New patented solar thermal concept for high building integration: Test and modeling.

Abstract : A new concept of flat plate solar collector is presented: it has a remarkable shape and is integrated into a rainwater gutter. Several solar modules are connected serially or in parallel. The new patented solar collector and the thermal experimentations are described. A numerical model is developed in Matlab (R) environment using a finite difference model and an electrical analogy. The thermal model is validated from experimental data under various meteorological situations. The adequacy of this model with the experimental data is shown for the water temperatures and for various temperatures inside the solar collector.