SPF Institut für SolartechnikProjektleiter SPF
+41 58 257 41 45alexandre.voirol@ost.ch
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 protection mechanism on the other. The development includes the construction of a prototype on a scale of 1:1, its performance measurement in the laboratory and an assessment of its behavior when exposed on the test roof of the institute.
Since October 2021 the Institute for Solar Technology SPF is working in an international team for the EU-funded project SophiA. The focus is on sustainable, off-grid supply solutions for healthcare facilities in Africa.
Solar-based systems will be used to provide electricity, heating, cooling and clean water in container modules for remote regions.
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 commissioned by SwissEnergy, we have investigated the current energy supply situation of such sites and determined the technical possibilities for supplying them with renewable electricity and heat. In addition, we have looked at legal and economic aspects.
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 reaches a predefined maximum temperature, it is brought into contact with the cover glass via a thermally activated lifting mechanism. This increases the heat losses and limits the stagnation temperature.
