The more sunlight solar panels receive, the hotter they get. The hotter they get, the more inefficient they become at converting energy into electricity. A new modular solar panel currently under development at Brunel University London solves this issue by using heat pipes to gather this excess heat and use it to produce a building’s hot water.
PVadapt aims to perfect a flexible solar powered renewable energy system that generates both heat for hot water and electricity. “With our system, there is no waste heat,” said Technical Co-ordinator, Professor Hussam Jouhara, who invented the multifunctional Flat Heat Pipe. The panels cost about $340 each and can be used in social housing, public buildings and offices, and even in developing countries and off-grid.
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See Also:Â Certified Green Buildings may have an advantage in capital markets
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The panels can be installed quickly on-site thanks to the design that allows them to clip together as a weather-tight roof. The project team describes this process as being as simple as clipping together LEGOs or laminate flooring. For a more detailed look at how the product is clipped together on-site, take a look at the diagram below.
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PVadapt will soon be used in multiple pilot projects across eight buildings, both residential and commercial, in Spain, Greece, Austria, and Portugal. Horizon 2020 is funding the project.
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