Solar panels get hot – very hot at times, which can negatively impact on their efficiency. In some systems, the heat can be so intense that heat sinks are used to reduce the temperature, particularly in Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) systems that use lenses or mirrors to focus the sun’s rays.
That wasted heat is also wasted energy, so why not use it to heat water instead of needing to have a separate solar hot water system?
Entech Solar have done just that and taken it a step further with their ThermaVolt™ system. ThermaVolt is based on combining concentrating photovoltaic and thermal (CPVT) technology.
According to the company, the system produces up to 3-4X as much energy as stand-alone PV systems and by concentrating sunlight 20X, the silicon requirements are reduced by 95% compared to traditional solar energy systems. The ThermaVolt system also incorporates a solar tracker in order to expose the array to the maximum amount of sunlight possible.
Entech has been researching and developing concentrating solar systems for over two decades, making it one of the most experienced concentrating solar companies in the industry. WorldWater & Solar Technologies acquired Entech, Inc. in January of last year. Since the acquisition, the company has focused its resources on rolling out the ThermaVolt system, hailing it a "true game changer" for the industry and predicting it will be the leader in the combined heat and power market.
Unfortunately at this stage, the target market for the ThermaVolt system isn’t the residential sector. The company is focusing on corporate and industrial applications; but with the technology now proven and in the field, perhaps it may not be too long before we see similar hybrid systems adorning homes.
