Solar Heating with Added Install-ability
Viridian Solar announces new Solar Hot Water Concept
March 4th 2014
At Ecobuild on 4th March, Viridian Solar will unveil its Pod solar heating concept. A new product range that the company hopes will transform the way solar water heating is installed.
Stuart Elmes, Chief Executive Officer of Viridian Solar said Were very excited to be announcing this product. The main challenge with retrofit solar thermal isnt fitting the panels on the roof
its the interface with the existing heating system. The Pod changes all that. Our goal is for the solar installer to have everything they need, irrespective of the heating system they find in the property. We reckon we've simplified installation to the point where solar thermal can be as easy to install as solar PV.
The Pod is a thermal heat store, heated by either solar thermal (Pod-ST) or solar photovoltaic energy (Pod-PV). Its 50cm x 50cm cross-section means that it will fit through any standard loft hatch and its horizontal format means that it will slide into the tightest corners.
Cold water is rapidly pre-heated on demand as it flows through a high-surface area coil of pipe inside the unit before entering the existing heating system, so once the Pod is installed all that is required is to break into the cold water feed to either the hot water cylinder or a combi-boiler. Installation time, disruption to the householder and making good after are significantly reduced.
Pod-ST includes an integrated solar controller and pump station. It can be used in either drain-back or pressurised format.
Pod-PV has a 3kW immersion heater, for heating with excess PV solar electricity under control of a PV switch. It has the advantage over using the immersion in an existing cylinder that there is a solar-dedicated volume so that the boiler timing doesn't affect the energy capacity and it also makes PV water heating possible in the 50% of homes that have a combi-boiler.
The Pod will be on show at Stand S2240 at Ecobuild from 4th to 6th March. Shipments will start from 1st May 2014.