Techno-economic and environmental aspects of solar driven heating assistance options for residential buildings

In this study, storage of sensible heat, hydrogen and electricity is compared in four different systems to be integrated to existing heating systems utilising solar energy for heating assistance. Vacuum tube collector (VTC) system and parabolic thermal collector (PTC) system are selected for sensible heat storage with thermal oil, photovoltaic (PV) panel system is selected for hydrogen storage while electrical energy storage is considered via batteries. A 300 kW solar insolation for eight hours on a rooftop of an official building in Kilis, Turkey is considered for renewable energy input. The highest heating support is from PTC with approximately 5,800 MJ where its natural gas equivalent is approximately 160 m(3)/day. PTC system is followed by thermal energy storage with vacuum tube, battery and hydrogen storage, respectively. A CFD analysis is conducted for the thermal tank of PTC unit to verify feasible use at night operation and to determine required size of such configuration. CFD results indicate that a successful operation is possible when solar driven thermal energy is used for heating assistance in central NG-based heating systems. VTC driven thermal energy storage configuration present promising outcomes for the same conditions showing potential for application to central heating systems.