This structure illustrates the workings of a focusing solar energy collector and allows students to study its performance.

• Mobile, self-contained focusing solar energy collector specially designed for educational use
• Demonstrates principles, advantages and limitations of focusing solar energy collectors
• Includes four different sizes of collector for studies of different energy concentration ratios
• Removable transparent cover allows students to compare properties of shielded and unshielded collectors

Learning Outcomes

• Demonstrations of the performance, advantages and limitations of a focusing solar energy collector
• Understanding the effective use of the direct component of solar radiation
• Measurement of the efficiency of the collector with and without a transparent cover
• Measurement of the maximum possible energy collector temperature

A highly-polished stainless steel parabolic reflector, supported on trunnion bearings on a turntable. By adjusting the horizontal and vertical position of the reflector, students focus solar energy onto an energy collector. The energy collector is a brass cylinder with an embedded thermocouple that measures the cylinder temperature. To enable students to compare different concentration ratios, TecQuipment supplies four different sizes of energy collector. Also supplied is a removable transparent cover for the collector, so students can study the properties of shielded and unshielded collectors. Attached to the reflector carrier is a solarimeter (pyranometer) that measures the incident solar radiation. ——————–

Recommended Ancillaries:

• Versatile Data Acquisition System – Bench-mounted version
• Stopwatch (SW1)

Alternative Products:

• Photovoltaic Cells (TE4)
• Flat Plate Solar Thermal Energy Collector (TE39)