Hybrid solar tiles: can be walked upon and produce both electricity and hot water
Hybrid solar tiles have been developed to use both the solar photovoltaic and solar thermal effects for producing electricity and domestic hot water at the same time.
The new hybrid solar tile has been developed after various years of research at the Industrial Engineering department of the Alma Mater in Bologna, Italy. This important tecnological innovation represents a great new opportunity for the photovoltaic sector capable of producing both electricity and thermal energy without the need of separate systems.
The new hybrid solar tile simplifies the entire system both in terms of installation and space optimization considered that one of the typical limitations of traditional PV systems, is their efficiency per square meter. In fact, most households, due to a lack of space, either have one of these two renewable energy systems based on PV technologies but rarely both together.
This limit is now overcome with the introduction of this breakthrough hybrid PV system that increases efficiency and exploits solar energy to produce both electricity and DHW – Domestic Hot Water simultaneously allowing everyone to contribute to improved renewable energy sources and promote sustainability.
These tiles are covered with two different types of plastic resin. They can also be walked on, and are therefore suitable for any type of application. They can be used on small surfaces or in spaces where current PV solutions cannot be adopted due to installation constraints.
This type of hybrid solar tile has been designed taking into account two key aspects to ensure the diffusion of this new technology: ease of production and installation by installers.
The result is a product that can be reproduced in series, with the same thickness as ordinary self-locking tiles, which can be easily installed.
Hybrid solar tile: technical characteristics
The dedicated mold provides internal canals that create an upper and lower stratum which are then sealed together as a compact element. Its special modular shape garantees great flexibility during installation and does not require any particular laying skill other than the installation of common self-locking tiles.
Possible applications:
- Nautic and marine uses
- Camper applications
- Industrial floors
- Terraces and flat roofs.
The advantages:
- Optimized integrated energy production
- Highy reduces technical and functional constraints
- Easy installation, cleaning and maintenance operations
- Existing flooring can be easily converted in the case of ground applications.
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