Design of a concentrating solar thermal collector installation for a hotel complex in Gran Canaria

Abstract

This paper deals with the design and configuration of a thermal solar installation adapted to a hotel complex in the south of the island of Gran Canaria (Canary Islands, Spain). The solar collectors are concentration cylinder parabolic of small dimension. The design and calculations are principally performed in order to study the viability of the thermal solar technology of concentration opposite to other technologies of existing renewable energies such as solar thermal plane collectors or solar photovoltaic. Based on the total energy demand and the available solar power capacity (limited by the available surface), the study of the implementation and integration of the installation with previous hotel energy facilities is carried out. The energy production amounts to 45.08 MWh/year in a surface of 40 m(2). The study of its economic feasibility has also been performed. This project has been the first small scale cylinder parabolic solar collector installation proposed in the Canary Islands. This way, the use of thermal solar concentration technology is promoted in this area, leading to a major sensibility with the use of affordable, clean, and renewable energies.