Reference project with RCT Power in Germany
Refurbishment and PV heat as a blackout precaution
A resourceful Upper Bavarian benefits from the renovation of his house and implements PV heat as blackout precaution.
Facts about the project
- Owner:
- Planning
- Implementation:
- Construction type:
- Construction year and number of square meters:
- PV-power and orientation:
- Heat storage size:
- my-PV product in use:
- System control type:
How did you find my-PV?
The builder from Upper Bavaria got the idea from a heating engineer in 2020 to benefit from the common compatibility of my-PV and RCT Power. The idea behind it was simply justified: The old single-family house (built in 1935) was renovated in the 90s, but the insulation only delivered the desired success in 2020. The power of the photovoltaic system can now be efficiently used for heat applications, for hot water and heating with the AC•THOR 9s. Thanks to its compatibility with RCT Power, the AC•THOR 9s can also be supplied with excess power, which RCT Power measures at the house connection point, to control hot water generation and to support heating.
In this way, the power of the sun can be used efficiently in the 105 m² house: the 12.2 kWp system, which is inclined to the east/west and also has a small part facing south, supplies a large surplus. This surplus is channeled into the 990-litre buffer tank and, depending on the surplus from the PV system, is continuously released from the AC•THOR 9s to the 9 kW immersion heater from my-PV.
Obstacles/specialities during the installation
In order to be able to efficiently design the heating with solar energy – despite the large PV system – the thermal renovation had to be carried out in a 2- to 3-person household. This insulation was carried out in 2020, so nothing prevented the implementation of the proactive heating engineer's idea.
Brief explanation of the system – what should be mentioned?
The owner is employed by RCT Power, which is of course a special situation. However, this offers a variety of possibilities to try, as the system implemented in the single-family house is the perfect test system for my-PV’s compatibility partner.
In this way, innovations can be retested directly under real conditions, without negative customer feedback. If successful, the innovations will be implemented on the market after extensive testing, which in turn will benefit the customer.
Due to the great location in southern Germany, more precisely in Upper Bavaria, there is not only a nice view of the mountains but also a great amount of photovoltaic yield. A high level of self-consumption particularly pays off in this area, because even in winter, the sun in southern German is strong enough to use significant yields for heat generation in the buffer storage.
Persons in the household and hot water demand?
"We are only two to three people in the household and have an average water consumption of about 75 m3 per year," Jan Berger explains the hot water requirement.
Is hot water backup with mains power used?
The AC•THOR 9s does not use the hot water backup with mains electricity, otherwise the oil heating would be needed. However, this is rarely the case during the summer or in the warm months.
Personal customer opinion and resumee
"The large investment in the renovation of our house with the installation of the photovoltaic system and the new insulation of the facade make the house largely self-sufficient. Should the announced blackout actually take place, we will confidently fall back on grandma's wood stove in the kitchen," summarizes Jan Berger.
AC•THOR 9s
in use
Simple & efficient: AC•THOR 9s controls up to 3 electrical heat sources depending on the availability of PV energy and heat demand – for both hot water, as well as for space heating. It ensures your personal living comfort fully automatically.
More infos about AC•THOR 9sOur reference projects
Farmhouse in Lower Saxony heats hot water with photovoltaic electricity
Despite battery storage, enough surplus remains at the 100-year-old farmhouse, used as photovoltaic heat to boost self-consu
Read more...Hot water from PV electricity instead of gas for football club
Using surplus photovoltaic electricity from the roof for hot water production at ATSV Neuzeug
Read more...Masonry stove and photovoltaic heat instead of a heat pump
The newly built single-family home impresses with environmentally friendly construction and innovative heating technology.
Read more...,
my-PV device trio achieves 98% PV self-consumption
By incorporating one AC ELWA 2 and two AC ELWA-E, a homeowner in Estonia achieved an impressive 98% of PV self-consumption.
Read more...A Single-Family House with system openness
Maximizing photovoltaic power in combination: This renovated house exemplifies the effectiveness of my-PV's system openness.
Read more...3 photovoltaic modules for hot water
Even a small PV system with 1.4 kWp prepares hot water in the summer with ELWA and thus saves 1 cubic meter of gas every day.
Read more...