The Senergy Polymer Solar Thermal Panel

Senergy have developed a novel polymer solar thermal panel that will drive down the cost of delivering hot water to residential, commercial and industrial properties. The panel is manufactured from a patent-pending polymer material that enables lower cost, enhanced durability and lower carbon footprint than other products on the market.

Why Polymers?

Polymers are traditionally very poor conductors of heat which is why materials like aluminium and copper that conduct heat well are widely used in solar thermal collectors. However, through 6 years of R&D, particularly in collaboration with the International Institute for Nanocomposites Manufacturing (IINM) at University of Warwick, Senergy have developed a high thermal conductivity polymer that means the performance of our panel is comparative to that of traditional metallic panels. This means that mass manufacturing is now possible, leading to a lower cost product that delivers lower cost heating to the consumer. With ever increasing prices of commodity metals, this cost benefit will increase in coming years.

Senergy’s patent pending polymers will provide exceptional durability over the lifetime of a solar thermal panel but what is really interesting is the carbon impact: Polymers provide an excellent opportunity to reduce the carbon impact of panels. Traditional metal materials have a huge environmental impact so the use of polymers can considerably reduce this. For this reason, Senergy use polymers in high impact areas such as the absorber but are practical enough to realise that metal components have their place also, such as in connections.

high performance

High thermal conductivity polymer performs comparatively to metal panels

Aesthetic and easily installation into heating systems

low carbon heating

Polymers offer the ability to reduce carbon in production

Expected product life of 25 years means maximal return on production impact

Connected

Connected into smart building physical and digital structure

Performance monitoring and optimization through cloud-based data and apps for the user

 

“Solar thermal is the answer to low carbon heating.”

Christine Boyle | Founder

 
 
 
Senergy Solar Thermal Panels Rendering.jpeg
 

History

In 2015, Senergy Innovations Ltd’s Founder and CEO Christine Boyle had an idea to transform how homes and businesses are heated. With a significant career history in running a commercial roofing business, Christine identified that there was a real market gap for solar thermal panels that would be low cost, have low environmental impact in production and easily integrated into a building. The need to be low cost and low carbon impact in production inevitably meant polymers would be suitable. However, polymers are not typically suited for applications that conduct heat so Senergy was established to undertake the development of the first thermally conductive polymer solar thermal panel


Senergy have availed of ~£1.7 million of grants, awards and angel investment to get to the present day. This included the development and simulation of prototypes at Queens University and Ulster University, working with partners such as Energy Systems Catapult and Fraunhofer IFAM. In recent times, University of Warwick have been strategic partners in the development of our patent pending polymers.

Manufacturing has now commenced at the start of Q1 2023.