How do solar PVT (Photovoltaic-Thermal) systems compare to traditional solar PV in terms of efficiency and carbon savings, and what makes them particularly suitable for industrial applications?
“A solar PV panel generates electricity only. A solar PVT product however generates heat and electricity simultaneously from the same collector.
“There are different PVT products on the market which work in different ways. Our solar PVT product, called VirtuPVT, is an evacuated tube collector combining high-efficiency PV cells and a thermal absorber to capture heat directly from the sun, it generates heat up to 75-degree celsius. A fluid made of water and propylene glycol transports the heat to a heat exchanger connected to a hot water tank. From there solar heat can be used in the entire building, whether that’s for domestic hot water, space heating, or the lower range of industrial process heat.
“Other types of PVT products are Air PVT collectors, Uncovered and Covered PVT collectors as well as Concentrated PVT collectors.
“The evacuated tubes and building integrated design of VirtuPVT collectors allow us to install more of them in a given m2 in direct comparison to conventional flat plate PV panels or solar thermal collectors. We are converting up to 72% of the sun’s energy into heat and electricity, which makes the product three to four times more efficient in terms of energy efficiency and carbon savings. Additionally, the solar thermal energy generated by PVT systems offers significant flexibility for system design.
“VirtuPVT directly reduces imported fuel consumption and scope 1 emissions, while lowering energy bills. The electrical output significantly reduces the reliance and expense of grid electricity.
“Many industrial customers have a lot of HVAC equipment installed on their, for the most part, flat roofs. Ensuring maximum efficiency of the remaining roof space to generate clean heat and power is therefore paramount.
“PVT as well as other solar thermal technologies are grid-edge technologies, which means they operate independently from the gas or power grid. Industrial-scale projects are facing significant backlogs in several countries, as local power grids are not equipped to handle the additional load. This poses major challenges for businesses striving to meet their 2030 net zero targets, delays they simply cannot afford.
Which industries stand to benefit the most from adopting high-energy-density heat solutions powered by solar PVT, and what are the key drivers for their adoption?
“Industries that benefit most from solar PVT systems are food and beverage manufacturing, pharmaceutical and chemical industries, the hospitality and healthcare sector as well as district heating networks.
“Food and beverage manufacturing facilities require large volumes of low-to-mid temperature heat (60–120°C) for processes like pasteurization, washing, cooking, and sterilization. Solar PVT’s ability to deliver both electricity and thermal energy from a compact footprint is ideal for space-constrained urban or peri-urban sites.
“In the pharmaceutical and chemical industries, precise thermal energy output is required for production and cleaning processes. Solar PVT reduces dependence on fossil fuels, lowers emissions, and helps meet ESG targets and regulatory pressures around clean production.
“With regard to hospitality, healthcare, and other commercial buildings the common denominator is a high, consistent year-round demand for hot water and electricity. Solar PVT enables them to maximize roof space to generate both, helping lower operating costs and meet increasingly stringent carbon reduction commitments.
“In some regions district heating networks can benefit from solar PVT too. It can supplement or partially decarbonize district heating, especially where electric grid constraints limit the deployment of electric heat pumps or resistive heating.
“Generally speaking there are three key drivers for the adoption of solar PVT technology;
1. Dual-energy yield from producing both electricity and heat from the same collector, resulting in higher total energy density per m2 in comparison to standalone PV or solar thermal.
2. By capturing waste heat from PV cells, PVT improves overall efficiency and reduces costs. This is especially impactful where heat presents a major operational expense.
3. In urban and industrial settings a lack of available roof space can present an issue for decarbonization efforts. Solar PVT’s high energy density per m² makes it a compelling option.
- A common denominator for those 4 key drivers is of course decarbonisation targets. While many industry players spent recent years to plan and finetune their decarbonization journey, we now see an increase in strategy implementation to meet 2030 net-zero targets.
What are the main challenges in scaling solar PVT technology for widespread industrial use, and how can policy and financial incentives accelerate market adoption?
“A main challenge in scaling solar PVT technology has been a lack of government support to address the decarbonization of heat. For example, in the UK heat is responsible for roughly 37% of emissions, and 70% of UK industrial energy demand is for heat, but the Government has overlooked this in favour of electrification.
“To increase the pace of adoption, the Government needs to expand its horizons beyond electrification and include solar thermal and solar PVT technologies in policy documents, especially for commercial and industrial heat decarbonization. It’s predicted that by 2030 solar thermal could generate 140 GWth (Gigawatt Thermal) equivalent to 75% of the derived heat produced by solid fossil fuels in Europe in 2019. While the data is impressive, right now a lack of policy support means that too many people are unaware that this option exists.
“Especially in the climate tech space, start-ups are drivers of much-needed innovation, which the large corporations often can’t create on their own. They need support to overcome the ‘valley of death’, a funding gap between innovation and large-scale commercial deployment which is common in climate technologies.
“On this front, it’s incredibly promising to see that the National Wealth Fund plans to act as a guarantor for renewable energy projects, as this significantly reduces the risk of renewable energy projects for private investors. For PVT to realize its potential, the fund needs to focus on the 3 Ds of the climate crisis: decarbonization, digitization, and decentralization. However, it shouldn’t only focus on projects worth billions – it’s small to medium-scale PVT projects worth tens of millions that really need the help and are fundamental to achieve a truly decentralized and therefore robust energy infrastructure.
How does the integration of solar PVT with existing industrial processes impact operational costs, energy efficiency, and overall sustainability goals?
“Integrating solar PVT with existing industrial processes delivers immediate and lasting benefits across operational costs, energy efficiency, and sustainability performance.
“Solar PVT systems, particularly when integrated with heat storage and heat pumps, enable industrial users to offset a substantial portion of their thermal energy needs with free, renewable energy. By covering up to 90% of summer heat demand, these systems significantly reduce reliance on fossil fuels. The stored thermal energy can be used during off-peak hours, helping flatten demand curves and reduce peak energy costs.
“Moreover, PVT allows supporting systems such as gas boilers or heat pumps to operate more efficiently at part-load rather than peak capacity, further lowering energy consumption and maintenance overheads.
“PVT systems capture both electricity and heat from the same footprint, greatly increasing energy yield per square meter. This dual-output setup makes better use of roof or ground space than PV or solar thermal alone. The thermal side not only boosts the overall efficiency of the solar collector but can also enhance the Coefficient of Performance (COP) of heat pumps when used as a preheat source.
“By decarbonizing a major portion of industrial heat demand, PVT systems help companies make substantial progress toward Scope 1 and 2 emissions reductions. Their ability to displace fossil fuels and reduce grid dependency contributes directly to 2030 net zero targets, while also enhancing ESG credentials and regulatory compliance.
“In short, intelligent integrated solar PVT systems do more than just reduce emissions, they improve process resilience, stabilize energy costs and optimize system performance, and improve building ratings making them a strategic asset for forward-thinking industrial operators.
What advancements in solar PVT technology are currently being developed to enhance performance and make it more accessible for large-scale industrial deployment?
“At Naked Energy, we’re currently developing a software platform that takes advantage of AI to make the design process for large-scale industrial projects much quicker. This kind of software is standard in the PV industry but represents a significant innovation for the solar thermal and solar PVT industry. Our platform will shorten the initial design process from a few weeks to a few hours and makes it much easier to deploy solar thermal and solar PVT projects on large and complicated buildings.
“We are also rolling out our O&M service enabled by our own proprietary monitoring platform Clarity247. Clarity247 provides real-time data monitoring and analytics on performance and Virtu systems. This enables services such as remote optimization, performance reviews, and reporting. Solar thermal and PVT customers now enjoy the same level of transparency and service PV customers have been benefiting from for years.”
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