and between 5′ (1500 mm) to 8′ (2400
mm) in length depending upon the manufacturer.

 Evacuated tube solar collectors are available in 10, 20,

22 & 30 tube sizes. Solar Radiation on the Evacuated Tubes

17
 Evacuated Tube Solar Collector – Heat Pipe
 The hollow copper heat pipe within the tube is
evacuated and it contains a small quantity of a low
pressure alcohol/water.

 The vacuum enables the liquid to vaporise at low

temperature.

 The liquid in the heat pipe quickly turns into a hot

vapour when the solar radiation absorbed by the absorber
plate inside the tube.

 The vapour rises to the top portion of the tube and

exchange the heat to water / fluid.

 As the vapour condenses while transferring heat to the

working fluid and the condensed liquid flows back
down in the heat pipe.
Working Principle of an Evacuated
Tube Collector 33

18
 Direct Flow Evacuated Tube Collector

 Direct flow evacuated tube collector has two tubes

running through the evacuated glass tube.

 The absorber plate and heat transfer tubes are also

vacuum sealed inside a glass tube.

 If a tube cracks or breaks, the whole system has to

be drained to replace the tube.

 The direct flow evacuated tube designs are more

energy efficient than heat pipe designs due to
absence of heat exchanger. Direct Flow Evacuated Tube

19
Evacuated Tube Collector
 Effect of Parameters on the Performance
of a ETC Based
Solar Collector
Following are the parameters which influence the performance of ETC based solar collector.
 Transmissivity of glazing
 Extent of vacuum
 Selective coating for the absorber surface Design Parameters
 Tilt of the collector
(Incidence angle of solar radiation)
 Absorber temperature
 Fluid inlet temperature Operational Parameters
 Incident solar flux
Meteorological Parameters
 Wind velocity
 Dust settlement on the glass cover Environmental Parameter

21
Installation of Solar Water Heater
Installation of Solar Water Heater
Solar Water Heater – in Commercial Sector
Swimming Pool Heating

• Large Volume of Water to be heated at low temperature.

• As temperature requirement is low, unglazed collector can also work.
Solar Cooking
Panel Cooker

• Small Foldable Design

• Reflector: Aluminium metal/tape
• Stagnation Temperature : 100-150 ᴼC
• Cooks all kinds of food in 2-4 hours
• No tracking required
• easiest style to make and relatively
inexpensive
Box type solar cooker

• Reflector: Anodized aluminum with

reflectivity over 80%

• Stagnation Temperature : 80-120 ᴼC

• Cooks all kinds of food in 2-4 hours

• No tracking required
Dish type solar cooker

• Reflector: Anodized aluminum with

reflectivity over 80%

• Stagnation Temperature : 250-400 ᴼC

• Cooks all kinds of food in 40 to 50 minutes

• No tracking for 15-20 minutes

https://youtu.be/aciTUH-XVcI
Scheffler Cooker

• Reflector: Anodized aluminum with

reflectivity over 80%
• Stagnation Temperature : 150-300 ᴼC
• Cooks all kinds of food in 40 to 50
minutes
• Continuous Tracking required
• Fixed Focus
 Community Cooking using Solar Steam

• Solar steam generated using

solar concentrator
• Steam generated at 150-180 ᴼC
• Brought to kitchen where
cooking is done in jacketed
vessels
Community Cooking in Army Mess in Ladakh
 Concentrated Solar Technologies (CSTs)

NIS Concentrators Scheffler Dish Parabolic Trough

Linear Fresnel Reflectors Paraboloid Dish Power Tower

Compound Parabolic Concentrator (CPC)
 Compound Parabolic Concentrator (CPC)

• The technology uses a compound parabolic

concentrator (CPC)reflector to capture the incident
sun rays.
• The metal reflector of high reflectivity is generally
used.
• The acceptance angle of the reflector determines
the amount of sunlight that will enter and get
reflected to the receiver placed at its focus.

Key Feature
 Non Tracking
 Low concentration (2-5)
 The preferred Max. operating temperature
is 120oC
 Compound Parabolic Concentrator (CPC)

Major Components

• Collector
• Receiver
• Module
 Compound Parabolic Concentrator (CPC)
Advantages
More common Applications
• Component Washing •Simple in construction
• Community cooking •Non Tracking
• Solar-assisted comfort cooling •No moving parts
• Laundry
•Efficient for low temperatures
• Effluent Treatment
• Process Heating •Low maintenance & Low cost

Disadvantages
•Low temperature application 120
Compound Parabolic Concentrator (CPC)
Scheffler Dish - Fixed focus concentrator
Scheffler Dish

• Scheffler reflector is a novel concentrator design which maintains a fixed focus with single
axis tracking mechanism

• Concentration point of the sunshine is at the same place throughout the day even though
reflector dish is moving along with the sun from morning to evening

Key Features
• Single Axis Tracking
• Point Focus, Fixed Focus
• Concentration Ratio Near to 200
• 120- 250 Degree Celsius
• Less Expensive and Less Efficient
Scheffler Dish

Standing position Sleeping position

Optimal installation
Scheffler Dish
Scheffler Dish
Advantages
More common Applications •Simple in construction - Locally manufacturable
Cooking and industrial process heat. •Fixed focus - Relatievly easy for direct cooking
•Direct Steam Generation (DSG)
Other applications
Power generation (CSP), Solar •Easy storage integration
cementation. etc., •Low maintenance & Low cost
Disadvantages
•Less efficient - Due to high cosine loss
1 MWe solar thermal power plant in Rajasthan, India

Key Features:
•770 nos. of 60 m² parabolic dishes
•Thermal storage for night operation & direct steam generation
•Networked enabled automated dual axis tracking and controls
Scheffler Dish
Paraboloid Trough Concentrator (PTC)
 Parabolic Trough Concentrator (PTC)

Parabolic Trough Concentrator (PTC) comprises of a cylindrical concentrator, of parabolic cross-sectional

shape, and a circular cylindrical receiver located along the focal line of the parabola. It reflects direct solar
radiation onto a receiver tube located in the focal line of the parabola. Since the collector aperture area
is bigger than the outer surface of the receiver tube, the direct solar radiation is thus concentrated.

Key Feature

• Single Axis Tracking

• Line Focus- Moving
• Concentration Ratio Near to 50
• 150- 500 Degree Celsius
 Parabolic Trough Concentrator (PTC)

Major Components
• Reflector
• Receiver
• Tracking
• Support Structure
 Parabolic Trough Concentrator (PTC)
Advantages
More common Applications •Mature Technology
• Steam generation •High Efficiency
• Component Washing •No Cosine Loss
• Food processing •High Temperature
• Community cooking
• Solar-assisted comfort cooling Disadvantages
• Laundry • Require High Precision and Skill
• Effluent Treatment for manufacturing and installation
• Require precision tracking
• Power Generation • Moving Focus- require flexible joints
Parabolic Trough Concentrator (PTC)
Linear Fresnel Reflector (LFR)
 Linear Fresnel Reflector (LFR)

Linear Fresnel reflectors use stretched narrow segments of mirrors to focus sunlight onto a fixed metal
collector pipe that runs axially above the array of reflectors located at a common focal point of the
reflectors.

Key Feature

• Single Axis Tracking

• Line Focus
• Fixed Focus
• Concentration Ratio Near to 50.
• 120- 300 Degree Celsius
• Less Expensive and Less Efficient as
compared to CPC
 Linear Fresnel Reflector (LFR)

Major Components
• Reflector
• Receiver
• Tracking
• Support Structure
 Linear Fresnel Reflector (LFR)
Advantages
More common Applications •Fixed receiver
• Steam generation •Direct Steam generation Possible
• Component Washing •Economical as compared to PTC
• Food processing
• Community cooking Disadvantages
• Solar-assisted comfort cooling • Less efficient as compared to PTC
• Laundry • Low efficiency during morning and
• Effluent Treatment evening time
• Power Generation
Linear Fresnel Reflector (LFR)
Paraboloid Dish
 Paraboloid Dish

Paraboloid Dish consists of reflectors mounted on a

truss structure such that the incident sunlight is
reflected on to a cavity receiver in similar way reflecting
telescope focuses starlight or a dish antenna focuses
Radio.

Key Feature

• Dual Axis Tracking

• Point Focus, Moving Focus
• High Concentration Ratio more than to 500
• 150- 700 Degree Celsius
• Most Efficient
 Paraboloid Dish

Major Components
• Reflector
• Receiver
• Tracking
• Support Structure
 Paraboloid Dish
Advantages
More common Applications •Dual Axis tracking
• Steam generation •High Efficiency
• Component Washing •High concentration
• Food processing •No Cosine Loss
• Community cooking •High Temperature
• Solar-assisted comfort cooling
• Laundry Disadvantages
• Effluent Treatment • Require High Precision and Skill
• Power Generation for manufacturing and installation
• Require precision tracking
• Expensive
• Moving Focus- require flexible joints
Paraboloid Dish
Power Tower
 Power Tower
The technology use hundreds or thousands of small reflectors to concentrate the sun’s
rays on a central receiver placed atop a fixed tower.

Key Feature

• Dual Axis Tracking

• Point Focus, on Tower
• High Concentration Ratio more
than to 500
• 500- 1000 Degree Celsius
• Most Efficient
 Power Tower
Major Components
• Heliostat
• Tower
• Receiver
• Tracking
Power Tower- Power Generation
Power Tower
 Ivanpah Central Receiver Plant
Plant Name : Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System
Plant Capacity : 392 MW (Gross), 377 MW (Net)
No. of Heliostats : 173,500
Heliostat Area : 15 m2
Total Heliostats Area: 26,00,000 m2
No. of Towers :3
Tower Height : 140 m
Power Generation : Conventional steam turbine
Working Fluid : Water
Inlet Fluid Temp : 249oC
Outlet Fluid Temp : 565oC
Operating Pressure : 160Bar
η of Power Block : 28.72%
η of Plant : 16%
Energy Storage : Nil
Fossil Backup : Natural Gas
Electricity Production: 10,79,232 MWh/yr
Total Cost : $ 2.2 Billion
Total LandArea : 4,000 acres
Location : Mojave Desert, California Aerial View of an Ivanpah Central Receiver Power Plant
Plant Operation : Since 2014
Ref: https://www.nrel.gov/csp/solarpaces/project_detail.cfm/projectID=62

66
 Main Components of a Concentrated solar thermal systems

 Reflectors

 Receivers

 Collected solar energy is carried from h e a t transfer fluid (HTF)

to the process or to an energy storage tank to be used later

 Tracking systems – Software & Hardware

 Supporting structures

 Other auxiliary components.

 Main Components of a Concentrated solar thermal systems

Overview of main solar components

 Solar collectors  Heat transfer fluid

 Flat Plate  Water / Glycol (up to 120 °C)
 Evacuated Tube  Oil (up to 390°C)
 Parabolic Trough  Molten salt (over 500 °C)
 Linear Fresnel  Air
 Dish Systems  Steam
 And other concepts  Important auxiliary components
 Thermal storage for SHIP  Pumps
 Water  Heat exchanger
 Steam  Valves
 Phase change materials  Pipes
 Controller and sensors
Classification of Solar Thermal Collectors
Performance Parameters of Solar Thermal Systems

Reflectivity
Transmitivity
Optical Absorptivity
Intercept Factor
Properties

Thermal
Efficiency

Thermal Angle of
Losses Incidence
Temperature
Dependence Heat
Incidence
Loss Coefficients
Angle
(a1, a2)
Modifier,
Cosθ
 Performance Evaluation

 Optical losses

 Due to reflectance, transmittance, absorbtance and

geometry (Peak optical efficiency)
 Cosine losses (depending on incidence angle) fcosine = cos(IA) Cosine losses

 Other optical losses due to surface errors (Incidence Angle Sun

Modifier)
Incidence
 Tracking Errors Angle

 Shading/Blocking
 Etc. …

 Thermal losses

 Heat transfer to the ambient

 Defined by absorber surface area and heat transfer
coefficient (a1 and a2)
Projected collector surface
 Performance Evaluation

 Collector efficiency depends on:

 Optical losses and incidenceangle
 Thermal losses depending on operating
temperature

Thermal Output '

( ) = DNI × - × Ɵ × IAM − ×( 1 − 2) − ×( 1 − 23
m2 ()

− ( − )
= × θ− × − ×

 η [-] collector efficiency

 η 0 [-] zero-loss efficiency
 a 1 / a 2 [W/m² K] heat loss coefficients
 T m [°C] mean fluid temperature
 Ta [°C] ambient temperature
Source: IS 16648 (Part 5) : 2017  DNI [W/m²] Direct normal
irradiance on collector plane
Performance Curve

Low temperature /
Stationary
collectors:
 Higher
optical
efficiency
 Higher thermal
losses


Medium
temperature /
Tracking collectors:
 Lower optical
efficiency
 Lower thermal losses
Modified Equation for Different CST Technologies

'
= 56 × - − ×( − ) − ×( − )
Parabolic Dish & Arun Dish (4

Parabolic Trough
'
= 56 × - × ( θ × (1
Collector
(4
− 89: loss) × =>? − × ( − ) − ×( − )
CONCENTRATED SOLAR
THERMAL TECHNOLOGIES
Linear Fresnel Reflector
'
= 56 × -× θ × =>? × =>@ − ×( − ) − ×(
(4

Scheffler Dish
'
= 56 × -× θ × =>? − ×( − ) − ×( − )
(4

'
Non Imaging Collector = A × -× θ × =>? × =>@ − ×( − ) − ×( − )
(4
 Performance Curve of CST System

0.700

0.600

0.500

Para. Dish

ᶯ 0.400
Trough E
Trough NE
CLFR
0.300
Trough (Al)
Scheffler

0.200

0.100

0.000
0 0.05 0.1 0.15 0.2 0.25 0.3 0.35 0.4 0.45 0.5

(Tm-Ta)/Ibn
Basic Design Procedure for Solar Thermal System
Identification of the Application

Temperature Requirement

Selection the Suitable Technology

Collector Availability in the Market

Calculation of Solar Field Area

No. of Collectors Required

Identification of the Orientation of the Collector

Space Requirement

Identification of the Configuration (series or parallel) of the collectors

Evaluating the Performance of the Collector

Innovative Technologies Developed
Solar Cold Storage with Thermal Storage System
New Technologies – Thermal energy storage & solar compressor

World’s first Universal Thermal storage Enables off-grid integration of cooling systems without
Allows Integration with existing cooling hardware Inverter and electric batteries

National Technology Jointly developed with

Award, 2019 Inficold India Pvt. Ltd.
Highest technology award by
Govt. of India
Schematic of Solar Cold Storage
Thermal Energy Sterage System- Thermal Battery

Storages Cooling Energy in for of PCM

Cost Effective, Long Life and

Environment Friendly

Backup- 2 to 4 Days

Level Indicator

Intelligently Programmed to make it

fully Automatic
Modular cold storage – 5 to 100 MT

• Inbuilt cooling backup in form of ice for grid outages or non-solar hours
• Wider temperature range (3 to 20 C)
• Only solution which can be retrofitted to existing cold storage units of bigger sizes
• Only solution which is flexible in shape & size – lower capex
• Containerized option is configured in refurbished ISO grade marine containers

Specifications (for standard configurations)

Model 5 MT 10 MT
Storage volume 750 CFT 1,750 CFT
Temperature range 3 - 20 C 3 - 20 C
Pre-cooling capacity (daily) 1,250 kg/day 3,000 kg/day
Pre-cooling capacity (occasional) 3,000 kg/day 5,000 kg/day
Cooling backup capacity 200 MJ 200 MJ
Solar photovoltaic panels 7 kWp 14 kWp
Insulation thickness 100 mm 100 mm
Components of Solar Cold Storage
Solar Cold Storage – Multi Commodity
Applications of Solar Cold Storage

Egg Vaccine Storage

Fruits and Vegetables Mushroom Farming

Flowers Fruit Ripening

Milk/ other dairy

Mandi
Fish/ other meat Export Packhouse
 Field Installations
More than 30 installations done across India. Details of few are listed below
S.No End-user End-user Installed capacity Geographical Installatio Application
segmentation / Nos location n Date
1 Horticulture FPO 5MT Off Grid Solar Agartala, Tripura 13-05-19 Storing seasonal fruits and
Department, Tripura Cold Storage vegetables
2 Horticulture FPO 5MT Off Grid Solar Gomti, Udaipur, 20-09-19 Storing seasonal fruits and
Department, Tripura Cold Storage Tripura vegetables
3 Horticulture FPO 5MT Off Grid Solar Kamalpur, Dhalai, 30-09-19 Storing seasonal fruits and
Department, Tripura Cold Storage Tripura vegetables
4 SELCO Foundation Temple 5MT Off Grid Solar Shri Mahableshwar 25-08-19 Storing fruits vegetables &
Cold Storage Temple, Gokarna, Milk for Prasad making.
Karnataka
5 ANERT (Agency for FPO 5MT Off Grid Solar Nochad, Kerala 10-09-19 Storing green leafy
Non-conventional Cold Storage vegetables, cucumber,
Energy and Rural coconut etc.
Technology)
6 Wildlife SOS Animal Hospital 5MT Off Grid Solar Mathura, Uttar 17-12-19 Storing watermelon, cheeries,
Cold Storage Pradesh roots and other fruits for
animals
7 Wildlife SOS Animal Hospital 5MT Off Grid Solar Mathura, Uttar 17-12-19 Storing watermelon, cheeries,
Cold Storage Pradesh roots and other fruits for
animals
8 Wildlife SOS Animal Hospital 5MT Off Grid Solar Mathura, Uttar 15-06-20 Storing banana, guvava and
Cold Storage Pradesh other fruits for animals
9 Wildlife SOS Animal Hospital 5MT Off Grid Solar Mathura, Uttar 15-06-20 Storing banana, guvava and
Cold Storage Pradesh other fruits for animals
10 Tata Trust NGO 5MT Off Grid Solar Balrampur, Uttar 07-07-20 Storing bitter gourd, bottle
Cold Storage Pradesh gourd, cabbage, cauliflower
and other vegetables
11 Gramya Vikash NGO 5MT Off Grid Solar Chokamari, Dist. 31-08-20 Fruits and Vegetable Storage
Manchya Cold Storage Nalbari, Assam

12 Gramya Vikash NGO 10MT Off Grid Solar Naherbari, Dist. 03-09-20 Fruits and Vegetable Storage
Manchya Cold Storage Nalbari,Assam
Field Installations in Villages across India
Fruits and Vegetables Storage in Solar Cold Storage
Banana Ripening in Solar Cold Storage
India's 1st Solar Powered Vaccine Cold Storage in Kerala

Solar-powered vaccine cold storage

facility at Kozhikode Medical College
Hospital (KMCH)

- To support cost-effective and

secure preservation of life-saving
vaccines maintaining the adequate
refrigerated cold chain network

- Customized outdoor container with

remote temperature monitoring
system, closed-circuit television
camera surveillance and walk-in
option to easily access the stock

- System can function on both grid

power and alternative power supply
in case of insufficient solar energy
Solar Cold Storage Application in Vaccines at Hospital Level

• Constant Temperature in the

range of 4 to 8 C

• 100% Solar Powered

• Automatic changeover to grid in

cloudy conditions

• Patented Ice backup technology

• No use of Lead Acid Batteries for

cooling backup

• NIL Operational Cost

• Remote temperature monitoring

• Temperature overshoot alerts on

email and mobile
Solar Cold Storage in Kenya
Solar Milk Chillers with Thermal Storage System
 Solar Bulk Milk Chiller Specifications

• Provide cooling for up to 1000 liters of milk

per day.
• Provides cooling autonomy from grid power
availability which helps in preserving milk
quality and thus increases its shelf life.

Model 500 Litre 1000 Litre

Tank Volume 500L Capacity 1000L Capacity
Temperature range 4C 4C
Pre-cooling capacity (daily) 600 Liters 1100 Liters
Cooling backup capacity 200 MJ 200 MJ
Solar photovoltaic panels 5 kWp 10 kWp

Solar compressor drive 1 unit of 5.5 HP motor drive 1 unit of 7.5 HP motor drive

Design Conditions 40 °C ambient temperature and 4.2 kWh/m2-day global solar

horizontal irradiance
Ice Bank Integrated Milk Cooler

• Inbuilt milk cooling backup during power outages

• Compliant to ISO 5708 manufacturing standards
• Modular & single skid design with no on-site installation
• No milk freezing challenges
• No minimum milk quantity requirements

Techno Commercials

Solar 500L Milk Traditional

Cooler 500L Milk Cooler

Milk cooling capacity 500 L/day 500 L/day

3.5 Lakhs
Capital expenditure 4 Lakhs
(include 1.7 Lakhs DG)

Ownership cost in 5 yrs 4.12 Lakhs 6.2 Lakhs

9
6
Instant Milk Cooler
• An Add-on for existing milk coolers in the size range of 2000 – 5000 L
• Instant milk cooling capability allows high milk quality – more margins
• Stored cooling in Ice increases milk cooling capacity of existing BMC by 2X
• Cools milk to below 7C without grid availability – Reduced diesel expense
• Acts as an additional cooling source during BMC breakdown

Techno Commercials Cooling Performance

2000L Milk Cooler 5000L Milk 40
2000L BMC
+ Instant Milk Cooler
2000L BMC with Instant Milk Chiller
Cooler (Traditional) 30

Bulk Milk Temperature (°C)

Cooling capacity as per ISO 5708 4000 L/day 5000 L/day
Capital expenditure (includes DG) 9.2 Lakhs 11 Lakhs 20

Ownership cost in 5 years (25%

20 Lakhs 25 Lakhs
outage) 10

0
0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350
Time (mins)

9
7
Few FIELD INSTALLATION DETAILS AND PHOTOGRAPHS

9
8
Solar Dryer cum Space Heating System
 Ladakh and Apricot

• It is a high-altitude, arid mountain region characterized by climatic and seasonal extremes and
challenging terrain
• 9000 MT of apricot production in Ladakh.
• Ladakh region (Leh and Kargil) is among the areas that receive the country’s highest solar
radiation.
• The climate is very cold and in winter, temperatures dip to -40 C.
Open Sun Drying in Ladakh

50% of fruit and vegetable produce is estimated to be wasted along the value chain.
Lack of access to market is the primary reason for this loss, apart from inability to pluck,
store at the right conditions or process the produce.
Solar Dryer Component

1. Solar Air Heater: It is evacuated tube based solar thermal collector

which generates hot air for drying and space heating purpose.

2. Centrifugal Air Blower: It is used for blowing hot air from solar air
heater to drying chamber or room for space heating.

3. Drying Chamber: It is a PUF insulated chamber for drying agricultural

or horticulture produce.

4. Thermal Energy Storage Tanks: It stores the excess heat during the
day time which is used during night time.

5. Drying Trays: It is used to keep the food products that are to be

dried.

6. Solar PV Panel: It generates electricity used for running the

Centrifugal Air Blower.
Solar Thermal Collector (Solar Air Heater)
Solar Dryer cum Space Heating System (SolDry)

Drier uses very efficient and cost

effective solar thermal technology for
supplying heat.

Complete off grid system running on

solar.

Drying chamber having drying

capacity 70-100 kg in one time

Designed for 24*7 operation with

thermal storage system having heat
storage capacity of 6 kWh.

System designed for dual mode

operation with plug and play
connection: Drying Mode and Space
Heating Mode.
Solar Dryer installed In Ladakh
More Photos of Installations
Drying in Solar Dryer
Space Heating Mode

System can heat up a 10×15 ft room during day time

Outside Temperature is below 0ᴼ C during winter
Advantages of Solar Drying v/s Open Drying

Conventional Open Sun Drying Drying in Solar dryer

 Drying time is less (3-4 days) as
compared to open drying (12-15
days)
 Apricots are now more hygienic and
freer from insects and pathogens.
 Protects apricots from harsh weather
condition like rain, dust, thunderstorm,
and fruit injury through direct sun
exposure.
 Improvement in product quality in term
of color, size and moisture level.
 Round the clock drying by TES. Amb. Temp. 12
Deg Cel, Chamber Temp 40 Deg Cel at 0400h
 The same system can also be used for space
heating in severe winter conditions. Reduce
wood/Kerosene Oil usage for heating in
winters by 30%
Dried Samples collected from Ladakh
New GreenHouse based Solar Dryer

• Higher capacity- approx. 200 kg per batch.

• Cost Economical as compared to earlier system
• Easy transportations and Installation

Field Testing of System

 Potential markets for Drying

Agriculture Drying Applications Other Applications

• Coffee beans • Industrial process heating

• Tea withering/drying • Space Heating
• Chips • Laundry drying
• Biomass • poultry and livestock ventilation
• Nuts
• Fruit
• Vegetables
• Spices
• Pulses
• Corn
• Cocoa beans
• Fish
• Rubber
• others
Representation of Solar Collector for
Cooperatives, Agro Industries and Food Parks

Solar Air Heaters can be contacted in series and parallel connection to generate large amount
of hot air for large scale drying applications.
THANKS

[email protected]

http://www.linkedin.com/in/vikrant-yadav-170b72aa