Hydro won the supply contracts from Solarbayer in Germany and the Polish company Hewalex, which ordered round-tube solutions for their respective solar thermal systems. These tubes are used in flat-plate collectors on rooftops, for residential and industrial use.
Hydro is manufacturing the aluminium tubes at its precision tubing plant in Denmark.
Flat-plate collectors are the dominating solar thermal technology in Europe. While aluminium has begun to replace copper as the preferred material for absorber sheet, the first absorbers made with aluminium tubes are now entering the market..
Solarbayer is active in the supply of renewable energy systems for residential and industrial use, mainly in Germany, the company’s home market. Its products includes a flat plate collector that is considered one of the most efficient collectors on the market.
The main product of the Polish company Hewalex is its solar collector KS2000. Several European institutes, including the European Solar Thermal Industry Federation and SPF in Switzerland, have tested repeatedly the efficiency and energy performance of the collector, with positive results.