Israel’s Sweetest Solar Energy

[The] revolutionary product is the Honeycomb Collector, which is built like the inside of a beehive. In regular thermal solar collectors that are used to heat water in hot countries like Israel, much of the thermal radiation leaks out from between the spaces of the panels. Klier’s patented idea is built on a novel premise—what he calls “transparent insulation,” letting the sunshine in and keeping its heat from escaping.

Honeycomb inspiration for new solar panelwww.mfa.gov.il “The way it works is that the honeycomb absorbs heat quicker, and reduces heat loss. This kind of insulation used in the solar thermal collectors can heat water to temperatures so high that it can actually damage the machinery,” says Klier. The company has built in a special protection system. Still, the water can get so hot that even in colder countries it can be piped through homes in the winter months for heating.

The company is focusing on two business directions: space-heating solutions for homeowners in cold countries; and industrial-scale, year-round water heating. At the Intersolar EuropExhibition held in Germany in June 2012, Tigi [company name] was awarded a top prize. As a result, interest from the German market is high, and Germany is a good place to start because it has advanced targets in renewable energy. For more information, visit www.tigisolar.com