Brief description
Solar thermal collectors are, related to service life and sustainability, the most affected components in a solar thermal plant since they are exposed to changing and partially extreme climatic conditions depending on their location and since they need to cope with very high temperatures. Besides central European areas, solar thermal collectors are also increasingly used in densely populated, very sunny and coastal regions. They are often not only exposed to thermal stress but also to a very high UV irradiance as well as high humidity and salinity. The impact of those ambient conditions to the aging effects of solar thermal collectors and their components is of particular interest regarding the development of suitable fast-track testing procedures in order to determine aging characteristics.
The SpeedColl2 project refers to the results of the previous SpeedColl project which included the exposure of solar thermal collectors and their components in different regions for a period of four years and their analysis in a laboratory; models of aging were created. SpeedColl2 complements this research by expanding the available database as well as fundamental physical-chemical knowledge. The project objectives are to assess service life by developing suitable testing procedures and to calculate the ecological footprint of a solar thermal plant while considering its specific service life.
Project duration
Project partners
Research institutes:
- Fraunhofer Institut für Solare Energiesysteme (ISE), Freiburg
Manufacturers of solar thermal collectors:
- Bosch Thermotechnik GmbH
- Viessmann Werke GmbH & Co. KG
- Vaillant Deutschland GmbH & Co. KG
- Wolf GmbH
- Citrin Solar GmbH Energie- und Umwelttechnik
Manufacturers of components for solar thermal collectors:
- Almeco GmbH
- Alanod GmbH & Co. KG
- DSM Advanced Surfaces B.V.
- Herrmann Otto GmbH
- Kömmerling Chemische Fabrik GmbH
- Dow Corning GmbH
- Interfloat Corp.
- LORENZ-Montagesysteme GmbH
- ArcelorMittal Europe
- Interlotus Nanotechnologie GmbH
- Deutsches Kupferinstitut Berufsverband e.V.
Acknowledgements
The SpeedColl2 project is funded by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy. The authors would like to sincerely thank for their support and take responsibility for the content of this publication.
Contact
Dr.-Ing. Harald Drück
Research Coordinator and Team Lead
Dr.-Ing. Stephan Fischer
Team Lead