Power and water from hybrid Turkish solar panels

Solimpeks has produced a hybrid PV and solar thermal collector.

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Solimpeks, a solar-panel manufacturer in Konya, Turkey, is promoting hybrid PV panels that produce both electricity and hot water.

“Historically, the main drawback of many conventional PV systems has been the high initial cost and limited electrical output compared to the solar input. This new system allows excess heat to be recaptured, and boosts the system’s return on investment (ROI),” said Solimpeks R&D manager Joop Hoek.

Any PV cell is affected negatively by heat, with output dropping by around 0.5 % for every Kelvin degree. A ten-degree rising in temperature, for example, would mean a loss in power output of about 5%.

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FEATURED COMMENT This is great news, a two in one solution and my company would like to co-operate in promoting it in my region.   2 Comments Read more comments »

Scientists at Solimpeks have turned this problem into a solution by developing its PV-T technology: a hybrid PV and solar thermal collector, which enables the PV cells to be cooled using water circulating around them. The result is greater electrical output from the cells and the production of hot water.

As well as increasing PV module performance, the PV-T hybrid collectors mean that less roof space is required for the same output of electricity and hot water, since only one system is needed, as opposed to a solar thermal array and PV array side-by-side.

Furthermore, Solimpeks reports that, because PV cell temperature is reduced, the lifetime of cells is lengthened. Excess electricity from the system could be stored in normal batteries or hydrogen fuel cells, while heat could be stored underground.