Basic principle of the Solar Thermal Venetian Blinds

This image provides a first example of how a solar thermal venetian blind could look like with slats which absorb a part of the solar irradiance, heat-pipes to guide the heat to the vertical header tube and a switchable thermal coupling within the frame. The solar thermal venetian blinds are typically used between glass panes. The blind can tilt and retract just as normal venetian blinds and at the same time it provides renewable heat and reduces the solar heat gain coefficient (g-value). ©Fraunhofer ISE