Alexandre Voirol

The project aims to provide mounting solutions for low-cost, high-quality PV systems in exposed locations. The innovative system enables high winter electricity yields and thereby makes a significant contribution to a secure power supply in the winter months. The two active modules reinforce the construction and prevent self-shadowing on the rear… ...

Substituting fossil fuels with renewable energies will not be feasible without a notable expansion of seasonal energy storage. Seasonal thermal energy storages (STES) are expected to contribute significantly to this goal. The project SwissSTES systematically analyses STES potentials such as available and unused cavities, geothermal probe or pit… ...

Fortunately, the number of PV systems on Swiss roofs is constantly increasing. However, climate change is also expected to increase the number of hail events and thus hail damage. When glass breaks, a module must always be replaced. However, it is often not easy to determine whether the module is so badly damaged that replacement is necessary. ...

The aim of the project is the development of a single covered PVT collector with high electrical and thermal efficiency and a self-securing overheating protection realised by absorber shifting. An aluminium roll-bond absorber is used as heat exchanger, which enables good thermal properties on one hand and smart integration of the overheating… ...

Clean water, a reliable power supply and cooling systems for medicines and vaccines are not a given in many rural hospitals in Africa. To ensure better healthcare also in remote regions, the EU has supported the SophiA project, which relies on modular containers to produce drinking water, heat, cold and electricity using solar energy. SPF Institute… ...

Off-grid locations, i.e. locations that are not connected to the public grid and are remote from major transport routes, are predestined for the use of local renewable energies such as solar energy, hydropower or wind power. In Switzerland, these locations include in particular alpine farms, mountain huts and mountain restaurants.
In this study… ...

In the project HiPer-PVT we have developed a glazed (covered) PVT collector with a high electrical and a high thermal efficiency. Thanks to an overheating protection mechanism becoming effective at approximately 100 °C, this collector can be easily integrated into a thermal system. The concept of the overheating protection is that once the absorber… ...

The potentials of cost reduction of solar thermal systems will be derived with cost data that will be gathered from field installations. The use of new technologies and materials for the exploitation of relevant potentials for cost reduction will be assessed. System concepts with reduced costs will be designed, which will contain newly developed… ...