Scientists at Brunel University London have designed a new hybrid roofing system which could halve energy bills in new homes.
The patented new system harnesses a unique mixture of technologies to pre-heat domestic hot water for radiators, baths and showers while also generating electricity. More than half of domestic energy use in the UK is to heat water.
At its heart is the use of heat pipes – super conductors of heat energy – found in high tech devices from PCs to the International Space Station where they prevent it from melting in the heat of the sun on one side and freezing in the vacuum of space on the other.
Dr Hussam Jouhara of Brunel’s Institute of Energy Futures, who led the British team which developed the new system explained: “As a professional engineer with a long-term research interest in heat pipes I could see many advantages in applying this technology to a renewable energy system”.
“Until now there was no system which fully addressed all the technical and practical issues that face making an entire building’s roof a solar-powered generator of both heat energy and electrical energy.”
Heat pipes seemed to Dr Jouhara an obvious solution to a major technical issue with solar cell or photovoltaic (PV) panels used to generate electricity.
“PV panels have an inherent challenge to the engineer,” he said. “The more intense the sunlight the more electricity the cells will produce but only a fraction of the sun’s energy can be turned into electricity.
“So the sunnier it is the more of that unusable energy hits the cell which, in turn, heats it up. As PV cells heat up their electrical generation ability is degraded. Heat pipes, in this case, constructed in flat panels 4m x 400mm, will whisk that away to heat domestic hot water.”
In proof of concept tests, PV cells cooled by Dr Jouhara’s methods outperformed identical panels by 15 per cent. And rather than being wasted, almost the full spectrum of energy from the sun is harnessed.
The new system also addresses a wide range of practical issues in installing solar panels in new properties.
Attempts to integrate installing solar panels with conventional roofing techniques have a poor track record.
“What was needed was an engineered, systems approach,” said Dr Jouhara. “Our solar panels are PV coated for the most southerly-facing aspect of the roof and are designed to clip together as a weather-tight roof as simply as clicking together laminate flooring.
“When we constructed our test roof using standard “off-the-shelf” roof trusses, tradesmen were able to quickly and easily screw together the panels with no extra guidance than a simple set of written instructions.
“The heat pipe technology also turns the biggest downside of integrating solar panels into conventional roofs into a positive.
“Currently the panels would get hottest in the summer and roofs need to be designed to dissipate that heat. Simply insulating the house below is not a good solution as that simply traps it driving up the PV panel temperature and further lowering its performance. With our system there is no waste heat.”
Read more: New hybrid solar panel roof slashes energy bills
The Latest on: Hybrid solar panel
[google_news title=”” keyword=”Hybrid solar panel” num_posts=”10″ blurb_length=”0″ show_thumb=”left”]
via Google News
The Latest on: Hybrid solar panel
- Release by Scatec Inauguration of Cameroon Solar Hybrid and Battery Storage Plantson September 22, 2023 at 5:04 am
Release entered into a lease agreement with ENEO, an electricity company, in 2021 to deliver two solar hybrid and battery storage plants ... and they are equipped with over 44,800 bifacial solar ...
- Uganda: Sprawling Kampala market lit up with solar systemson September 22, 2023 at 1:45 am
The Owino market in Kampala was recently equipped with five hybrid solar systems and twenty-three standalone streetlights.
- Control Where Your Solar Energy Goes With a Hybrid Solar Systemon September 21, 2023 at 11:05 am
Sell your solar energy to the utility or store it in a battery for later use. The choice is yours with a hybrid solar setup.
- Haier revolutionises cooling solutions with launch of solar hybrid air conditioneron September 20, 2023 at 4:10 am
Haier is a global leader in home appliances and consumer electronics. With a legacy of innovation and a commitment to sustainability, Haier continues to revolutionise the industry with groundbreaking ...
- Navigating SA's energy crisis: Solar panels vs generators vs grid dependencyon September 19, 2023 at 12:26 am
In the face of the nation’s load shedding crisis as well as increase in electricity prices, South African homeowners and businesses are grappling with a critical decision – should they transition to ...
- Solar cell-based hybrid energy harvesters towards sustainabilityon September 15, 2023 at 10:19 am
These hybrid systems use diverse mechanisms to ... These systems blend the good parts of solar panels with other ways of collecting energy. This helps in making better ways to create power for ...
- Hybrid Solar Air Conditioner Market Cooling with Clean Energy 2023 to 2030 | Recreatetech, Jntech Renewable Energy Co., Ltd.on September 15, 2023 at 8:54 am
The Report on Hybrid Solar Air Conditioner Market provides Key Benefits, Key Market Segments, Secondary and Primary Research, Analyst Tools and Models to 2030 by Infinitybusinessinsights.com.
- Scientists explore solar cell-based hybrid energy harvesterson September 15, 2023 at 7:33 am
Energy harvesting stands out as a vital player in our modern world. Solar energy, with its renewable and environmentally friendly characteristics, has gained immense popularity in various applications ...
- Hybrid Solar Panel Market Revenue Analysis, Drivers and Future Growth Potential 2030on September 13, 2023 at 2:25 pm
Global Hybrid Solar Panel Market Growth Research 2023-2030 offers insightful information on the current trends, difficulties, market risks, and market constraints of leading suppliers.
- Hoymiles’ new hybrid inverters for the US offer reliable energy storage solutionson September 11, 2023 at 7:20 pm
Hoymiles, a leading smart energy provider and microinverter manufacturer, has released the US version of its single-phase hybrid inverters HYS-LV-USG1. With these high-performance and reliable ...
via Bing News