Swiss manufacturer TVP Solar awarded Solar Keymark certification for best performing solar thermal collector
TVP Solar, a Swiss company which designs, develops, manufactures and markets innovative high-vacuum mirrorless solar thermal collectors, announced on April 10 the one-year study of its solar thermal panels at a live client site in Kuwait’s first solar thermal-driven commercial air conditioning system. The results prove TVP’s best-in-class performance operating up to 200°C as recently certified by Din Certco Solar Keymark. The solar field in Kuwait produces a massive amount of thermal energy – 750 kWh/m²/year – with a peak efficiency of 57%, validating certification values.
Mr. Piero Abbate, TVP’s CEO said:
“TVP has proven itself a game-changer. Our super-performing panels predictably deliver massive thermal energy for the most energy-consuming applications, even in harsh environments like the Gulf.”
The panels can be applied to industrial process heat, desalination, and air conditioning. The solar field delivered up to 180°C to directly drive a double-effect absorption chiller and supply air conditioning to the new Agility Headquarters in Sulaibiya, Kuwait. Over 365 days the system ran automatically and unattended with 98% reliability, showing a mere 8% of efficiency loss due to soiling effect; this was achieved without a single day of panel cleaning.
The TVP solar-driven cooling system contributes 73% of the points for the new building’s LEED certification. Operating from 10am to 3pm (on average per day), with ambient temperatures up to 62°C, solar thermal supplied 70% of the daily cooling load, matching the peak load.
Agility’s subsidiary Alternative Energy Solutions (AES) CEO Mr. Stephen Lubrano stated:
“We are extremely proud to be the first adopter of this revolutionary solution in Kuwait. The solution is perfectly in-line with our parent company’s vision of innovation and social responsibility. TVP economically and efficiently cuts OPEX, meets Agility’s sustainability objectives, and is a key component of the new headquarters’ LEED certification.”
Source: Press Release by TVP Solar. Photo Credit: TVP Solar.
