Solar Collectors made of Polymers

The project addresses the necessary work to select and develop suitable polymer grades and collector designs to enter these markets with cost efficient and durable solutions to significantly increase the share of renewable energies for domestic hot water and heating applications on a world-wide scale. The final objectives are: 1. Innovative thermo-syphon solar-thermal systems suitable for polymer components 2. Innovative solar-thermal systems suitable for polymer components using flat-plate collectors appropriate for the integration into the building envelope 3. Innovative polymer absorber designs with an optimised heat transfer competitive to metal absorbers 4. New polymer material grades with promising cost performance ratio and proven long-term durability for absorbers used in thermo-syphon systems suitable for injection moulding and extrusion as production technology Interaction with the on-going Task 39 “Polymeric Materials for Solar Thermal Applications” of the IEA Solar Heating and Cooling Programme facilitates synergies and a broader dissemination and exploitation of the results.