Solar energy collecting apparatus and roll-formed metal building

DETAILED DESCRIPTION Referring now to the drawings, the solar energy collecting apparatus 21 shown in FIG.
1 is mounted on an arched building of the type disclosed in U.
S.
Pat.
No.
4,120,123.
This building has a longitudinally curved or arched structure 11 having a semicircular extent that forms both the top and opposed sides of the building and the building has an end wall structure 12 that closes the ends thereof.
The arched structure 11 comprises a plurality of similarly shaped, curved, channel-shaped members or building panels referred to by numerals 14, 15 and 16 connected side by side at two longitudinally continuous seam structures 17 and 18 extending along opposite side edges of panel 15.
The end wall structure 12 is made up of a plurality of connected building panels that differ only in that they are straight rather than curved.
Arched structure 11 therefore provides support structure having a channel-shaped exterior profile.
A portion of the curved structure forming the roof and one side of the building is made solar active by the solar energy collecting apparatus 21, which spans slightly less than one-half a semicircle beginning a selected distance above the bottom of the semicircular arc and ending slightly past the apex or center of the arc so that rain will drain down the back side of the building.
The length and position of the apparatus 21 are determined by the latitude of the building location and the application of the heat collected, i.
e.
, summer or winter demand.
The solar energy collecting apparatus 21 is comprised of a plurality of identical solar energy collecting assemblies 22 arranged side by side along the building, each having an inlet at the bottom which is supplied air by a common inlet manifold 23 and an outlet at the top that feeds to a common outlet manifold 24, the air flowing upwardly along the solar energy collecting assemblies in the direction indicated by arrows.
Each solar energy collecting assembly 22 is made by mounting a unitary, channel-shaped, collector panel 25 in a support structure having a channel-shaped exterior profile