Sunlumo project group to test innovative, cost-efficient vacuum tube collectors

Today solar-thermal engineering is mainly used for water heating, room and pool heating, solar cooling and process heat. “Solar-thermal installations are far from being as widely used as they could,” says Sunlumo CEO Robert Buchinger, referring in particular to their integration into heating networks, industrial processes and commercial applications. Such applications would need large-sized solar panels and system temperatures of more than 70°C. “This would require large-format collector panels that are highly efficient in the temperature range between 80 and 120°C”, the solar expert declares. In addition, there are particular requirements to be met concerning flexible collector hydraulics, simple assembly techniques and high cost-efficiency. In order to find the best solutions for this problem, Sunlumo has initiated the project MidTempColl. The research partners are AEE INTEC and the Institute of Polymeric Materials and Testing at the Johannes Kepler University in Linz. Ökotech and SOLID are other corporate partners of the project. This R&D project is co-funded by the Research and Technology Program NEW ENERGIES 2020 of the Climate and Energy Fund and handled by the Austrian Research Promotion Agency FFG.

Competence network and long-standing know-how

The main target of the R&D project MidTempColl is to develop a cost-efficient vacuum tube collector concept from scratch, especially for use in large-sized solar-thermal installations to be mounted on the roofs of industrial buildings. Another target is to ensure their ability for application in series circuits, combined with a new type of distribution and collection concept. Moreover the system should be easy to assemble. This is another project where Sunlumo can fully benefit from and rely on its unique competence network and long-standing know-how. The green-tech corporation is an important partner of various national research projects and has in almost no time become a world leader in the research and development of plastic collector panels.