Solimpeks Corp., a company of solar energy-based Karatay, Turkey, has launched the "hybrid Volther solar collector", which produces electricity and hot water at the same time. Produced by Solimpeks hybrid modules allow that the extra module heat to be absorbed to produce hot water, optimizing efficiency, the company reported in a press release. Historically, the main drawback of many conventional photovoltaic systems has been the high initial cost, as well as the limited amount of power output when compared with the input of solar energy. Volther hybrid system enables solar collector that excess heat to be recaptured and increases the performance of the system in terms of investment, according to Solimpeks Corp. Today, the majority of people and countries and to be self-sufficient for its own energy needs, seeking above all to sustainable energy sources like the Sun the water and wind or geothermal. Systems, which are the most commend on the market now only the supply of electricity or heat only. Currently there are two very common systems to use solar energy. Firstly: the solar collector that produces hot water from the Sun's energy. Secondly: PV (photovoltaic) modules, which convert sunlight into electricity. Both systems usually have an area of black or dark color that is facing the Sun, absorbing solar energy. But if a photovoltaic module heats up may lose the ability to produce electricity by 0.5% per degree Kelvin more and more, by which every 10 degree increase in the temperature of a photovoltaic module, which means a loss of about 5% of the electricity production, Solimpeks explains.
Electricity and hot water produced at the same time
Scientists have been working on different methods to solve this problem. The most promising is the photovoltaic cells with liquid cooling. PV-t, the hybrid photovoltaic and thermal collector both electricity and hot water are produced simultaneously. The photovoltaic module heat is absorbed to produce hot water for the photovoltaic efficiency can be optimized since the heat is transferred into the liquid to produce hot water. PV-T modules in production of electricity and hot water in the same area are a space-saving contribution to reduce pollution of the environment hybrid PV / T systems of return on investment is shorter than the return on investment of PV systems only, Solimpeks emphasizes. PV / T systems can reduce the temperature of the photovoltaic cells and cells are increasing the life and efficiency. Out of the calculations made by several scientists, organizations, and universities reveal that a normal family in the party House Northern Europe can produce all the energy used throughout the year with just 25 square meters of collectors of PV-T. To store a fuel cell hydrogen or electric batteries can be used. Summer heat can be stored in a storage floor in the solar Drake Lake project, where 52 houses heated throughout the year with solar energy.
