Shin Nikkei Co., a Tokyo-based manufacturer of building and housing materials, began sales of solar air heating panels for school buildings, dubbed the 'Solar Wall,' on December 17, 2007. Drawing solar-heated outside air into a room, the product can supplement regular heating. After making such panels to order, the company started mass production of solar air heating units for nationwide sales.

The Solar Wall is made of perforated aluminum plates painted black with fluoro-polymer and installed on the outer wall of a building. Outdoor air is heated both on the surface of the panel and by heat exchange when passing through the perforations of the panel. Heated air is then drawn into indoor space by a fan.

The new product is a 1.8-meter wide and 0.9-meter tall unit, and is made using a panel developed by Conserval Engineering Inc., Canada, a manufacturer renowned for high energy-saving technology. The outer surface of the unit is covered with a poly-carbonate plastic panel for protection.

According to an estimation by the company, when a 6.48 square meter Solar Wall system is installed on the south wall of a standard classroom for 40 pupils, 76.9 liters of kerosene will be saved annually in the Tokyo area, and 129 liters in the Hokkaido area. These figures are equivalent to a reduction of 199.2 kilograms and 334.1 kilograms of carbon dioxide, respectively.



Posted: 2008/04/24 02:29:30 PM

TAG Eco-product/Business , Energy , Global warming , Manufacturing industry