Facade Integrated Solar Collectors

Status

finished

Summary

In Austria the use of solar energy using thermal solar collectors is on the increase. In the main these plants are used to prepare hot water in small-scale plants. When it comes to applications in the field of solar space heating, large-scale plants in urban building projects, hotels and solar local heating networks, there are not always sufficient suitable and oriented roof areas available for the installation of solar collectors. When installing these on existing roofs or joining them to flat roofs, the plants often form a foreign body since they are not an integral part of the architecture. For this reason solar plants are still rejected by some architects and town planners. For a wide market penetration it is, therefore, necessary to develop collector systems with which it is possible to integrate the collectors in facades.

As the development of facade systems for photovoltaic modules has shown, these open up a large and new market segment.

Within the framework of this project system-, structural- as well as building physical basis theories should be elaborated, which will serve as a basis for constructional and aesthetically attractive solutions for the production of facade integrated solar collectors without thermal separation. The recyclability of the materials used and resource efficiency play a central role when it comes to the development of constructional solutions.

In this context a collector element directly integrated in the facade is understood by the facade-integrated solar collector in which heat insulation is a component both of the building as well as of the collector. There is no thermal separation between both of these in the form of rear ventilation. The collector which comprises a fluid-cooling absorber, a glass disk, glass bearer profiles, sealings and covering sheet metals, therefore, assumes different functions:

• Function as a thermal flat collector
  
• improvement in heat insulation of the building respectively the attainment of passive gains
  
• protection against atmospheric conditions
  
• a structural design element for the facade

In accordance with this the advantages of facade integrated collectors are:

• cost savings as a result of joint use of building components
  
• replacement of the conventional facade
  
• suitable both for new buildings and for the renovation of old buildings

The results of this project are used by the two solar engineering companies participating in this project as a basis for the production of test facades and subsequently for the transfer to manufacturing and series production.

Contact

Dipl.-Ing. Irene Bergmann
AEE INTEC, Arbeitsgemeinschaft ERNEUERBARE ENERGIE, Institut für Nachhaltige Technologien
Feldgasse 19
A 8200 Gleisdorf
Tel.: +43 3112 5886
Fax: +43 3112 5886 -18
E-Mail: i.bergmann@aee.at