Internationale Partnersuche

Innovation & Technologie Angebot

Solar hybrid (photovoltaic and thermal) panels with increased energy production

Country of Origin: Spain
Reference Number: TOES20180709002
Publication Date: 9 July 2018

Summary

A Spanish company works in the development of solar hybrid panels for the solar energy sector. The company has developed and commercialized its second-generation PVT (photovoltaic-thermal) panel that produces thermal and electrical energy on the same module. The company is looking for partners to sign a commercial agreement with technical assistance, research agreement or technical cooperation agreement for its commercialisation and/or the continuous improvement of the panels.

Description

A Spanish SME, whose employees are mostly mechanical, electronic and energy engineers, works in the solar energy sector and it’s strongly focused on research and development. Based on its multidisciplinary team and the synergies among the different business lines, the company is capable to cover all the steps of a solar project, from the engineering project to the physical installation.



The company, which originally was structured around manufacturing, installations and engineering projects, is currently focused in research and innovation projects, mainly in the development of solar photovoltaic-thermal panels (PVT).



As a result of the performed R&D in this line, the company has designed and developed a second-generation PVT panel able to produce thermal and electrical energy on the same module with a higher thermal performance than the direct competitors. This better performance is due to the use of the TIC (Transparent Insulating Cover) technology, an innovative cover system already patented by the company that maximizes the thermal efficiency at high temperatures. This type of panel produces up to 40% more energy for a given area than the conventional solar solutions: PV modules + thermal collector. Based on this, it is specially recommended in those places with space limitations or uses where high water consumption is required. Examples of ideal applications are hotels, spas, hospitals or industries with low temperature water required in their processes. The combination between PVT modules with other energy technologies, such as heat pumps or absorption units, also constitutes a promising line to provide heating and cooling solutions in the field of residential buildings.



As solar hybrid experts, the company has the capacity of design, develop and manufacture existing and new models of PVT panels. These models could involve different material or configurations, specially designed to satisfy the particular user requirements. 



Currently the company is looking for partners interested in this technology. They would like to improve and optimize the offered technology under commercial agreement with technical assistance, technical cooperation agreement and /or research cooperation agreement. The company is also open to join European projects.



For commercial agreements with technical cooperation, the sought partners might use the panels in new engineering projects or development of pilot plants, always supported by the company’s staff, who will be in charge of adapting the panels and helping the partner to maximize the installation performance.



For technical cooperation agreements, the partners might be in charge of doing computational modelling of solar/energy systems or life cycle analysis. The concrete activities should be agreed upon after negotiation.



For research cooperation agreements, the sought party and the company would identify their complementarities, skills and competences, in order to negotiate the activities to perform.

Advantages and Innovations

The developed photovoltaic-thermal panel (PVT) is a solar module able to produce heat and electricity simultaneously on the same unit. Its technology combines the two conventional solar typologies (PV modules and thermal collector) on the same panel, optimizing the solar irradiation received on the collector. The objective of this combination is twofold, on one hand it maximizes the useful area available for the solar installation and on the other, it uses the fluid flow to reduce the working temperature of the PV cells, improving its performance. As a result, this technology increases the energy production in a 40% per space unit comparing to the conventional PV + solar thermal solutions.



This second-generation panel includes a Transparent Insulation Cover (TIC) on the frontal side of the unit which, in combination with the rear insulation, contributes to reduce the heat losses improving the thermal performance. As a result, the panel presents one of the best thermal performances of the PVT modules currently available on the market. The photovoltaic part is also enhanced thanks to the cooling effect provided by the heat exchange fluid, which reduce the working temperature of the PV cell and improves the electrical production up to 15% comparing to traditional PV panels.



In those places where the available space on the roof is limited (e.g. city centres) PVT panels constitute the most promising solution to supply heat and electricity in situ from a clean and cheap source of energy as the sun is. Moreover, it becomes a really profitable solution in those buildings with high hot water consumption, where covering part of the electrical and heat demands with solar energies may lead to a significant reduction on the monthly invoice.

Stage Of Development

Already on the market

Requested partner

- Type of partner sought:

SME companies, big companies, R&D centres, universities 



- Specific area of activity of the partner:

Any potentially interested partner. It might be engineering companies and architectural studios, or any company focused on solar/ renewable energies, heating & cooling systems, nearly zero energy buildings, monitoring of solar energy systems, circular economy, materials, recycling and technologies for the CO2 reduction…



- Task to be performed:

For technical and research cooperation agreements, the partners could be in charge of doing computational modelling of solar/energy systems or life cycle analysis. The concrete activities should be agreed upon after negotiation.

For commercial agreements with technical cooperation, the sought partners might use the panels in new engineering projects or development of pilot plants, always supported by the company’s staff, who will be in charge of adapting the panels and helping the partner to maximize the installation performance.