Experimental and Numerical Analysis of Thermal Losses of a Parabolic Trough Solar Collector

Parabolic trough concentrators are currently the most developed and most commonly used solar technologies for electricity generation. The thermal losses play an important role in the performance of the system. This paper describes the methodology and the results of an experimental and numerical investigation of the thermal losses of a small-scale parabolic trough collector. The collector is 3m wide and 4m long, with evacuated tubes with selective coatings.