As part of the ArKol – development of architecturally highly integrated façade collectors with heat pipes project, Fraunhofer ISE together with its partners is developing two new-style façade collectors from the concept through to readiness for application. Both developments are intended to be much more flexibly integratable into the building envelope than standard collectors currently on the market, and in this way make the architectural integration of solar collectors in façades more attractive.

Through the multifunctional nature of the building envelope and the use of mass-produced sub-components, the costs of solar generated heat are however far lower than those of conventional solar thermal collectors. In recent months, the project team has been able to specify two highly promising approaches to the problem. On the one hand, it is working on a strip collector for which the distance and the material between the strips can be freely selected. On the other, a solar thermal blind is created which can be inserted between glass panels.

Both developments use heat pipes with a dry thermal connection to the collection duct, and in so doing enable a flexible design of the solar collector. As a result, the collectors can be optimally integrated into standard building envelopes.

Architectural design diversity: strip collector

The first product concept consists of strip-shaped heat pipe collectors which are variable in length and which can be attached flexibly. The heat pipe concept is designed to enable all alignments, including in the horizontal direction.