The German company said its new device has a DC input that supports up to 3 kW of photovoltaic energy. The heating power can be infinitely adjusted between 0 W and 1,000 W. The heating element costs €549 including VAT and is designed for hot water tanks with a capacity of up to 500 liters.
Fothermo System has introduced the ROD-1000, a new photovoltaic immersion heater designed for PV-powered domestic hot water production. The device features a DC input that supports module outputs up to 3,000 W, with heating power infinitely adjustable between 0 W and 1,000 W, the company said.
Excess solar energy can be routed to a secondary heating element or supplied to the household electricity grid via a microinverter. The system switches over automatically as soon as the hot water boiler reaches the set maximum temperature.
The ROD-1000, developed and produced in Ulm, Germany, is suitable for hot water storage tanks up to 500 liters. It can also serve as a supplement to existing gas, oil, pellet or heat pump systems. The unit features highly efficient MPP tracking and direct DC-to-heat conversion, allowing operation even at low photovoltaic output.
With lime-free water the system can reach temperatures of up to 85 C, or up to 65 C with standard water. The heating element has an insertion depth of 295 mm, weighs 0.9 kg and measures 468 mm x 154 mm x 140 mm. It is designed for horizontal installation.
The ROD-1000 is a plug-and-play solution: solar panels are connected directly via MC4 connectors and no electrical installation or system registration is required, as the device works off-grid. It is suitable for one to four-person households and can also be retrofitted into existing systems.
“With the ROD-1000, households can significantly reduce hot water costs and at the same time lighten the load on their heating systems, without registration and without any changes to the home’s electrical installation,” said Manuel Masenko, CEO of Fothermo.
Thanks to the extra-large photovoltaic configuration of up to 3 kW PV power with a thermal power of 1 kW, the system provides sufficient power for water heating, even under diffuse lighting conditions. Based on Fothermo’s internal calculations, depending on the module size, the ROD-1000 can produce 900 kWh to 2,200 kWh of usable heat per year, which corresponds to approximately 14,000 to 34,000 liters of heated water per year.
The retail price of the new product is €549 including VAT.
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