A Provencal house with hybrid solar panels - Alleins (FR)

  • 2014
  • Alleins, France
  • Power output : 5kWp + 2.2kWth
  • Panels : 6 hybrid + 14 photovoltaic
Photos-installation-panneaux-solaires-hybrides-dualsun-alleins-2

Patrice and his wife have been living in a pretty Provencal house built in Alleins five years earlier, since 2012. This retired couple already had photovoltaic solar panels when they lived in Nantes, which “was a plus” when they sold the house.

Refreshing his photovoltaic panels

Patrice had noticed that spring could be the best time to produce solar electricity, as the yield of photovoltaic panels decreases by 0.44% per °C as their temperature rises. In short, photovoltaic solar panels like the sun, but not the heat, unless you cool them down. This is the solution they were looking for, and Dualsun was it.

A keen observer of consumption and production, Patrice had noticed on his previous photovoltaic installation that, contrary to popular belief, spring, and not summer, could be the most favorable time of the year for producing solar electricity. In fact, the phenomenon observed with photovoltaic panels is that their yield decreases by 0.44% per °C as their temperature rises.

Clearly, solar photovoltaic panels like the sun, but not the heat, so how do you cool down your photovoltaic panels?

 

Dualsun hybrid panels cool photovoltaic cells

Dualsun hybrid panels incorporate a water exchanger on the rear panel. The water circulating through the exchanger cools the photovoltaic panels. Dualsun hybrid panels deliver two benefits.

Produce solar hot water that can be stored either in a hot-water tank or in a swimming pool.
Increase electricity production by up to 15%.

When they moved to the south of France, Patrice and his wife didn’t want to install standard PV panels because of the well-known phenomenon of diminishing returns… hence their passion for Dualsun!

A simple internet search pointed them in the direction of our hybrid solar solution. Meeting a partner installer did the rest, and the panels were installed in March 2014 at the same time as the insulation work. “Finally, a company that innovates, that’s great,” confided Patrice.

Patrice, a computer scientist by training, has created production and consumption monitoring tables. Everything is electric, and he’s having fun with energy efficiency (LEDs for lighting). Very meticulous and passionate about ecology, Patrice is well aware that these days, solar energy is turning away from profitability at all costs and towards ecological motivations. For them, solar power is a very positive thing, even if it’s a drop in the bucket compared with nuclear power. “Nuclear power is necessary, but we need to find the right balance with solar power,” he continues, “but the question of subsidies is not helping development.

This friendly, people-oriented couple have set up a Chambre d’Hôtes. It’s a way for them to meet people, strengthen human contact and provide a service: “We sometimes talk about your solution with customers who are interested in our solar panels! Aesthetics are also very important: the panels have to look good and blend in perfectly with the roofs, “the fact that your panels are black was very important in our choice”. 

“I wanted to refresh my photovoltaic panels”. Patrice

Technical information

Characteristics House for 2 people
Number of panels 6 Dualsun hybrid solar panels + 14 PV panels
Power output 5kWp + 2.2kWth
Rooftop installation Roof integration (EASYROOF system)
Thermal system Clipsol 300L hot water tank with electric back-up
Photovoltaic system SMA centralised inverter, full sale of electricity to EDF