Technology
Caplin Solar present a unique combination of technologies that, for the first time, makes it practical and affordable to achieve zero carbon status for new homes and low-rise commercial developments with appropriately engineered building fabric.
The system has been designed as an answer to the government’s 2050 zero carbon emissions target.
The The system is scalable and economical, and can meet a home’s full annual heating and hot water requirements using just solar energy.
The system consists of three core components:
Advanced solar energy capture, collecting both electrical and thermal energy, using HYBRID PV-T panel arrays.
Our patented EARTH ENERGY BANK, which provides inter-seasonal energy storage within the buildings footprint.
Energy recovery using a conventional water-water heat pump, within a system that enhances it’s efficiency.
How it Works
An array of hybrid Photovoltaic Thermal (PV-T) panels, which collect both electrical and thermal energy, are installed in the roofline of the building. These are used to generate heat to warm the house and its hot water system, as well as provide electricity to run the system and for lighting.
Because solar energy is naturally in abundance when it is least required (during the long summer days), Caplin Solar’s system utilises a patented energy storage method, the Earth Energy Bank (EEB). Heated fluid is pumped from the roof through a series of pipes underneath the house, warming the surrounding earth. This heat can then be drawn upon as required via a heat pump during the coldest weeks of the year.
A sophisticated smart-controller manages the flow of energy within the system. Taking into account the outside and inside temperatures, the occupants’ desired temperature, the temperature of the domestic hot water and the temperature of the EEB, whilst monitoring the energy flow from the PVT panels, the system determines the best energy source to meet demand at least cost.
Earth Energy Banks have recently been installed in a 47 property carbon free development in Corby.Since 2013 experts from De Montfort University’s IESD, a world leading energy research institute, have undertaken studies into the technical performance of the Caplin Solar thermal storage system.