Integration of solar thermal collectors into facades has always been problematic for architects because of the lack of freedom in the choice of panels' details, and consequently the hardly controllable visual impact these elements have. The irremediably black colour, the visible piping, the absorber's imperfections gleaming through the glass in the glazed collectors, together with the dimensions and the fixing details of the existing single panels may be acceptable for roof plants, but need to be redesigned for the use of the collectors in facades. A recent study conducted in Austria by AEE INTEC shows that the large majority of architects are not satisfied with the black colour of the absorber and would prefer a choice of different colours even if that means a reduction in the yield of the collector.
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