News Article
Most Efficient Solar Panel
Irish firm produces what they claim to be the world’s most efficient solar panel
An Irish company has launched what it says is the most efficient solar panel ever produced. Surface Power in County Mayo says it plans to create 20 new jobs over the next 12 months with the launch and international distribution of its breakthrough product. Independent Certification by TUV Rhineland has shown that when compared to other leading solar panels the Irish developed panel was in one case as much as 131% more efficient in morning and evening time and 76% more efficient at midday.
Surface Power estimates that the product, which has undergone six years of development and testing, has the potential to reduce domestic and commercial hot water bills by up to 70% if insulation standards meet new building regulations. Company founder John Quinn believes that having a very good product result will help drive growth and jobs for the company in 2009.
“The market for the solar collector was worth in excess of one billion dollars in 2008 and has grown by 300% since 1998. We received over 400 enquiries from the USA alone last month after the specifications were released during the Christmas period. We also expect the international home renovation market to be very strong during the next three years, as our collector is the only pre-packaged vacuum collector on the world market. This leads to quicker, simpler and cheaper installations” added Mr. Quinn.
He continued, “Our solar panel has been compared to 52 other collectors which hold the prestigious Solar Keymark certification and the results of the comparative testing are excellent. The biggest difference that was achieved in comparison results was that against flat plate collectors. It's great to see the end of a product development cycle and a huge spike in enquiries from the renovation market in Europe and USA, we have several more products in development and plan to release one per year. ”
Outlining the benefits of using the solar panel, Mr. Quinn stated, “The solar panel is a hot water type designed specifically for the retrofit market although it is perfectly suitable also for new builds. It was designed to deal specifically with Irish climatic conditions such as wind, rain and cloud. Solar hot water can be used in domestic homes and commercial applications such as shower rooms, hotels and swimming pools. It may be classified as new technology and simpler to use and install but it is not more expensive to produce. Its cost per kW is its biggest advantage while it can generate up to 70% savings on hot water bills when coupled with an insulation upgrade, we can reduce the cost of achieving a solar installation by 50% when measured against efficiency.”
Surface Power estimates that the product, which has undergone six years of development and testing, has the potential to reduce domestic and commercial hot water bills by up to 70% if insulation standards meet new building regulations. Company founder John Quinn believes that having a very good product result will help drive growth and jobs for the company in 2009.
“The market for the solar collector was worth in excess of one billion dollars in 2008 and has grown by 300% since 1998. We received over 400 enquiries from the USA alone last month after the specifications were released during the Christmas period. We also expect the international home renovation market to be very strong during the next three years, as our collector is the only pre-packaged vacuum collector on the world market. This leads to quicker, simpler and cheaper installations” added Mr. Quinn.
He continued, “Our solar panel has been compared to 52 other collectors which hold the prestigious Solar Keymark certification and the results of the comparative testing are excellent. The biggest difference that was achieved in comparison results was that against flat plate collectors. It's great to see the end of a product development cycle and a huge spike in enquiries from the renovation market in Europe and USA, we have several more products in development and plan to release one per year. ”
Outlining the benefits of using the solar panel, Mr. Quinn stated, “The solar panel is a hot water type designed specifically for the retrofit market although it is perfectly suitable also for new builds. It was designed to deal specifically with Irish climatic conditions such as wind, rain and cloud. Solar hot water can be used in domestic homes and commercial applications such as shower rooms, hotels and swimming pools. It may be classified as new technology and simpler to use and install but it is not more expensive to produce. Its cost per kW is its biggest advantage while it can generate up to 70% savings on hot water bills when coupled with an insulation upgrade, we can reduce the cost of achieving a solar installation by 50% when measured against efficiency.”
