Thermomax – World leading solar vacuum tube collectors
Thermomax products have been designed specifically for Northern climates:

 

 

 

 

> Supplies up to 70% of your annual hot water needs
> Works from dawn until dusk and throughout the year
> Provides heat even in cold, windy or humid conditions
> Rapid conductivity and transfer of energy into heat
> 30% more effective than flat plate collectors

Solar thermal technology transforms direct and diffuse solar radiation into
useful heat using a solar collector.Each Thermomax collector consists of
a highly insulated water manifold and a row of tubes.

The vacuum inside each tube provides perfect insulation
and therefore, protects the system from outside influences,
such as cold and windy weather or high humidity.

This vacuum insulation also ensures that the energy
collected from the sun is very efficiently and effectively

transferred into usable heat as there is minimal heat loss.
Thermomax are the original and still the best all-round,
highest performing vacuum tube collectors in the world

Thermomax vacuum solar tubes are acknowledged as the most efficient method of generating
solar hot water whatever the weather – designed specifically for North American climates.

In addition to domestic hot water, the superior performance of a Thermomax vacuum
tube collector can also provide central heating support for standard, specialized industrial
hot water heating for high temperature applications and solar cooling.

Benefits:

* Provides up to 70% of your annual hot water
* Vacuum tube technology provides rapid conductivity and transfer of heat,
30% more effective than flat panel collectors.
* Thermomax products are designed specifically to work in North
American climates, even in cold, wet and humid conditions.

* Works from dawn until dusk and throughout the year.
* 5 year standard warranty, 20 years if installed by a Kingspan Solar Accredited Installer.
* Average 25-year lifespan.
* SRCC approved
* Certified to withstand hail impact test DIN EN12975-2:2006 using ice-balls.

The Benefits of Thermomax

Solar energy is free, clean and safe. It is environmentally friendly
and produces no waste or pollution. Using solar energy enables you
to reduce your carbon footprint as well as your energy bills.
Grants are available through many Government Schemes (see links section).

The Sun radiates enormous amounts of energy to the earth. As an example,
the UK and Ireland receive on average per year, as much as 60% of that
received on the equator. This radiation is similar to the output of 1,000 power stations.

Solar Thermal Vacuum Tube Systems

Solar thermal technology transforms direct and diffuse solar radiation
into useful heat using a solar collector, which should face as closely
as possible to the south at an angle perpendicular to the sun.

Each Thermomax collector consists of a highly insulated manifold and a row of tubes.
The vacuum inside each tube provides perfect insulation, protecting the system
from outside influences, such as cold and windy weather or high humidity.

This vacuum insulation also ensures that the energy collected from the sun is very
efficiently and effectively transferred into usable heat as there is minimal heat loss.

Benefits of a Thermomax System

With over 25 years of experience, the Thermomax brand is firmly established as a
world leader in solar thermal products. Thermomax collectors are the premium
product in the market, designed specifically for a Northern European climate.

Contact Us
If you are interested in a complimentary consultation, click here to fill out a form
and schedule a complimentary meeting with our staff.
We can also be contacted at 1890 245 345 and would be happy to meet with you.

Thin film solar PV cell panels are now being marketed in Ireland by reputed renewable energy promoters.
A recent innovation, thin film solar cells are technologically different in their production while
being chemical different to the traditional Mono crystalline or Polycrystalline silicon PV panels.

What are thin film solar modules?

A thin film solar module is made up of thin film solar cells (TFSC).The cell itself may be made by depositing ( by a process known as chemical vapour deposition) one or more fine layers of Photo Voltaic material on a substratum using modern technology.
The substratum may be glass, plastic or metal. The thickness may vary from a few nanometres to several micrometres.

They are categorized according to the PV material used in them. As opposed to the conventional PV cell material of crystalline silicon, thin film  PV cells use amorphous silicon or other thin film silicon, cadmium telluride, copper indium gallium selenide, all of which are causing a revolution in the solar power generation and sustainable building architecture.

The crystalline silicon conventional modules can reach efficiencies up to 20% in domestic applications.

The efficiency in current commercial thin film modules is less in comparison (TFSC i.e. the cell) having up to 20% while the production modules reaching only about 9 %). But in all likelihood soon TFSC modules might catch up with the established conventional panels in that aspect, due to the hectic R & D now on.

However one thing is certain. The world price of silicon material is increasing in leaps and bounds due to the heavy demand by mass producers of crystalline silicon PV modules. And if the industry and the consumer needs low prices they’ve got to look where less material is needed and where the mass production techniques lowers the prices. In this respect TFSC modules future seems to be the most secure.

Currently the problem seems to be the inability of the manufacturers to meet the demand world over.

Problems associated with conventional modules and how TFSC may be an answer

As we all are aware, PV modules present a nightmare for architects, structural engineers and designers, when installed on roof top or even at ground level. The strict requirement of southerly orientation, problems associated with shaded or low sunlight areas when the panels are installed some times in these locations are not the least. The cost of tracking systems too is prohibitive in small capacity applications.

The thin film PV panels provide you with a flexible solution for all these complications.

• They are thin composites.
• They have only a thin film of PV material coated on substrata of plastic, glass, thin metal sheet etc. and are easy to handle.
• The substratum itself could be any rigid and smooth material and not necessarily glass and less prone to damage.
• The PV material is totally unlike mono or poly crystalline silicon panels in that they can withstand higher temperatures.
• The thin film panels are much lighter due to their reduced dimensions and less material used.
• The efficiency is not high as in the conventional, but it is compensated by the low price (even in this initial stage) and the ability to cover a larger area easily.
• On flat roofs as well as pitched roofs the output is unaffected due to vast areas covered.

The thin film technology is already here with us in Ireland. Compared to Germany, Ireland is lagging behind among the other leading countries in the EU in this regard. The Japanese, along with the North Americans carry out a lot of R& D (and production) in this field. The Mitsubishi Corporation is marketing their thin film modules through the leading engineering contractor King Group (kinggroup.ie, call save 045 838 376).

Also if you are interested in free consultancy on thin film solar PV application for your home or apartment, how it will save on your energy costs, SEAI grants available for solar energy utilization etc. Greentech.ie itself may be contacted. Call them today on call save 1890 245 345 for an appointment.

Countries all over the world except a few backward ones, backed by their governments
are concerned with fossil fuel energy usage and are promoting renewable energy
sources such as solar, wind, geothermal, bio mass  generated thermal energy etc.
Ireland and other members of EU are in the forefront in this exercise.
The simplest and best money saver in the long run is harnessing solar energy for water heating.

 

 

Harnessing Solar Energy

Harnessing solar energy is done with three different   basic methods. viz.

• Passive Method

Using various techniques that harness the sun’s energy just the way it comes for day lighting, visual aesthetic effects, heating, and also insulating and air  sealing, shading and landscaping, orientation of building features etc. by the architects (whether new construction or retrofitting).

• Active Method

Active method is mainly dealing with Water Heating for domestic service or space heating. It is one of the most popular methods the world over including Europe for the purpose. The basic technique is the use of a solar collector to entrap solar energy in the medium of water (or occasionally  an antifreeze) heat it and use it for  a remote space heating or use it for service hot water (after sending through a heat exchanger).

When solar energy heated water (medium) is used for both applications the system is called a solar combisystem. A system gaining popularity in low energy homes in Ireland is a solar combisystem using air as a medium of thermal energy transfer. The regulated ventilation system and the heat energy collected at the solar collector are transferred to the indoor space to be heated in a single system.

Another newer Innovation uses the collected thermal energy as a source of heat in small capacity heat pumps.

A solar water heating system if correctly designed and installed, will easily account for 50 – 60% of the space heating requirement of an average Northern European home.

• Photo Voltaic  (PV) systems

A PV Solar system converts sun’s energy rays impinging on it’s semiconductor panels (also called modules) converting them to DC (direct current) electricity. An array or a group of solar modules are either series or parallel connected to obtain the required voltage (generally 600 VDC maximum) and the generated power is conducted to an inverter panel where it is converted to AC electricity at 230 VAC/50hz/single phase.

Where there is no grid power supply close at hand, even in Ireland, stand alone solar PV panels or arrays are used. The electrical power supply thus available at home can be used just the way low voltage grid power supply is used, including water heating, lighting, in appliances etc.

It is interesting to note that it is not necessary at all to have direct sunlight falling on the panels for the conversion of solar energy to electricity. The panels in the Northern hemisphere are always southerly oriented for optimum collection. The generation of electricity is less in the colder seasons (when the least amount of it is needed) and high in the summer (when you require it most).

A “buy back” system is in effect in Ireland now where if your production of AC power is in excess of your needs, you can feed it to the national grid for financial benefits.

According to available statistics in year 2005, there have only been 3500 Irish homes equipped with solar heating system compared to over 5 million EU households, all using free solar energy.

The technology to heat water for domestic or commercial property applications with solar energy is today well developed. The collection of solar thermal energy, heating water with efficiently, storage, distribution, minimizing losses in transit are some processes that have been fine tuned. It is also a process with low contribution to CO₂ emissions in the fight against global warming.

Irish commercial organisations like King Group CES have introduced purpose designed packaged solar kits for specific applications which prevent a lot of sweat and tears. If you want more information on solar water heating for your home, free consultation is available from greentech.ie (callsave 1890 245 345).

In discussing safety of Solar PV module installation, “handling and installation” safety are aspects that are of prime importance. These guide lines are meant to safe guard your property and loved ones from possible injury and damage. Follow them and you will avoid a lot of head aches.

Handling safety

• Avoid imposing loads on the surface, twisting of the module frame, heavy impacts etc. to avoid physical damages to it. The surface is glass and should be treated accordingly.
• Standing or stepping on the glass module surface may damage it and you might be subject to bodily injury by shards or electrical voltages from exposed components.
• The looks are deceptive. The PV modules are quite heavy. Therefore lift and carry carefully.
• Just like the front surface the rear surface of the module too is susceptible to damage by impacts, high pressure etc. Avoid by all means as the PV cells may break.
• Do not twist the cables for interconnections unnecessarily. They might snap off and cause open circuits.
• Do not drill the PV Module frame as this would weaken the design strength of the panel. The stresses may lead to corrosion of the metallic parts.
• The edges of the metallic frame of the PV modules are sharp and may be burred. If handled with bare hands it may lead to injury.
• Handle carefully. If you drop the panels or let objects fall on them, these valuable equipment will be irreparably damaged.

Installation safety

• Always wear protective head gear, padded leather gloves and rubber soled safety boots.
• Due to potential electrical hazard do not work on the modules if the terminals are wet.
• Stop working on the modules if the weather is wet, snowy or windy.
• Insert well and true all inter connecting connectors. Double check connections for trueness.
• Secure cables to module frame, installations supports, raceway or structures to avoid movement and make them sag.
• Avoid direct sunlight falling on the connectors.
• Do not touch interconnecting cable ends, or terminal box with bare hands under sun light or during installation, whether or not the modules are connected to each other or the system.
• Do not disconnect a connector while the system is in operation with a working load.
• Do not damage the back cover during installation as this too is an important component of the module.
• Take extra precaution when replacing a module from an array so as to not damage other modules or the supporting structures.
• Keep in mind the PV modules are always installed out doors. Any components used in installing should withstand rigors of nature. Use UV resistant cable ties, corrosion resistant material, sealants and components etc for electrical interconnections.
• Avoid physical injury by taking appropriate safety precautions suitable for working at heights. Always avoid body grounding through un-insulated tools etc.
• Keep away children and pets during installation.
• Last but not least, ensure your work to reliable and approved professional such as Kinggroup.ie Keep in mind, there is a warranty applicable on your PV Modules, Grants are available and that taking insurance cover is a good practice. All these will require a professional installation.

All Solar PV modules look cool, friendly and quite innocent. But even if by accident light falls on it’s surface, electricity capable of causing harm will be generated in them. The voltages and currents which prevail may be high enough to be even fatal. Whether fatal or otherwise an accident is something you can hardly afford especially if it is the abode of your loved ones. Safety comes first they say. If it is so knowing some relevant details will only help you in your installation.

No doubt it is prudent to let professionals handle this important aspect of your home power supply. However it is always good to know what your installer is supposed to do and cross check whether it is being adhered to.

Safety implementation

The following safety instructions must be followed during PV Module installation and it’s subsequent maintenance. Failure to follow these may result in bodily injury to you and loved ones or may damage your costly equipment.
Basically the safety aspect of PV module installation of your home may be divided into the following categories.

• General Safety
• Handling safety
• Installation safety

General Safety

The fundamental idea of a commercially available PV module is to produce electricity when sunlight falls on it’s Mono or Poly crystalline semiconductor material. The volts (DC) thus generated is less than 50 VDC in each module. When connected in series, as often done, the total voltage will be dangerously high. On the other hand when connected in parallel the total available current will be very high. To avoid arcing, shock and fire hazard it is important to take precautions as given below during the installation.

• The installation of PV panels must be undertaken by approved professionals only.
• Avoid wearing metallic ornaments, jewelry or accessories of conductive material on your body when working.
• Avoid installing wet equipment and the use of wet tools.
• Do not use or install damaged or defective panels. Separate out these, carefully box them and keep away from working place and sunlight. Even when unusable the modules will generate electrical energy on exposure to light.
• Do not touch the potentially live electrical parts such as terminals, metal parts, bare wire etc and avoid shock, burns, and sparking. These can occur even when the components are not interconnected.
• Avoid concentrated artificial light falling on the PV module surface. Do not let mirrors and lenses to intensify the light falling on the modules.
• As with any electrical installation use of properly insulated tools, wearing of safety gear and garb is a must even here.
• All Module installations should comply with the best code of practice, IEC, IEE, BS, EN and the local codes of practice.
• If the installation of the modules is done on roof top, ensure it is rated fire resistant to local fire codes.
• It is important that all modules connected in series in one particular installation are of the same cell type, capacity, and specification and   preferably of the same make.
• Avoid uneven shading on the PV module surface as this may cause a phenomenon known as “Hot Spots” in the shaded areas. Hot spots damage PV modules permanently on usage.
• Do not use high pressure water jets, sprays and chemicals to clean the panel’s surface.
• All safety precautions as applied to other system components too should be strictly conformed to.

Now you have come this far in this article, you must be keen to find out about the Handling Safety and Installation Safety aspects as well. The part 2 of this article that will follow, deals with these aspects. Please look out for same.You can get free consultancy on solar PV modules and other renewable energy systems from Greentech.ie.

Name plate power out put details

The capacity of a Solar PV Panel is as what is given in it’s name plate. The out put will invariably be given in DC power out put in watts. The watt out put of an array of PV panels has to be converted to a practical unit which is kw (DC) and for this purpose the total watts (DC) of the PV module array is added up and divided by 1000.
Sadly this out put too does not give an indication of the ultimate power available to you for useful work due to several factors which derate the out put.

Affect of location of the building and the name plate capacity

The name plate detail of generated DC power is measured at Standard Test Conditions (STC). Now this does not tally most of the time with the highly variable conditions of a particular locality of an average building.
The STC is laid down simply to arrange a common platform for the sake of convenient comparison. Strangely two different STCs can exist depending on the country and authority responsible. A widely used STC is the standards laid down by the NRFL laboratory of the US Department of Energy.

This standard specifies:

• A Solar Irradiance of  1000 watts/m²
• A module (panel) temperature of 25 ⁰ C
• A default  PV Panel  surface area of  35 m ²
• A default  DC Power out put of 4 kw

Local Factors causing derating

The numerous component derate factors are as follows.

• PV module nameplate DC rating
  The name plate details do not coincide with field measured readings due to degradation and other reasons.
• Combined Inverter and transformer efficiency
  The conversion of DC to AC is a combined action of the inverter (which is a solid state device) and the transformer and naturally there are significant power losses during the path from the PV Modules to the building distribution board.
• Mismatch
  The manufacturers of the PV modules indicate in their catalogues a performance tolerance. The performances of each module vary within the limits of tolerance and when interconnected may not produce the total name plate output.
• Diodes and connections
  The diodes ensure the flow of current is unidirectional in the PV panels. Also the multitude of electrical connections imposes resistance causing energy losses. Both these contribute to derating of a system.
• DC wiring
  These account for the resistive losses in DC wiring between the PV panel installation and the inverter.
• AC wiring
  The derating occur due to losses taking place in the AC wiring between the inverter and the grid connection.
• Soiling
  Dirt such as dust, snow, bird droppings, etc settling on the PV modules derate the performance of the installation.
• System availability
  The down time of the PV array and that of the utility authorities due to maintenance etc. affect the output of the system.
• Shading
  The PV array performance is easily affected by surrounding buildings, vegetation etc.
• Sun-tracking
  When a tracking mechanism (generally not used in small capacity installations due to cost) is employed, the precise orientation of the Solar Modules is important to maintain the optimum efficiency.
• Age
  Over the years the efficiency of a PV array is affected and in about 10 years of operation a derating of about 10% may occur.

For the technically oriented, the selection and designing of the PV array installation etc. may sound easy. But many find it convenient and safe to employ the services of professionals for the task. Kinggroup.ie is one such whom you can rely on.
Greentech.ie provides free consultation for your Solar PV Panel and other renewable energy systems.

PV Panels or modules are undoubtedly among the best suited sustainable energy devices for your home power needs.
There are many different types of PV Panels who differ chemically as well as physically.
Further the mode of operation too differs in several others.
Inspite of all these developments, the most popular and still the best compromise for economy and performance for your home seems to be the Mono crystalline silicon modules, closely followed by Poly (or Multi) crystalline and Ribbon Silicon modules.

The first named is the one with the highest efficiency but is the most expensive out of the lot.
It so happens that these are also the best mass produced PV panels the world over, thus lowering the production cost over the past years. Accordingly there are hundreds of brands and thousands of models in the market today.

How would you filter out the best suited Mono crystalline silicon PV modules for your installation?
There are at least seven major facets one has to look in to.
These are;

• Specification
• Tolerance
• Electrical Performance
• Connections and terminations
• Physical dimensions and weight
• Characteristic performance curves
• Warranty and  de-rating details over the useful lifetime

Specification
The specification would give you;

• The type of solar cells and their physical characteristics.
• The number of cells and the manner they are interconnected
• Typical nominal output voltage in DC
• Maximum voltage in DC
• Module dimensions (height x width x thickness)
• Structural details
• Thickness of glass front
• Cell efficiency %

Tolerance
The performance of the module will depend and vary between different parameters due to environmental and usage fluctuations.
Therefore just like in other machinery there are tolerances it is possible and recommended too, to operate within.
Some of the important ones are;

• Operating Temperature
• Hail dimensions the module can withstand against standard wind velocity
• Continued Wind Velocity tolerance

Electrical Performance
This is one of the most important set of data to evaluate suitability of solar PV modules for your specific requirements.

• Power rating  (Pm) in watts
• Tolerance
• Rated  current (Im) in amperes
• Rated voltage (Vm) in volts
• Short Circuit current (Isc) in amperes
• Open circuit voltage(Voc) in volts
• Nominal operating cell temperature(NOCT)
• Electrical Connections and cable terminations

Characteristic Performance curves
A reputed manufacturer will provide the electrical performance of a PV solar module in graphical form.
This performance curve data is obtained under test conditions against a measured incidence of solar energy (such as 1000w/m²) and at a controlled cell temperature (such as of 25 ⁰C)

Dimensions
Dimensions of PV modules along with their weight are very critical for example when installed on roofs, slabs and support structures. Another important fact is that the available mounting space may not be enough for the total number of modules needed for a particular building load depending on the module dimensions.
Also it is critical to note whether the structural metal is of non- ferrous material and how bimetallic corrosion is avoided.

Warranty
Even a reliable product needs a warranty against at least manufacturing defects.
It is your safe guard against a valuable investment.

While it is good for an owner interested in a renewable energy source for his home to understand what he can expect from a particular PV panel installation, it is always important to let the professionals handle the design, equipment selection, installation, commissioning etc.

Greentech.ie provides you professional guidance for renewable energy projects including home retrofitting.

On browsing through Photovoltaic solar panel web sites of manufacturers you would come across a variety of specifications, classifications, terminology, and capacities.
An average non-technical person would easily get confused instead of getting the information he is looking for.

Here are some interesting facts to remember when browsing through their e-catalogues:

• The PV panels are rated according to the peak power they produce in watts DC.
  All manufacturers anywhere in the world would indicate this.
• The PV panel s have an efficacy depending on the physical characteristics of the materials used.
  For example the commercially produced Mono crystalline Silicon PV panels could be as efficient as up to 18%.
  The Thin Film PV panels on the other hand would be only about 8-10% efficient.
  The efficiency we refer to here really is the conversion efficiency of solar energy incident on the PV panel to DC electricity.
• The efficacy also will depend on the purity of material, design of panel, manufacturing technology and process and so many other factors as well.
• The recorded maximum conversion efficiencies (Solar energy to electrical energy) of various types of PV panels (as compiled by NREL-USA) are as follows:
  
  • Mono Crystalline Silicon PV Panels –
    Mono crystalline refers to the type of physical structure of the silicon PV material.
    (Efficiency=25.0 % max.)*
  • Poly crystalline Silicon PV Panels –
    Poly crystalline refers to the type of physical structure of the silicon PV material and the efficacy is less than that of the mono crystalline product but cheaper in price.
    (Efficiency =20.4)*
  • CIGS Thin Film PV Panels –
    CIGS refers to the Copper Indium Gallium di Sulphide semi conductor material and exhibit a wide spectrum of advantages over the traditional Crystalline Silicon material’s physical properties.
    Thin Films are naturally flexible and are manufactured in rolls.
    This makes it (just like all thin film PV material) easy and cheaper to ship when the kW densities are compared.
    It is a newer material and technology.
    (Efficiency=20%)*
  • CdTe PV Thin Film Panels –
    The semiconductor material is Cadmium Teluride and the physical nature is a thin film in contrast to the conventional panels of up to 50 mm thickness.
    It is therefore flexible in practical application.
    Efficacy is less than that of the Silicon PV Modules.
    (Efficiency = 16.7% max.)*
  • Amorphous Silicon Thin film PV Panels –
    It’s practically a wonder PV product in that the Amorphous Silicon material is deposited direct on glass or even plastic substrates.
    The semiconductor material is deposited on long plastic rolls, or any other flexible backing like laminated plastic, shingles, roofing tiles and such other material.
    The colour is uniformly distributed in this PV material.
    Therefore are easily blended aesthetically in to the architectural designs where they are incorporated for sustainable energy production. (efficiency=12.5% max)*

*All efficiency figures refer to research level observations. The production model capacities and performance widely vary. Readings reproduced here are indicative and for comparison only.

The world over you would find some reliable pioneering companies manufacturing high quality PV Panels.
Apart from the specialized manufacturers in UK, USA, Germany, Japan etc.
large corporations like Sharp, Hitachi etc.
too are engaged in research and development and also mass production.

China has now emerged as the world’s 3^rd largest user and the largest manufacturer of Photo Voltaic Panels.
The use of PV panels in large numbers within the country in increasing numbers and the state patronage has developed the industry itself and today one finds hundreds of manufacturers there.
The end result has been the dropping down of the price of PV panels considerably in the world market.
If you are looking for PV panels, made in China, one word of caution! All Chinese PV products are not of high quality though there are a few.
In fact many are not! Look for the appropriate (and valid) certifications for compliance with British, Irish or EU quality standards.