0011-4561 Social-economic benefits of a novel photovoltaic/loop-heat-pipe system and its adaptability in building energy plant Social-economic benefits of a novel photovoltaic/loop-heat-pipe system and its adaptability in building energy plant Zhang Xingxing author School of Engineering, Faculty of Science, University of Hull, UK Correspondence to: Xingxing Zhang 11 02 2015 Budownictwo Zeszyt 5-B (19) 2014 2014 305 3013 Copyright © 2015 2015 <p style="text-align: justify;"> This article describes a novel photovoltaic/thermal (PV/T) water heating system. Through in- corporating a loop-heat-pipe (LHP) and a heat pump, the system can essentially maximise the electrical return of PV panel, and simultaneously produce a reasonable amount of heat. This system can therefore harvest larger amount of solar energy and enable enhanced system perfor- mance. It is expected that such dedicated technology could become the next generation of solar driven heating system and enable a significant reduction of building’s carbon footprint.</p>