Conserval Engineering is pleased to announce that they are working with the Ontario Ministry of Education, through the Green Schools Pilot Program, to install their award-winning SolarWall® PV/thermal systems on 12 schools across Ontario. The projects will be completed by the end of August and will demonstrate the tremendous benefits of the hybrid solar technology for schools and institutions around the world.
The SolarWall® PV/T system is a hybrid technology that produces four times the amount of energy in the same space as standalone PV. The system produces two types of energy – electricity & heat – from the same footprint and can be wall or roof-mounted. It also improves the typical PV electrical output by up to 10% by reducing the module operating temperature up to 20°C. The thermal SolarWall® component, which also doubles as the PV racking system, uniformly removes the heat from the back of each PV module and delivers it into the school’s ventilation system. And since the SolarWall® system heats fresh air, it ensures a high level of indoor air quality, which is an important consideration for schools.
The schools will also be able to take advantage of the Feed-in-Tariff (FIT) in Ontario, which pays up to 80 ¢/ kW/h, for the electricity produced from the PV component.
The use of the hybrid SolarWall® PV/T technology on schools is extremely promising as it addresses the largest usages of on-site energy (indoor heating + electricity) and allows for substantial long-term energy reductions. It also provides students with a first-hand appreciation and understanding of the solar technologies that will become mainstream energy sources in their lifetime.
