Typically the flat panel is placed is placed on a rooftop facing southward, exposed to the Sun’s rays and energy as the Sun moves from East to West. Optionally, the panel may be mounted on AIM’s tracking mount which keeps the panel always facing the Sun. Multiple panels may connected serially: in this case water flows from one panel to another, getting hotter as it passes through each. Alternately, multiple panels may be connected in parallel: in this case a large volume of water is divided into smaller streams, each of which passes through one or more heating panels before returning to the source. Operating temperatures typically are 120-130 degrees for home hot water, 80-90 degrees for swimming pools, 212 degrees for commercial applications, and steam temperatures up to 350 degrees for other commercial applications. In some cases the solar heater may provide partial heating; for example, in winter the ASP may heat home water to 80 degrees, while an electric unit heats the water from 80 to 125 degrees. This strategy in some situations helps to minimize use of conventional fossil fuels.
The ten panel solar tracking system pictured below was installed for a 30,000 gallon swimming pool where rapid heating was desired. Each panel tracks the sun and operates in parallel on the pool’s water flow. The panels are shown with solar tracking drives at the bottom, without their protective cover.
AIM Solar Tracking Mount
The Aim solar tracking mount is a sophisticated, study, and simple mount for the solar panels (optional), to significantly extend the panel’s total energy absorption per day. Usually a solar panel faces due south, and its maximum energy absorption occurs when the Sun’s rays strike it head-on at noon. During the rest of the day, the Sun’s rays strike from an angle. As a result, substantial energy is reflected off the glass plate, and total energy absorption is much less than when the panel directly faces the Sun. The optional mount turns the panel from east to west during the day, following the Sun’s course, always presenting a full flat panel to direct sunlight. A solar tracking panel provides effective heating much earlier in the day and later in the afternoon. (We all experience this instinctively, turning towards the Sun in cool weather, and turning away when it is very hot outside.) The tracking mount can increase overall energy capture by a factor of 35% or more, depending upon the time of year and the particular location.
The tracking mount grew out of AIM’s motion control, astronomy, and helioscope products. The position of the Sun is determined with a sensor that, in turn, controls the operation of the AC tracking motor. At the end of the day the panels wait facing Eastward until a user-programmed time when they will rotate to a flat, rest position. In the morning at a user-programmed time, the panels turn to the East to pick up the Sun and track for the rest of the day. A wind sensor will cause the panels to go to the park (flat) position at a user-programmed wind speed to avoid damage to the panels in high winds. The simplicity of the AST mount allows panels to be set in a variety of landscapes or office building placements. Below are ten ASPs with individual ASTs under the control of a single master controller that has a USB interface and could be controlled over a network.
