Power and hot water in one: Hybrid solar panels approved for Australia

A cutting edge hybrid solar panel technology has become the first of its kind in Australia to be deemed eligible for use as both Solar PV and Solar Hot Water applications in one combined product.

The Sydney-based Solimpeks Australia this week received confirmation that it’s PV-T panels – which have adorned the roofs of a number of houses featured in the UK television series ’Grand Designs’ – are fully certified be used in any residential, commercial or industrial application as part of a whole system on the Solar Hot Water Register – meaning any experienced installer can work with the system.

With the appearance of a high-end solar panel, Solimpeks PV-T combines PV and solar thermal technology, delivering electricity and hot water from the same unit – a first in Australia.

The panels – which have been installed in Queensland, NSW and Victoria in their ’PV Pool Heating’ application – can now be installed in their ‘PV Solar Hot Water’ application for use in any house, says Solimpeks.

The PV-T hybrid systems come in 1kW, 1.6kW, and 2.4kW sizes – each being capable of providing the same PV electricity output as a corresponding-sized PV system, as well as hot water for the household.

The current ‘PowerVolt’ model sold in Australia produces a peak 200W of electrical output and 619W of thermal output. It is eligible for Solar PV STCs and will be eligible for Solar Thermal STCs once approved by the Clean Energy Regulator (expected late 2013).

The company says system also takes up less roof space, being the same size as a regular PV system. The company says additional roof space savings can also be gained by having a ‘Tri-Gen’ system, which provides solar PV, solar hot water and solar pool heating, with one PV-T solar array replacing three separate rooftop solar installations. Hydronic heating can also be added to the equation, making it a ’Quad-Gen’ system.

“If we get it right, we think that this will be ideal for most applications,” Solimpeks’ Daniel Barber told RenewEconomy in a recent interview. “If you want PV, why wouldn’t you get solar thermal. And vice versa. There are one million pools in Australia – we could attract 1 to 5 per cent of that market.” Pool owners are the most unrepresented in the solar PV market, he says, because their rooftops are often taken up with solar hot water collectors.

“If we can take a couple of per cent from solar PV market, and up to 10 per cent of new thermal market, that would be a great result for us.”

 

Comments

10 responses to “Power and hot water in one: Hybrid solar panels approved for Australia”

  1. Jeremy Avatar
    Jeremy

    A better solution is to use a standard PV system with a high efficiency CO2 based heat pump. Each component can be replaced/repaired independent of the other. It uses commodity products. It separates the electrical and plumbing trades. It is easier to install.

    1. Marc Talloen Avatar
      Marc Talloen

      And costwise, how does the PV-T Hybrid solution compare to PV + CO2 Heat Pump for an individual home?

      1. Jeremy Avatar
        Jeremy

        I don’t know the cost of the PV-T hybrid solution. I suggest that custom parts will always be more expensive.

        1. Solimpeks Australia Avatar
          Solimpeks Australia

          Hi guys,

          Thanks for your comments and you both raise valid concerns. Thankfully our Hybrid PV-Thermal panels are manufactured to the highest European standards and have long warranties attached. Also, any associated parts needed to complete a “system” are all widely available, off the shelf components. If you have any further questions please don’t hesitate to call.

    2. sean Avatar
      sean

      I imagine that the idea of the thermal panels is to try and keep the PV below 42C, beyond which there is a faster rate of decline in efficiency

  2. Lenka Thompson Avatar
    Lenka Thompson

    Can this technology be used for heating leisure centre size pools?

    1. sean Avatar
      1. Lenka Thompson Avatar
        Lenka Thompson

        Thanks Sean, I’ll pass this info on to our Council who currently use co-gen infrastructure to heat pools. We’re striving for carbon neutrality, so this tech would be great to have as part of future re-developments.

    2. Miles Harding Avatar
      Miles Harding

      The answer is Yes. The presentation will go swimmingly until they get to the price!

      On a large pool, I would be looking towards using the PV panels as a sun shade on the pool and grounds so the PV system is on public display. The Perth Zoo has done this along some walkways.

      Factoring the sun shade benefit can make the project more attractive.

      One issue with combined units like these is thermal degradation of the mono-crystalline PV performance with temperature. The large thermal buffer of the pool will effectively cool the PV cells, improving summer performance substantially.

      For pool heating, the temperature difference is so small that the insulation and wind protection make little difference, so black poly tubing systems generally work as well as any exotic collectors do. Perhaps a hybrid is more effective.

      1. Lenka Thompson Avatar
        Lenka Thompson

        Great idea, Miles! I’m sure the techno-savvy minds in the ESD unit will love it. Thank you.

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