Spectrally Solar Selective Coatings for Colored Flat Plate Solar Thermal Collectors

Abstract

The paper is a review on the state-of-the-art on colored materials (absorbers and glazings) for solar thermal flat plate collectors obtained world-wide. The best results obtained by the group active in the R&D Centre Renewable Energy Systems and Recycling are also reported and they are related to the steps followed in developing and optimizing the absorber plate (substrate, the alumina matrix, the colored coatings and the anti-reflexion layer) and the glazing (as anti-reflexive coating and/or as colored component). These results represent a promising input for novel, market-acceptable flat plate solar-thermal collectors, with increased architectural acceptance, for facades integration in Nearly Zero Energy Buildings.