Marketplace

The Solar Heating & Cooling Programme is not only making strides in R&D, but also impacting the solar market. This new section of the newsletter will highlight solar technologies which have been developed or conceptualized in a SHC Task and now being commercially manufactured and marketed.

Advanced Solar Domestic Hot Water Systems.

Two "Dream Systems" developed under SHC Task 14, Advanced Solar Energy Systems, have been introduced as commercial products. In Denmark, the Dream System is a drainback design which uses water as the solar collector fluid. During operation an air pocket forms at the top of the mantle and at other times the air is located in the solar collector and pipes. The low-flow and drainback features reduce the cost as fewer components are needed and increase the system's thermal performance. The cost/performance improvement of the Dream System is 39% over that of the country's "typical" system. In Switzerland, the Dream System, SOLKIT® is a highly stratified, low-flow system. It consists of a single element collector with one opening for the inlet and outlet. An advanced Flextube® tubing connects easily to the collector and storage tank. The storage tank is a tank-in-tank design. Other characteristics include a stratification device inside the heat exchanger mantle, an unpressurized solar loop connected to a small external fluid vessel, and an auxiliary heater in the outer tank. The Dream System costs 30% less than the country's "typical" system. The system is being produced as part of the official program "Energy 2000."

Single-pole PV connector system for DC cabling.

This optimized interconnection system was conceived during a workshop of SHC Task 16 on Photovoltaics in Buildings. The manufacturer, Multi-Contact AG Basel of Switzerland, began production of the PV connector system in 1993. The product was readily accepted by companies because it meets several important specifications for building integrated PV--saves time (permits preassembly of PV modules at the factory or onsite workshop), safer and simpler installation for building workers and electricians, and more reliable than other interconnectors. Since 1993, nearly 10 MWp of grid-connected PV, or approximately 25% of the PV power worldwide, has been installed using this improved connector system.