This technology promises to cut heating costs by at least half and make a significant contribution to improving the environment without emitting greenhouse gases.
“We had a lot of free time during the pandemic and decided to build some air-to-air solar collectors. I installed them in one house as an experiment to see the results. We found that we could cut our heating costs significantly. Now we have a proven product that works even in cloudy weather and heats your home,” explained EcoFabrica administrator Vladimir Ursu.
The Dual-Heat Pro manifold is based on vacuum tubes originally designed for heating domestic hot water, which have been adapted to heat air.
Its main difference from similar systems is the absence of water (antifreeze). Typically, solar collectors circulate a liquid that is heated by the sun as a heat transfer medium. In Dual-Heat Pro, this function is performed by air.
The efficiency of the system has been demonstrated by the results of its tests. “Last December, the family paid 6,000 lei for natural gas. After the installation of this solar collector in January this year, when the temperature ranged from -12°C to -14°C, but with more sunny days, the costs dropped to 2000 lei,” Vladimir Ursu added.
“While working on the project, thanks to the support of external donors, we went through many training courses and had mentors to help us improve our product. Everyone contributed to the development of this solution, which is now ready for large-scale implementation. We are proud of our achievements and believe that this technology can have a positive impact not only on households in Moldova, but also beyond. It is a simple solution, but it is of great value in the current context, when the transition to renewable energy sources is needed more than ever”, concluded the company administrator.
The product was presented at the Moldova Eco Energetică 2024 Gala, organized by the Global Clean Technology Innovation Program in Moldova (GCIP Moldova), a project of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), implemented by the National Center for Sustainable Energy (CNED). The developers of the collector received a $10,000 prize at the event. With this money and other funds raised, EcoFabrica intends to implement Dual-Heat Pro technology on a large scale both in Moldova and abroad.
