integraTE-XL

A PVT collector (also known as a hybrid collector) generates electricity and heat from solar radiation at the same time. Over the course of a year, these collectors produce up to four times more total energy (electricity + heat) than a pure photovoltaic system with the same surface area.

In combination with a heat pump, space heating and hot water can be provided efficiently and with low CO₂ emissions - a key contribution to the energy transition in the building sector.

The integraTE-XL project is aimed at everyone involved in the energy transition in the building sector - from tradespeople to the housing industry.
The aim is to share knowledge, make it easier to get started and make new technologies practicable.

The project specifically addresses the following players:

• Planning offices & energy consultants
• Craft businesses
• Housing associations
• Political & institutional decision-makers in the climate sector

Practical information material is being developed for these groups in order to speed up implementation and remove obstacles.

PVT collectors as an efficient heat source for heat pumps in existing buildings

In the building sector, heat pumps have so far mainly been operated using outside air or geothermal energy as a heat source. However, there are limits to these heat sources, especially in existing buildings: There is often not enough land available to use geothermal probes or ground collectors as a heat source. Air/water heat pumps also encounter problems in existing buildings, in particular due to the high noise level generated when the air is drawn into the outdoor unit. In densely built-up residential areas, this can even be an exclusion criterion. This is where the use of PVT collectors offers an opportunity and can serve as a quiet and space-saving heat source for heat pumps. They also increase the annual coefficient of performance and cover part of the electricity requirement for the heat pump throughout the year. PVT collectors therefore make an important contribution to reducing CO2 emissions and support homeowners on their way to climate neutrality, especially when renovating existing buildings to make them more energy efficient.

In many existing buildings, conventional heat sources for heat pumps are reaching their limits:

• Geothermal energy: limited land area
• Outside air: Problems with noise (air intake)

PVT collectors offer clear advantages here:

• Independence from the ground or outside air
• Increasing the annual coefficient of performance of the heat pump
• Reduction in electricity consumption from the grid
• Improved CO₂ balance of building heating

This creates a realistic path to CO₂ neutrality in existing buildings.