Analysis of solar space heating in various areas of China

Abstract

More than a half of China has the requirement for space heating in winter. Energy consumption for space heating is the main part of building energy consumption in north China. At the same time, solar energy is very rich in China. About 70% of the area of north China is belonged to rich or very rich solar energy area. The annual solar irradiation is more than 5400 MJ / m 2. The rest small part also has the annual solar irradiation between 4200 and 5400 MJ / m2. Compare with north Europe where solar space heating is more popular than China, China has more solar energy in winter, China now is also promoting the building energy efficiency, and the energy consumption for space heating will be cut down more than 50%. These are very helpful for the application of solar space heating. But the low ambient temperature in winter is also a disadvantage for solar collectors. Is there a possibility to popularize solar space heating in China, and how to apply it? This paper selects ten typical cities in north China, analyses the solar space heating system in multiple story inhabited building using building energy simulation software. The recommendatory solar fraction of solar space heating of these cities is given, the effect of various systems and solar collectors are also be discussed.