Dubbing it the world’s most efficient, inexpensive and lightweight rooftop solar hot air collector, Enerconcept Technologies, a Canada-based solar air heating equipment manufacturer and distributor, has announced introducing Luba GL for supplemental outside air heating in commercial, institutional and industrial facilities.

Enerconcept claims that the Luba GL technology boasts a maximum thermal output of 247-BTU/h/ft2 (780-watts/m2) and airflow of six to 12-cfm per 112 (L) x 36 (H) x 8 (D)-inch collector. It adds that according to the third-party rating agency, Canadian Standards Association-International (CSA), Luba GL, with 1.06-performance rating, is 25% more efficient than its closest competitor.

The first major application was reportedly a Quebec City Transportation Authority bus garage, where 3,918/ft2 (364/m2) of Luba GL collectors were installed to provide up to 21,800-cfm (36,900-m3/h) 20° to 30°F (10° to 12°C) heated air above the ambient temperature.

Enerconcept Technologies informs that the Luba GL design is patented by Solarventi, Thorso, Denmark, and adds that it (Enerconcept Technologies) is the exclusive North American licensee and has a partnership agreement with Solarventi to adapt the product for industrial applications in Europe.

The manufacturer lists the following product features and advantages:

• At 98-lb net weight, Luba GL is easy to handle and also features a lightweight twin-wall, 1/4-inch-thick (10-mm) polycarbonate glazing and 26.4-square-foot (2.5-square-metre) black aluminium backpanel.
• The patented backpanel perforations transpire air from outside to within the collector from the backside, which reduces heat loss and eliminates the weight and cost of insulation used in other collectors.
• The perforations are covered by a thin, lightweight layer of filtering and heat absorbing felt.
• The combination of the glazing’s 1/4-inch buffer space and the perforation design helps make Luba GL the highest efficiency and shortest payback in the solar industry for roof-mounted solar air heaters. The payback can range from one to several years, depending on geographical location, climatic conditions, heating application, government tax advantages, utility incentives and other factors.
• The modular Luba GL can be installed in a series, and connects directly to a manifold that feeds a bypass/mixing box for the building’s HVAC system and can provide up to 15% to 30% of outside air heating requirements, depending on geography and weather.
• It is an efficient alternative to Enerconcept’s wall-mounted solar hot air products, the Lubi and the Unitair, in applications where a rooftop system can provide better aesthetics or needs an optimum sun angle for maximum efficiency.
• It comes with a five-year warranty, but the expected lifecycles are 20 years or more before panel replacement is needed.
• The rack mounts can be custom-designed to fit any pitch degree specification.
• It is weather resistant and protected from UV deterioration.