Enerconcept Technologies has introduced the new Luba GL, the world's most efficient, inexpensive and lightweight rooftop solar hot air collector for supplemental outside air heating in commercial, institutional and industrial facilities.

Luba GL technology boasts a maximum thermal output of 247-BTU/h/ft2 (780-watts/m2) and airflow of 6 to 12-cfm per 112 (L) x 36 (H) x 8 (D)-inch collector. It's world-leading 1.06-performance rating is 25-percent more efficient than the closest competitor, according to the third-party rating agency, Canadian Standards Association-International (CSA).

The Luba GL features a lightweight twin-wall, 1/4-inch-thick (10-mm) polycarbonate glazing and 26.4-square-foot (2.5-square meter) black aluminum backpanel. The patented Luba GL's 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 the Luba GL the highest efficiency and shortest payback in the solar industry for roof-mounted solar air heaters.

The modular Luba GL is installed in 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-percent of outside air heating requirements depending on geography and weather. The Luba GL's payback can range from one to several years depending on geographical location, climate conditions, heating application, government tax advantages, utility incentives and other factors.

The Luba GL 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.

The first major application is a Quebec City Transportation Authority bus garage where 3,918/feet2 (364/meters2) of Luba GL collectors were installed to provide up to 21,800-cfm (36,900-m3/h) 20 degrees to 30 degrees F (10 degrees to 12 degrees C) heated air above ambient temperature.

The Luba GL's advantages also include:

+ 98-lb net weight that's easily handled by two men;

+ five-year warranty, but expected lifecycles are 20 years or more before panel replacement is needed;

+ Rack mounts can be custom-designed to fit any pitch degree specification;

+ weather resistant and protected from UV deterioration;

The Luba GL design is patented by Solarventi Ltd., Thorso, Denmark. Enerconcept Technologies is the exclusive North American licensee and has a partnership agreement with Solarventi to adapt the Luba GL for industrial applications in Europe.