SOL-HEAP – Combined solar and heat pump systems

The combination of solar thermal systems with heat pumps is used increasingly for space heating and domestic hot water preparation in the building sector. Both technologies are considered to be key-technologies for the abatement of green house gas emissions. The combination of heat pumps with solar thermal heat increases the system’s efficiency and thus the electricity demand. Possibilities for the combination are versatile, and the question arises under which circumstances it is advantageous to use solar thermal collectors also for providing heat for the evaporator of the heat pump.