En español
El trabajo presenta un colector solar de bajo costo para ser usado en las viviendas de interés social de la latitud - 30, con cielo de nubosidad 0,5 (en la escala de 0 a 1), caso de Porto Alegre, R. S., Brasil. El objetivo principal es sustituir la ducha eléctrica, usada por mas del 70% de la población y responsable por gran parte del consumo pico de energía eléctrica de la población. El costo del colector desarrollado es menor de US$ 50,00 y su durabilidad estimada es de 5 años. Un prototipo está en funcionamiento desde hace un año, presentando buenos resultados.
En inglés
After consecutive oil crises in the seventies and in the eighties, researches on alternative energy sources have been intensified. However, with the fast adjustment in prices of fossil fuels, a significant spread, especially in underdeveloped countries and lower classes, has not been achieved. As a response to such trend, a low cost solar energy collector has been developed in order to used in homes of social interest in latitude 30°S and with an average nebulosity of 5 (Porto Alegre case). Its main purpose is to replace part of the energy consumed by a electric shower for solar energy (The former accounts for up to 8000W of power and high consumption in peak time currently.)The integrated system allows a single component to both capture and store water. Assembling would not cost more that U$ 50.00 and the system would last for five years, guaranteeing simple replacement of it.