The new system that comes with heat pipes is said to harness a mixture of technologies to pre-heat domestic hot water for radiators, baths and showers while also generating electricity.
The heat pipes with good thermal conductivity are usually seen in high tech devices such as PCs and the International Space Station.
The scientists believed that heat pipes would overcome the major technical issue caused due to solar cell or photovoltaic (PV) panels that are used to generate electricity.
The performance of the solar panels could be reduced due to the excess amount of heat they absorb, thereby impacting the sunlight conversion efficiency of the panels.
Thus, the scientists have used heat pipes constructed in flat panels 4m x 400mm which will use the unused sunlight to heat domestic hot water.
Brunel University Institute of Energy Futures senior lecturer Dr Hussam Jouhara said: "PV panels have an inherent challenge to the engineer.
"The more intense the sunlight the more electricity the cells will produce but only a fraction of the sun’s energy can be turned into electricity.
"So the sunnier it is the more of that unusable energy hits the cell which, in turn, heats it up. As PV cells heat up their electrical generation ability is degraded."
The PV cells cooled by Jouhara’s methods were found to perform better than identical panels during the concept tests.
Over 50% of the total domestic energy in the country is being used to heat water.
Image: Dr Hussam Jouhara with a prototype energy active solar roof panel. Photo: © Brunel University London.
