The SolarWall solar air heating system has been developed by CA Group in conjunction with Corus specifically for the UK market. At the Jaguar Land Rover Academy, the 268 m2 SolarWall was incorporated as part of a refurbishment project to convert the building into a “state-of-the-art technical training academy” for which sustainability was a key part of the brief.
Installed onto the most southerly elevations of the building the SolarWall solar air heating system works by drawing fresh air from outside through a number of tiny perforations in the sun-warmed external metal skin. As the air passes through these perforations it becomes heated.
The warm air passes into an air cavity and rises to the top where it can be distributed around the building.
The SolarWall solar air heating system offers heating cost reductions of up to 50%, offers paybacks through energy savings in three years for new build and 7 years for refurbishment projects.
CA Group says SolarWall systems are “ideal for any building types with a heating and/or ventilation requirement including industrial sheds, schools, hospitals and other commercial buildings.”
Paul Jones, Technology and Innovation Manager, Corus Colors, which was involved in the development of the Colorcoat Prisma pre-finished steel for the SolarWall, says: “Historically, perforated transpired solar collectors have been made from very dark shades - mainly black - which has limited the uptake of this type of product as it is not aesthetically pleasing. The Colorcoat Prisma coating formulation is optimised to absorb as much solar radiation as possible across a wide colour range, so impact on the building aesthetics is limited.”