MODULE II Solar energy technology Page 5

3. General technical prerequisites for a practice-oriented teaching and training of the solar energy technology topic

In order to make the service technicians the solar energy technology topic as clear as possible the teaching lessons should be as practice-oriented as possible. Only the practical demonstration of collectors, solar regulators and different types of storage systems that have to be assembled first and then checked through the collection of measurement data, make a deeper understanding of the function of solar energy installations with all its components possible. In addition, the practical handling of the different system components makes it possible to examine and to compare their individual efficiency.

So, if possible the below named experimental training installations should be available at the own training location or centre. In this way, it can also be avoided that installations at outside locations (e.g. company exhibition installations or customer installations) will have to be used for training purposes. The training installations should be set up as modular systems so that the different collector types with their corresponding hydraulic storage circuits, the different storage system types as well as the electronic wiring of the different regulator units and their function can be studied. For the collection of measurement data ZEBA (a partner company of this project) offers the necessary modular measuring instruments.

Using the mobile measuring instrument ZEBA-Logic or the ultrasonic measuring instrument Digiflo measurements can be performed also outside of the own training installations if this should be necessary (e.g. by using company exhibition installations or customer installations). This will especially be the case if it should prove to be too expensive to set up an own solar energy technology training centre or installations. Wherever own solar training installations can financially be realised they should be realised since experience has shown that training course participants or students can study the many different system components much better at own internal training installations than outside.

The following installations should be available for a general experimental training installation setup in regard to the solar energy technology topic:

• Three different types of flat plate collectors with measuring connecting pieces and measuring points
• Four different kinds of tube collectors with settings for the taking of measurements
• Two different kinds of storage collectors with measuring units
• Four different types of storage tanks that function in different ways
• One special layer storage system with regulator circuits
• One latent heat storage system for the optimal use of the energy output
• Hydraulic circuits for "high-flow" and "low-flow". Different regulation units, starting from the simple two point regulator up to building control technology with building monitoring and remote servicing
• Different measuring installations if possible also including a weather station
• Test setup for electronic circuits and a sensing element installation simulation for solar energy systems
• Video camera for the recording of customer advisory and sales conversations in regard to the use of solar energy installations

An important part of solar energy installations represent the storage technology and the control and regulation technology. So e.g., in order to be able to chose the right type of collector for the requirements of the customer one needs to have a good knowledge of storage technology since the collector type and the storage system have to fit to each other and have to be optimised for each other in order to produce the desired maximum energy output. Very closely related to the storage technology are the technology of pumps and the control and sensing technology as well as technology of hydraulic circuits. In all these fields one has to have very good knowledge as well in order to be able to plan, build and install a complete solar energy system for the customer.

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