The first hybrid solar panel with CTA certified by Solar Keymark

In March 2022, Abora Solar, more specifically its Technical Department in collaboration with the Operations Department led by Marta Cañada and Vicente Zárate respectively, achieved what, until a few months ago, might have seemed unthinkable: certifying the first hybrid solar panel with a transparent insulating roof (CTA) with the renowned Solar Keymark seal. The scope of this milestone breaks into the world of solar panels, confirming the Spanish manufacturer’s place as a European benchmark in the sector.

The Solar Keymark is a voluntary, independent quality mark for solar thermal products that assures the recipient that a product complies with the relevant European standards and meets additional requirements. The Solar Keymark, which is being used throughout Europe and increasingly in countries outside the EU, is the most important quality seal that can be awarded to a solar thermal product.

‘The Solar Keymark certificate guarantees the end user that the product is reliable and has undergone independent quality controls. More and more institutions identify the Keymark certification as an effective tool to ensure customer protection against possible poor quality and performance products […]’.

Harald Drück, Chairman of the Solar Keymark network.

This research has borne fruit, making Abora’s hybrid solar panel, with an efficiency of 89%, the most efficient in the world. It is an ideal solution for all those sectors whose activity presents a high demand for domestic hot water (DHW) and electricity as they will obtain, in addition to a saving in their energy costs, a reduction of up to 4 times their CO2 emissions, a fact of extreme relevance given the current context in which we live.

Until now, the Solar Keymark certification, developed by the European Solar Thermal Industry Federation (ESTIF) and the European Committee for Standardisation (CEN) in close cooperation with European testing laboratories and with the support of the European Commission, considered for its certification process mainly solar thermal collectors and systems, most likely due to the insufficient presence of hybrid solar technology in the market.

Currently, there is no specific protocol dedicated to assessing the overall performance, reliability and safety of a hybrid solar panel as a single product. In fact, for example, PV standards do not even consider hybrid technology in the development of their test methods.

‘When you design and develop a complex and innovative product to bring to the market, after checking that it is viable, that it works, that it is highly efficient and also has a good economic profitability, then comes the phase of subjecting the product to all the limits that it may undergo in the 20-30 years that we want that panel to be outdoors, transforming the sun’s rays into electricity and useful heat. It is at this stage that the details make the most difference. Seemingly insignificant modifications to the design, materials or manufacturing process are both invaluable and key to overcoming the tests and withstanding these limits [… Achieving this unprecedented level of innovation in the solar sector undoubtedly requires a great deal of perseverance, but also a certain amount of creativity, as without this it would not have been possible to achieve certification for a product whose most relevant characteristics are not even contemplated within their methodologies […] We are pioneers and we are leading the way in the process of obtaining certification until the regulations are modified and developed to accommodate this new product: hybrid solar panels with CTA’.

Marta Cañada, Director of the Technical Department and Co-Founder of Abora Solar

Therefore, this process, in the case of Abora’s hybrid solar panel, involved an exhaustive revision of the procedure itself, as it was not a question of certifying a solar thermal collector or a photovoltaic panel as usual, but rather the hybrid assembly.

As a consequence, it was necessary to carry out additional laboratory tests under more unfavourable working conditions in order to evaluate both photovoltaic and thermal components, as well as the impact that one had on the other. This scenario once again demonstrates the cutting-edge nature of the products that Abora develops, manufactures and markets.

‘Passing the physical inspections carried out by two of the world’s most prestigious certifying bodies (DIN-Certco and VDE) has been a process of evolution that has helped us to perfect our manufacturing and quality procedures. It has been a very enriching learning experience that reinforces our security and confidence in what we do and how we do it’.

Vicente Zárate, Director of the Operations Department and Co-Founder of Abora Solar.

With its aH72SK hybrid solar panel certified with the Solar Keymark, Abora Solar confirms the reliability of its product, which will be checked and verified every two years. This certification is also advantageous for the end customer, as choosing a Solar Keymark certified product not only means choosing quality, but also gives the consumer access to a publicly subsidised product.

Furthermore, the achievement of this challenge is fully in line with the company’s internationalisation and innovation policies and goes hand in hand with the commitment to offer the most reliable and high performance solar panel on the market, which is now also accredited by a recognised independent body.

In conclusion, the prestigious Solar Keymark certification awarded to its aH72SK hybrid solar panel confirms Abora Solar’s position as a benchmark and leader in its sector, to which it undoubtedly offers a high-end advanced solar technology product.

‘Obtaining the Solar Keymark has been a long process that we have been clear from the beginning was necessary. It has meant overcoming a technological barrier that had not been achieved to date. This means that Abora shows itself to the market as a brand that guarantees the quality of its products, which is essential when a company is based on the pillars of innovation’.

Dr Alejandro del Amo, Managing Director and Co-Founder of Abora Solar.