Effect of Tests Norms on the Instantaneous Efficiency of a Plate Solar Collector

Recent Algerian data have shown that affording conventional energy to some rural areas is as yet very costly. The objective of this paper is to calculate the instantaneous efficiency of a plate solar collector according to two different norms, (EN 12975-2 and ASHRAE). For this purpose, a closed loop test bench was been made in the unit of applied research on renewable energies of Ghardaia (Algeria) according to the considered norms. This site is characterized by an important clarity factor of 0.75. Experimental tests were conducted in order to calibrate the test bench, time constant and to calculate the instantaneous efficiency of the collector according to the two norms. In this work the curves of the instantaneous efficiency according to the two norms (optical efficiency and global thermal losses) were drawn as well as the daily efficiency of the collector.