Publication in the Proceedings of ESTEC, May 25-26, 2009, Munich, Germany Teaching Solar Thermal System Design Page 1/1 Teaching Solar Thermal System Design by use of Simulation Software Experiences with the Polysun Educational Package Andreas Witzig (andreas.witzig@velasolaris.com) 1 Simon Geisshüsler (simon.geisshuesler@velasolaris.com) 1 Baptiste Lacoste (baptiste.lacoste@velasolaris.com) 1 René Kohli (rene.kohli@arriva.ch) 2 Andreas Wolf (wolfstudio@iol.it ) 3 1 Vela Solaris AG (+41 55 220 71 00), Stadthausstr. 125, 8400 Winterthur, Switzerland 2 Arriva Engineering (+41 44 865 85 00), Dorfstr. 33, 8427 Freienstein Schweiz, Switzerland 3 Studio Wolf (+39 075 353 71), Via Assisana, 40, 06087 Perugia, Italy 1. Motivation Due to the growth in the solar thermal industry, there is a significant need for training in solar thermal system design. The usage of simulation software in education has several advantages. It allows a trial and error approach and motivates the students to “play around” and make near-to-reality experiences with good and bad heating systems. In combination with lecturing, it has been proven that the hands-on exercises consolidate the newly acquired knowledge. Vela Solaris and its partners have gathered a lot of teaching experience in the last few years. On the one hand, specific Polysun training has been offered, especially for the comprehensive simulation package Polysun Designer. On the other hand, Polysun has been used in general education in the field of solar thermal system design. Not least due to Vela Solaris’ roots at the University of Rapperswil, education has always been emphasized. This paper is discussing the experiences made with teaching solar thermal system technology using computer simulation in various situations in the classroom. Vela Solaris offers a special version of Polysun Designer as the basis of the educational package. The package also contains comprehensive material for foils and handouts, saved Polysun projects in line with a set of exercises as well as a number of licenses. With its roots at the University of Rapperswil, Vela Solaris itself has experience with teaching and as a strategic focus, is currently intensifying this work. 2. Simulation Software Polysun Polysun is a simulation software capable of making detailed simulations of renewable energy systems, traditionally very strong in the calculation of solar thermal systems. It covers all relevant components ranging from tube, flat-plate and unglazed collectors to all sorts of storage tanks, heat exchangers and auxiliary heating devices. In its primary area of application, Polysun helps planners of solar thermal systems in design and optimization work. However, it has been proven that it is a very useful tool for assisting teaching and for activating students.