Estimating the Energy Savings Potential in a Residential Area of Valparaiso (Chile) by Roof Integrated Unglazed Solar Collectors for Domestic Solar Water Heating

The aim of this work is the estimation of the potential energy saving in the metropolis zone of Valparaiso (Chile), using Thermal Solar Systems (TSS) integrated to the household roof without glass protection. This selection has two effects, reduce the investment cost and installation, two important factors to consider for the social-economic and physic characteristic of the region in study. The methodology includes the simulation and modeling of the TSS for every single household using the Duffie and Beckman method and with a technical and-economic analysis through the payback period to calculate the overall energy saving performance of the studied area and to determine the characteristics of the household which gives the best performance considering the social-economic factors. The results obtained indicated that there is a theoretical feasibility, from the technical and economical point of view, to implement such technology, concluding that the 56.3 % of the studied households are appropriated to apply the proposed system with lower investment cost, up to 1 million Chilean pesos with a payback period lower than 10 y and a solar fraction between 30 and 65 %. 1