New hybrid pvt panels, which combine photovoltaic with solar thermal in a single collector, are becoming increasingly popular in Europe.
New hybrid PVT solar panels, which combine photovoltaics with solar thermal in a single collector, are becoming increasingly popular in Europe.
This is what emerges from the Solar Heat Worldwide annual report published last June by the International Energy Agency (IEA) and available at the link: https://www.iea-shc.org/solar-heat-worldwide.
The International Energy Agency is an autonomous agency established in 1974 that carries out a global energy cooperation program between 28 advanced economies and that since 2005 has published this report annually within the Solar Heating and Cooling Technology Collaboration Program (SHC TCP).
The aim is to provide an overview of the general trends in the world of renewable energy, highlighting applications and special projects and documenting the installed solar thermal capacity in the main markets.
It should therefore not be underestimated that for the first time in this important report a space was dedicated to hybrid photovoltaic-thermal (PVT) collectors, systems that in recent years have acquired greater importance on the market.
PVT solar panels integrate the conversion of photovoltaic and thermal solar energy into a single device with higher performance, using up to 70% of solar radiation.
If we analyze the numbers of the Water Collectors, it emerges that in Europe Germany is the market leader with an installed area of 109,380 m, followed by Italy with an area of 15,438 m2. (Figure 2).
Figure 2 Total installation area of hybrid PVT panels at the end of 2018. (source: Solar Heat Worldwide Report 2019)
It is therefore clear that the operators in the sector are understanding that hybrid PVT systems are a new market niche to be cultivated and also in our country there is an already active market with interesting growth opportunities.
Among the best performing solutions on the market, there is POWERTRONIC, an innovative hybrid thermal photovoltaic panel. It is a hybrid colaminate which, in addition to generating energy from photovoltaic, uses the thermal energy deriving from the same panel for the production of domestic hot water and for the integration of domestic heating.
Unlike traditional hybrid panels that are assembled in post-production, Powertronic is an integrated panel that is born hybrid in the production line, making it an aesthetically more harmonious product with higher performance.
The panel has an electrical power of 300 Watts and a thermal power of 1000 W. The product has a maximum temperature of 83 ° C and a maximum fluid flow rate of 2 liters per minute. The panel complies with IEC61215 and IEC61730 standards and with European CE standards. (Click here to download the datasheets).
In conclusion, the Solar Heat Worldwide reading shows that "traditional" solutions are still the most used systems in Europe and in the world but that by now the wisest and attentive operators in market cannot help but keep in mind considering the new and complementary business opportunities that PVTs can reserve.