Harvesting solar heat for warm and cool buildings
The EU-funded SOcool project developed the SunOyster, a concentrating solar technology that can reach high surface efficiency, roughly double that of normal PV modules. Parabolic mirrors follow the sun all day and concentrate the sunlight onto a receiver, where up to 75 % of the direct radiation can be converted into heat, or with the patented hybrid receiver at the same time, into electricity and heat. Moreover, thermal chillers work as a form of a heat pump by extracting heat and then rejecting it. This low-grade heat has not been created from scratch, but merely moved and can be exploited for warming something else. The solution was designed with sunny countries in mind, where high temperatures mean the buildings need cooling more than heating.
From demo to market
The project’s core goal was to bring the SunOyster 16 from working prototype to certification (TRL9), so that serial production and large-scale roll-out could start. This included comprehensive testing of more than a dozen SunOysters in the field, from Scotland to Zambia and China. “The success of this goal means that our customers in EU countries can receive attractive grants for installing the machine,” explains project coordinator Carsten Corino. A secondary target was to demonstrate the function of small thermal chillers along with the SunOyster. “Here, we were not so convinced by our results in regards to the small scale,” admits Corino. The lack of full solar radiation, and correspondingly, the only partial load operation of the chiller, reduces the adsorption efficiency. “Altogether, we believe the system is presently more adequate for larger projects with a cooling power of 100 kW or more.” The team realised first-hand that building up a hardware product, especially a big deep-tech one, is not an easy task. “Without strong support from the Horizon 2020 SME instrument, we would probably not have succeeded in crossing the infamous ‘valley of death’ on the way to serial production,” confesses Corino. “So, we are very grateful for having received this benefit and hopeful that we can one day pay it back in the form of emission reductions, jobs, social insurance contributions and tax payments resulting from a successful growth.”
Making green visions feasible
SOcool appears to offer an effective response to the environmental urgencies of the near future. “One SunOyster 16 heat PVplus saves over the lifetime of at least 20 years in Germany roughly 100 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions. In sunny southern Spain or Crete, it is roughly 200 tonnes,” explains Corino. “When it reaches the targeted installation numbers in 10 thousand per year, the product will significantly contribute to fighting global warming.” Based on the SO16 and using their acquired know-how in solar tracking, the team has developed two more products: the smaller and lighter SO8 and the purely electric PV mover with conventional PV modules. With this product portfolio, they are equipped to cover any mix of heat and electricity demand of housing or industrial use. Central to their plans is making the most of the energy transition momentum in EU countries and building up their patented hybrid receivers’ production in the EU.
Keywords
SOcool, heat, electricity, solar, SunOyster, buildings, pv modules, cooling, energy, hybrid, chiller, solar cooling, pv tracker, solar tracker
