Solar pawered heat pump - Literature review Example

Within the heat pump, solar collectors replace the air source evaporator since they possess the ability of direct expansion3. Solar powered heat pumps utilize solar energy as their main energy source. The heat pump collects energy from the surrounding air and solar radiation; this ability allows the pump to function even when solar energy is not present. Glazing helps in the prevention of heat loss in some solar heat pumps but the cooler fitted in the pump allows it to operate at temperatures lower than the surrounding air thus it does not require glazing4.

The Rankine refrigeration cycle is a core part of the solar powered heat pump, which increases its performance. It works with the solar collector, which is the evaporator, and the refrigeration component expands directly in the evaporator and absorbs the solar energy. Other solar powered heat pumps come as complete packages and do not need field assembly5. The heat pump is cost-effective and can achieve the maximum thermal capacity that is required to heat water. They are good alternatives to use either domestically or for industrial use.

The sun generates two major forms of energy, which under specific conditions undergo transformation to produce solar power. The conversion of light to electricity uses a method known as photovoltaics. The other form of the sun’s energy, which is heat, undergoes conversion via the concentrated solar power. It mainly employs the use of lenses and concentrates a large beam of light to a small beam. It has a parabolic trough which concentrates the light to a working fluid, which after it heats up it produces heat6.

A photovoltaic cell is the device that is responsible for converting sunlight into electricity. These cells generate direct current and are installed in modules then bound to an inverter to produce the frequency for AC. Solar power has passed through time after improvement and new discoveries from its