A solar thermal façade panel developed at the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems, Germany, absorbs heat from solar radiation for delivery to residential air-to-water heat pumps.

Available in glazed or unglazed finish, the TABSOLAR panels composed of ultra-high-performance concrete are interspersed with channels containing a solar fluid, which absorbs the heat from the sun’s radiation andCollection channel structures shown on the rear side of a TABSOLAR panel. Source: Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ambient air. The collected heat is transferred via a heat exchanger into the heat pump circuit.

As low-temperature heat sources, these panels have the potential to provide a silent and visually aesthetic alternative to external air units for air-to-water heat pumps. The unglazed version is intended as a heat source for heat pumps used for domestic hot water heating or swimming pools and can be fabricated in different colors and with different surface structures. Glazed TABSOLAR panels with spectrally selective coatings can produce higher temperatures and are designed for domestic hot water heating and back-up heating in a similar way to conventional solar thermal collectors.

The prefabricated panels have been developed for suspended rear-ventilated façades but could potentially be adapted for composite exterior insulation and finish systems or sandwich wall systems. The panels can also be installed inside buildings as thermally activated building systems for heating and cooling.