Simulation Study of Solar Thermal and Photovoltaic Collector Options for Solar-Assisted Heating of a Residential Building in Germany

Abstract

Flat plate solar thermal collectors and photovoltaic solar collectors in combination with an electrical resistance heater have been compared as an additional solar heat source of a gas burner-based heating system for a residential building in Germany. The dependency on solar collector field area and retrofitting level of the building has been analyzed in parametric studies. On the economic side, the results are in favor of the photovoltaic-based collector option, which is largely due to significant reductions of the grid-supplied electric power and the electrical household demand. On the energy efficiency side, the thermal collector-based variant requires smaller collector field areas and causes lower fossil demands for heating. The analyses have been done taking into account different primary energy factors and different cost assumptions.