German startup Nexol Photovolthermic AG has unveiled a 1,500 W water heater that can use photovoltaic energy without an additional converter.
“The system can be ordered in three configurations starting from the third quarter of this year,” the company's co-founder, Michael Lau, told pv magazine.
All of the systems include a smart controller, known as the Nexol-Energy-Controller. It can work with either DC and AC power and decides autonomously if grid electricity or photovoltaics is used, with the latter being always preferred. Users can choose between one or two heating rods: the NEX-R1 and the NEX-R2.
Image: Nexol Photovolthermic AG
“To install these retrofit sets, an existing tank needs 1 ½ threaded sleeves at a suitable height,” Lau explained. “We also offer a 120l tank for the two-rod configuration, which is dubbed NEX-R2x120, and the plug and play principle makes installation very easy.”
If two heating rods are integrated, they enable zone heating of the tank inlayers, said Lau. “The application of heating zones allows reducing significantly grid power consumption,” he added.
The function principle of the two-zone heating is described by the company as simple. At first, the upper zone of the storage tank near the hot water outlet is heated to 60 C. This enables faster hot water withdrawal, with PV prioritized as an operating source.
In the case of low solar radiation, the intelligent system reheats the upper zone of the water through the network. Thus, as little grid power as possible is used to provide hot water since only the upper zone needs to be heated for this purpose. As soon as the upper zone has reached its target temperature, the system switches to the lower heating element and thus heats the entire storage tank. “The energy generated by the PV panel is stored in the water,” Lau said.
The company said the standard PV installation that should be coupled to the water heater is an array with four 375 W panels. “Other configurations are possible, even with more power,” Lau added. “All you have to check is the maximum input voltage of 500 V.”
The product was developed and fabricated by Nexol in Germany. It will be available from an entry price of €799 ($845) and is purportedly suitable for the European markets, as well as other regions.
“For example, while the NEX-R2x120 is well suited to replace gas boilers in households around the Mediterranean, our R1 and R2 retrofit sets are also well suited for households in the DACH region to be integrated into existing systems and thus reduce costs,” Lau concluded.
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I’m looking to change my hot water tank to one based on solar or heat pump technology.
It seems like this will be the norm in a few years time. This system look interesting. Heat pump installations appear to be built up on excessive installation on costs. This appears to be not quite plug and play , more install and play (or smile with the reduction in your bills.
for anyone who do have an even minimal ecological interest, this object is a pure waste of everything.
If you consider PV efficiency of 20% plus heating efficiency very low, plus fabricating the equipment and not using PV for producing anything else than hotwater.
advertising for it is certainly interesting for those who developed it but a total ecological non sens and a waste of ressources (remember : there is no planete B)
jm ~ please could you go into more detail… putting up such assertions without does very little to advance understanding. Perhaps you could opine on how you’d heat water to protect planet A? More oil, fracked gas and nuclear fission, for examples? I guess not ~ but please don’t just carp!
Il me semble que chauffer de l’eau avec des cellules photovoltaïques est du gâchis.
Pour chauffer de l’eau, il faut utiliser du photothermique qui est bien plus simple et rentable !
Solar + Heat Pump (COP=4-4.5) makes SENSE ….
Solar + Elec. Heater (COP=0.9-0.95) makes NO SENSE…
Solar + Heat Pump with use of Hot & Cold Water (COP=7-8) is the Best of All….
When can I order this product, I live in ontario Canada.
Îmi place și îmi doresc să am și eu.
Africa is a developing continent, this PV system is more likely to be suitable. I’m interested to see Africa as a whole involved in this innovation.
When will the Nexol PV water heating system be available? Will I be able to purchase it in southern California, USA?
Hi i live in Turkey south coast.and want to have a set of this unit as a trial.how can I have it.
I see a niche market for the in situations where it is too much trouble to plumb to a roof-top solar water heater but cabling to a roof-top solar panel array is more expedient. Better than nothing.
The price point for this product would still have to be below the incremental cost of a heat pump water heater as opposed to a regular electric water heater to make it attractive.