Current State and Ways of Further Improvement of Solar Heat Supply Systems and Their Implementation in the Sharply Continental Climate of Uzbekistan

An analysis of the level of technical solutions for solar heating systems constructed in Uzbekistan was carried out. The importance of organizing statistical monitoring of facilities equipped with such systems in the republic was noted. The introduction of solar power plants in the climatic conditions of Uzbekistan requires solving problems related to protecting solar collectors from freezing of the coolant in winter and boiling in summer, removing dust from glass surfaces, and ensuring effective heat accumulation. However, the technical solutions used to solve these problems in most cases do not meet the basic efficiency and reliability requirements of the building codes and regulations for solar power plants currently in force in the republic. The analysis also took into account the latest scientific achievements aimed at improving the efficiency of solar collectors under real operating conditions. It was noted that during the construction and installation of solar heating systems, in most cases, individual design solutions tailored to each facility’s specific features are not developed; instead, ready-made factory-produced modules are installed. This leads to higher costs for heat storage systems and significant heat losses due to the use of numerous small individual storage tanks, which collectively have a large surface area of heat exchange with the environment. It has been shown that for solar water heaters with a five-section accumulator, heat losses to the environment and material consumption for manufacturing increase by 2 to 2.63 times compared to a compact accumulator with minimal surface area. It is recommended that for solar collectors operating with natural circulation, a five-section accumulator should be considered the maximum permissible configuration for solar water heating systems with horizontal cylindrical accumulators, where the ratio of their dimensions L/D > 1.5.