Performance analysis of a solar air heating system with latent heat storage in a lightweight building

Abstract In energy-efficient, lightweight buildings, a high solar heating fraction can only be achieved if the solar system contains adequate heat storage. In this paper, the design and thermal response modeling of a solar air heating system, which consists of an air vacuum tube solar collector and latent heat storage, is presented. For the system performance analysis, an experimentally validated numerical model of the solar air heating system was coupled with a building thermal response model. A solar heating fraction and the utilizability of solar heat were used as the main performance indicators. The analysis showed that a solar heating fraction of 63% can be achieved in an energy efficient, lightweight building.