Conventional solar thermal collectors have a threshold problem.

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Below a certain level of irradiation — and without sufficient ambient warmth — they produce nothing useful.

 

In climates with cold winters, a system may sit mostly idle for months, precisely when heating demand peaks. In hot, humid climates, the demand for heating is typically limited to hot domestic water, but the often abundant solar thermal energy can be used for cooling and dehumidification applications. In tropical climates, managing humidity and heat for indoor comfort, is by far the #1 energy expenditure component of the entire energy mix. It can often be cloudy, even when hot and humid, and this is why low light performance is essential, even in these climates.
 

DLCT — Diffuse Light Concentration Technology​

 

Ciao Carbon Ltd is developing DLCT to address these imbalances directly. The goal is meaningful thermal output under the conditions that defeat conventional collectors:

 

Low irradiation and freezing ambient temperatures in cold climates, and a reliable thermal drive for cooling and dehumidification in hot, humid ones.

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The technology is currently at the pre-prototype stage. We are building toward a working proof of concept.

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Ciao Carbon Ltd is a Hong Kong-registered company. The founder has over a decade of hands-on experience with concentrating and conventional solar thermal energy systems, including real-world installation and failure mode analysis of first-generation PVT collectors.

 

If you work in solar thermal, district heating, building energy, or climate technology — and these challenges interest you — we'd like to hear from you.