Abstract
In order to overcome the energy crisis caused by the depletion of fossil fuel, as one of the most popular renewable energies, solar thermal power has been widely studied and applied for water heating in both domestic and commercial areas. This study examines the energy performance of two types of solar collectors, and evaluates and compares their financial performance by examining the indicators in terms of net present value, internal rate of return, and payback period, as well as calculates the greenhouse gas reduction. The findings provide reliable and independent data on the economic viability and energy performance of existing solar devices for hotel owners when selecting solar panels in the future. The findings reveal that the heat output or potential of conversion of the two studied solar collectors is promising. Surprisingly, the domestic solar water heater has better performance than the imported one. The energy savings derived from both collectors could somehow mitigate the emissions released from other fossil fuel consumption for water heating. The findings also further confirm the usefulness of flat panel solar collectors in generating hot water for lodging businesses in low-rise buildings.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 292-304 |
Number of pages | 13 |
Journal | Journal of China Tourism Research |
Volume | 9 |
Issue number | 3 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 1 Jan 2013 |
Keywords
- economic viability
- energy performance
- energy saving in hotels
- Solar thermal power
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Cultural Studies
- Linguistics and Language
- Language and Linguistics
- Tourism, Leisure and Hospitality Management