Development of a Prototype for Solar Radiation Exploitation on Galvanized Metal Roofs in Panama

Abstract

The solar energy is an inexhaustible resource available in many areas of our planet. The objective of this investigation is to develop a prototype that takes advantage of the incident solar energy on metal roofs of the Republic of Panama. The methodology is based in the design and development of a system that allows to remove the thermal energy available in metal roofs. Experiments were carried out on the solar collector at different water flow rates. It was observer that the water couldreached temperatures up to 49.89 °C when recirculating the water90 minutes with an average radiation of 887.34 w/m2. The results obtained support the possibility of using the metal roof for water heating, since there was anoverallincrease in the energy in of the water proportional to the spectrum of solar radiation incident on the roof.