A circular saw including a saw blade (36) which may be rotatingly driven about a rotational axis, and at least one first splitting wedge is described. The circular saw is configured so that the first splitting wedge is movable relative to the rotational axis of the saw blade.

An articulating band saw apparatus provides a frame that includes a vertically extending section having upper and lower end portions. An elevator moves between the upper and lower end portions of the frame. A first hydraulic actuator is supported on the elevator for movement therewith. A first arm provides arm end portions, the first arm supported by the first hydraulic actuator. An end of the first arm supporting a second hydraulic actuator that is spaced away from the first hydraulic actuator. The second hydraulic actuator supports a second arm. An endless band type saw is mounted on the free end of the second arm generally opposite the second actuator. The band saw is movable by articulation of the first and second actuators and resulting movement of the first and second arms. In one embodiment, the band saw is a diamond wire saw.

In some examples, an apparatus includes a base including an arm selectively movable with respect to the base. The arm is selectively rotatable about a first arm axis. A base plate is engaged with the arm. A tool is configured to be detachably coupled to the base plate. The tool is movable with the base plate when coupled to the base plate. The apparatus includes a first mode with the tool coupled to the base plate and the arm being selectively rotatable about the first arm axis, a second mode with the tool coupled to the base plate and the arm being constrained from rotating about the first arm axis, the arm being substantially stationary with respect to the base; and a third mode with the tool detached from the base plate.

A method of producing a finely fibrous cellulose composite prepreg sheet, sheet or laminate sheet, the method including a mixing an emulsion of a reactive compound with an aqueous suspension containing a finely fibrous cellulose to prepare a mixed liquid dewatering the mixed liquid by filtration on a porous substrate to form a water-containing sheet; and heating and drying the water-containing sheet. A method of producing a finely fibrous cellulose composite sheet, the method including subjecting the finely fibrous cellulose composite prepreg sheet produced by the method described above to a curing treatment.

The invention provides methods and compositions for increasing the strengthening effect of a starch coating on paper. The method involves contacting the starch with a synthetic polymer before the starch is cooked. This changes how the starch gelatinizes and how the polymer gets distributed on the paper resulting in greater paper surface strength.

A method is provided for forming a fire resistant cellulose product. A fire-retarding solution and a bonding agent are combined with refined cellulose fibers to form a fiber mixture, and the fire-retarding solution and bonding agent are substantially uniformly distributed with respect to the cellulose fibers within the fiber mixture. The fiber mixture is exposed to an actuating element, wherein the actuating element is configured to actuate the bonding agent so as to facilitate cohesion of the cellulose fibers and form the fiber mixture into a fiber board member, the fiber board member having opposing major surfaces. A cellulose sheet member is engaged with each major surface of the fiber board member, such that each cellulose sheet member substantially covers the respective major surface. An associated apparatus is also provided.

The invention relates to a method for obtaining cellulose by separating lignin from a biomass comprising lignocellulose in the form of plants or plant parts, wherein the biomass comprising lignocellulose is solubilized in a boiler in an alkaline medium comprising alkanol amine, and dissolved lignin is separated from the resulting raw cellulose. Said method is characterized in that the biomass comprising lignocellulose is not from a wood source, and is solubilized at a temperature of less than approximately 170° C. in a solubilizing agent based on alkanol amine and water, wherein the weight ratio of alkanol amine to water is set to 80:20 to 20:80, and raw cellulose thus produced is separated from the waste lye using a typical method. Said method is particularly advantageous for obtaining cellulose from annual plants, particularly wheat straw. The method is advantageously improved in that the solubilization takes place in the presence of a catalyst, particularly of anthrachinon. An advantageous bleaching process may be performed subsequently. Said method is characterized by great economic efficiency, particularly due to the high reclamation rates of the alkanol amine used, and leads to lower environmental impact in wastewater, and to reduced disposal costs. The design of the method leads to a greater yield of cellulose and largely prevents degradation of alkanol amine, particularly monoethanol amine (MEA).

Disclosed herein are cellulase compositions useful as papermaking performance additives for improving paper dry strength of a paper product and reducing refining energy in papermaking processes, and improving paper production. These cellulase compositions are formulated using cellulase, papermaking contaminant control polymers, protein stabilizers and cellulase enhancers. These cellulase compositions measure higher in endo-cellulase activity with better stability than conventional cellulase, and have shown differentiating performance in improving paper dry strength properties versus cellulase alone.

Method for production of cellulose and hemicellulose fibers from lignocellulose biomass obtained from sugarcane leaves and buds by applying a process comprising the stages of: a) Diminishing the particle size of the lignocellulose biomass to a range between 3 and 15 mm, b) Subjecting the product obtained to treatment with one or more solvents and/or a mixture of specific catalysts, c) Carry out sudden decompression to an atmospheric pressure, d) Collecting the pretreated material in a cyclone, e) Optionally separating the liquid and solid fractions through washing and filterung f) Optionally, treating the solid fraction in a reactor with a mixture of ethanol and chlorine dioxide, d) Wash the product obtained to achieve cellulose efficiency above 50% and of lignin of 5 to 7%, fiber lengtht in a range to 1,5 to 2,7 mm, breaking length (km) of 7,0 -8,9, Burst index (kPam2/g) of 4,5-7,2 and Tear index (mNm2/g) of 8,2-8, The obtained high-resistance cellulose and hemicellulose is especially suitable for the paper production and polymer-type plastics.

A method of making a belt-creped absorbent cellulosic sheet. A papermaking furnish is compactively dewatered to form a dewatered web having an apparently random distribution of papermaking fiber orientation. The dewatered web is applied to a translating transfer surface moving at a transfer surface speed. The web is belt-creped from the transfer surface utilizing a generally planar polymeric creping belt provided with a plurality of perforations through the belt, the belt-creping step occurring under pressure in a belt creping nip defined between the transfer surface and the creping belt. The belt travels at a belt speed that is slower than the transfer surface speed, and the web is creped from the transfer surface and redistributed on the creping belt to form a web. The web includes hollow domed regions, connecting regions, and transition areas. The web is dried to produce the belt-creped absorbent cellulosic sheet.

Paper coating or binding formulations are provided that comprise aqueous copolymer emulsions including copolymers derived from one or more copolymerizable surfactants of formula I and one or more monomers. The paper coating or binding formulations can include one or more mineral fillers, coating pigments, or mixtures thereof, wherein the total weight concentration of the one or more mineral fillers, coating pigments, or mixtures thereof is 65% or higher, based on the total weight of the composition. Paper products coated with the paper coating or binding formulations, methods of making the paper coating or binding formulations, and methods of making the coated paper products are also disclosed.

A pellet made of aramid pulp and filler material. The pellet has at most 90 weight percent aramid pulp and at least 10 weight percent filler material. A method for manufacturing a pellet that has at most 90 weight percent aramid pulp and at least 10 weight percent filler material.

A method of production of a product from a stock pulp sheet uses conveyor rolls to convey a stock pulp sheet to a crusher. During conveyance to the crusher, a defective part in the stock pulp sheet is detected by a detector. The detected defective part is removed from the stock pulp sheet by a remover. The stock pulp sheet from which the defective part is removed is supplied to the crusher to produce crushed pulp. The produced crushed pulp is used to produce a product in a product producer.

Absorbent members, especially bulked absorbent members, and methods of making the same are disclosed. The absorbent member may be in the form of a unitary absorbent fibrous layer comprising at least some cellulose fibers. The unitary absorbent fibrous layer is at least partially stratified through its thickness. The absorbent member may also have a plurality of discrete deformations, such as depressions and/or apertures in its surfaces. The method involves subjecting a precursor web to at least one cycle (or pass) through a mechanical deformation process. The mechanical deformation process utilizes a first forming member and a second forming member that form a nip therebetween through which the precursor web is passed. The first and second forming members are moving at different speeds relative to each other when they come together to form the nip.

The invention provides methods and compositions for improving the characteristics of paper substrates. The method involves adding to a paper substrate an NCC-polymer. NCC-polymers have unique chemical properties which result in improvements in wet strength, dry strength and drainage retention properties of the paper substrates.

A tire has a circumferential tread, the tread including shoulder tread regions configured for off-road performance separated by and interlocking with a center tread region configured for on-road performance. The shoulder tread regions are defined by a repeating pattern of two or more distinct shoulder tread elements and the center tread region is defined by a repeating pattern of two or more distinct center tread elements. The shoulder tread elements each have a ground contacting surface area greater than a ground contacting surface area of the center tread elements. The center tread elements extend at a relatively greater angle of inclination with respect to an equatorial centerplane of the tire and the shoulder tread elements extend at a relatively lesser angle of inclination with respect to the centerplane. The center tread elements and the shoulder tread elements are irregular and asymmetrical about a longitudinal central axis and a transverse central axis and, together, total five or more (three in the center tread region and two in the shoulder tread region) tread blocks of mutually distinctive geometric shape.

A pneumatic tire in which: a carcass layer is laid between paired bead sections; a belt layer is buried, on the outer peripheral side of the carcass layer, in a tread section; and multiple main grooves extending in a tire circumferential direction are provided in the tread section. In the pneumatic tire, a maximum groove depth of each of the main grooves is 8.5 mm to 15.0 mm, a ratio α of a section height SH of an actual tire to a section height SHstd calculated from a tire size is set in a range of 0.97≦α≦0.99, a contact area ratio is 65% to 70% under a measurement condition where an air pressure is 200 kPa and a load is 50% of a load carrying ability with the air pressure of 200 kPa, and an average contact pressure P is 300 kPa to 400 kPa under the measurement condition. The tire achieves enhanced wet performance without increasing tire weight.

An on-demand executable system includes an application acquisition engine configured to acquire a first application that is programmed to perform a first function and a second function. An applet extractor includes a function analyzer configured to analyze the first application to identify functions that the first application is programmed to perform. The identified functions include the first function. The applet extractor includes a code analyzer configured to analyze code of the first application to identify first code segments that implement the first function. The applet extractor includes an applet packager configured to package the first code segments into a first executable. An executable request servicer is configured to, in response to a request, transmit the first executable to a user device.

In accordance with embodiments, there are provided mechanisms and methods for creating, exporting, viewing and testing, and importing custom applications in a multitenant database environment. These mechanisms and methods can enable embodiments to provide a vehicle for sharing applications across organizational boundaries. The ability to share applications across organizational boundaries can enable tenants in a multi-tenant database system, for example, to easily and efficiently import and export, and thus share, applications with other tenants in the multi-tenant environment.

A method for identifying user managed software modules includes: receiving a query that includes an input module name or an input address range. The method further includes, responsive to determining that the input module name or input address range of the received query is not stored in one or more data structures identifying one or more software modules that have been loaded into memory without a directed load, searching a data structure identifying software modules that have been loaded into memory via directed loads for the respective input module name or input address range.

A computer system for identifying user managed software modules includes program instructions for: receiving a request for a directed load of a software module into memory, wherein the request includes an address; storing the software module at the address in the received request; adding a name and an address range of the stored software module to a data structure identifying software modules that have been loaded into memory via directed loads; receiving a query that includes an input module name or an input address range; and responsive to determining that the input module name or input address range of the received query is not stored in one or more data structures identifying one or more software modules that have been loaded into memory without directed loads, searching the data structure identifying software modules that have been loaded into memory via directed loads for the respective query.

A method for analyzing software with pointer analysis may include obtaining a software program, and determining a first independent program slice of the software program describing a first code segment of the software program. The method may further include determining, using a first pointer analysis objective, a first result from performing a first pointer analysis on the first independent program slice, and determining, using the first result, a first dependent program slice of the software program. The method may further include determining, using a second pointer analysis objective, a second result from performing a second pointer analysis on the first dependent program slice. The method may further include generating a report, using these results, indicating whether the software program satisfies a predetermined criterion.

In a computing environment having a multiple input detection system including a detector that detects and transmits multiple simultaneous user inputs from different users at a same time, a method for processing inputs from different users across multiple application windows of one or more applications displayed on a single display of a user interface, resulting in a multi-user graphical user interface (GUI), the computing environment running an operating system (OS) designed to run with a single user GUI, the method including determining, in a primary application, separate from the OS, that a first user input corresponds to a first window and a second user input corresponds to a second window, the primary application sending the first and second user inputs to first and second secondary applications that run in parallel with the primary application, the first and second secondary applications being designed to run with the OS.

An exemplary communication session management system concurrently presents a plurality of session icons within a single on-screen user interface, each session icon representative of a respective communication session and configured to visually indicate a session status of the respective communication session. The communication session management system further detects a user action performed by a user with respect to one of the plurality of session icons, modifies a communication session in response to the user action, and graphically indicates the modification of the session status of the communication session. Corresponding systems and methods are also described.

A protective device, particularly for a lock of a door or leaf, comprising a covering element which is associated slidingly with a plate that can be fixed to the door or leaf and can be positioned selectively so as to close an opening for access to the lock which is provided in the plate. Two pins are associated transversely with the plate and are adapted to block temporarily the sliding of the covering element with respect to the plate. The device has at least one cam, freely mounted rotatably within a cavity provided in the plate. At least one first recess and at least one second recess are provided in the lateral surface of the at least one cam, which have, in plan view, a mutually different shape and are adapted respectively to allow and prevent the sliding of the covering element.

A lockbox includes a body and a lid connected to body and pivotable between a closed position and an open position. The body defines an enclosure and includes a body aperture and the lid includes a first lid aperture positioned adjacent to the body aperture when the lid is in the closed position, such that insertion of a padlock shackle through the body aperture and the lid aperture prevents pivoting movement of the lid from the closed position to the open position. The lockbox includes a slot intersecting one of the body aperture and the lid aperture for insertion of an item into the enclosure when the lid is in the closed position. A padlock shackle inserted through the body aperture and the lid aperture prevents passage of an item through the slot.

Disclosed is an improved pipe cutting tool based upon a ratchet closure action wherein handles are pivotedly attached to allow successive movement of a cutting blade in response to the squeezing of the handles. The handles are also hingedly coupled to the cutting member to maintain the cutting member in a position perpendicular to the tubular item to be cut while allowing the operator to squeeze the handles at offset angles, up to and including a right angle cut. The hinged handles allow for offset operation without forgoing the ease of operation by the consumer or causing a large reduction in the mechanical advantage. A ratchet allows sequential advancement of a cutting member toward a tubular shaped jaw that holds the item to be cut.

A multiple slicing device includes a frame including a receptacle and a plurality of cutting elements, and a working portion including an activation mechanism, a cam mechanism, and a forcing member. The activation mechanism can include two handles where moving one of the handles toward the other handle collapses the forcing member via the cam mechanism, onto a food item placed in the receptacle between the forcing member and the cutting elements, to efficiently and simultaneously cut or slice the food item into multiple pieces.

A utility tool comprising a body having a first end and a second end positioned on opposite ends of the body; a removable device; as well as a first tool and a second tool configured to be selectively coupled to each other or one of either the first end and second end of the body.

A three-sided disposable cutting blade for use within a utility knife. The cutting blade features between three and six distinct cutting portions. The cutting blade may be rotated and flipped such that each cutting portion may be presented from the utility knife as the active cutting portion. Features of the cutting blade include a wear-coat indicator which is located at or near each cutting portion and indicates when a portion has been used; grippable locations on the body of the blade to increase the grippibility of the blade when removing and handling the blade; multiple mounting-hole orientations; and mass-reducing punch-outs which reduce cutting friction of the blade against the object being cut.

In one embodiment, an article of footwear includes a sole and an upper attached to the sole. The upper and sole and configured to envelop at least a portion of human foot. The upper further includes a forefoot member attached to a forefoot portion of the sole and a heel member attached to a heel portion of the sole. The forefoot member and heel member are detached from each other at a location above the sole to enable individual adjustment of the forefoot member and the heel member.

A shoe (1) is disclosed comprising: an insole (1) fixed to the upper (T) and comprising a slot (10) in the heel area and a plurality of holes (11) in the plantar surface area. A ventilation system (2) comprises: a pump (4) disposed in the slot (10) of the insole, a membrane (3) fixed in the lower surface of the insole (1) under the holes (11), a connection pipe (20) connecting the chamber (40) of the pump with the spaces (32) of the membrane and an outlet conduit (21) connecting the chamber of the pump (40) with the outside to exhaust air. An outsole (9) obtained by directly injecting expandable material in a mold covers the ventilation system, insole and lower part of the upper (T). A mold (S) for performing said direct injection is also disclosed.

Obtained is an air-conditioning apparatus that is capable of saving energy. A pressure in a passage of the second refrigerant flow switching device in which a refrigerant from an outdoor unit flows into is higher than a pressure in a passage of the second refrigerant flow switching device in which the refrigerant flows out to the outdoor unit regardless of switching states of a first refrigerant flow switching device, the second refrigerant flow switching devices, and a third refrigerant flow switching device.

The invention provides cooling apparatus comprising: a solar heat collection means (2); two or more absorption refrigeration modules (1), each module being arranged to receive heat from the heat collection means and to re-circulate refrigerant through an evaporator (16); and means for putting a fluid to be cooled into thermal contact with each of the evaporators.

A vacuum insulated door structure comprises a first wall having a first edge, outer sidewalls that extend from the first edge to a perimetrical lip, a first inner surface and a first outer surface. A second wall has a second inner surface, a second outer surface and a second edge coupled to the perimetrical lip forming a cavity volume. The second wall includes inner sidewalls defining a second wall opening. The inner sidewalls extend to a back wall and define a second wall offset. A tubular member includes a first end coupled to a first conduit opening in the first wall and a second end coupled to a second conduit opening in the second wall offset. A barrier layer is disposed on the first and second walls and the tubular member. A cavity insulation material is disposed within the cavity volume which is hermetically sealed.

A device for a beverage container may include a tubular member that is insulated and has an axis. The tubular member may further include an upper axial end and a lower axial end. Both the upper and lower axial ends can be open. The tubular member may be configured to receive and insulate the beverage container therein. The device may include a base. The base may be removably coupled to the lower axial end of the tubular member to close the lower axial end. The base may include an interior compartment containing a fluid permanently sealed therein. The fluid can have a freezing point of about 0° C. or less.

A serial bus is provided with a device (sometimes herein referred to as an I2C serializer device) including circuitry and machine logic that operates as follows: when one of the master devices is using the bus for data communication, then the other master(s) will receive a wait signal until the bus becomes available again. This wait signal allows the master devices to wait as a “hardware response,” rather than requiring the master devices to be equipped with software and/or firmware to control the operation of waiting until the serial bus is available. In some embodiments, the use of the I2C serializer device allows a bus operating under a bus serialization protocol (for example, I2C) to be simultaneously connected to multiple master devices even in the case that one, or more, master device(s) do not include any currently conventional form of multi-master support.

A physical layer network interface module (PHY-NIM) adaptation system provides a PHY-NIM device and an attachable media access control (MAC) device. The PHY-NIM device interconnects with the attachable MAC device and the attachable MAC device interconnects to a network appliance to provide at least one of network switch capabilities and MAC device capabilities for use by the network appliance. The PHY-NIM device interconnects directly to the network appliance where the network appliance has at least one of an internal network switch and an internal MAC device in a southbridge input/output (I/O) interface chip of the network appliance.

A storage system includes a first and second control modules (CMs) connected to a client and a storage module over a communication fabric. In response to a data fragment written to the storage module, the first CM is to create a table of contents (TOC) entry in a TOC page maintained in a first storage partition of the storage module, update its FTL map, determine whether the TOC page contains a predetermined number of TOC entries, and in response to determining that the TOC page contains the predetermined number of TOC entries, send a control signal to the second CM via an inter-processor link. In response to the control signal received from the first CM via the inter-processor link, the second CM is to copy the TOC page from the first storage partition to a memory associated with the second CM to allow the second CM to update its FTL map.

A first device is determined as connected to a first one of a plurality of ports of a root complex. Addresses are assigned corresponding to a first hierarchy of devices including the first device. A second device is determined as connected through a mapping portal bridge at a second one of the ports of the root complex, the second device included in another second hierarchy of devices. A mapping table is generated that corresponds to the mapping portal bridge. The mapping table defines a translation between addressing used in a first view of a configuration address space of the system and addressing used in a second view of the configuration address space. The first view includes a view of the root complex and the second view includes a view corresponding to the second hierarchy of devices, the first hierarchy of devices being addressed according to the first view.

According to one embodiment, a first control module (CM) of a storage system receives a first request from a client device to read first data stored in a second storage location of a storage module, where the second storage location is associated with a second CM. The first CM includes a first processor and the second CM includes a second processor. The first CM transmits a first control signal the second CM via the inter-processor link to request the second CM to copy the first data from the second storage location to a first memory location associated with the first CM. The first CM initiates a first data transaction to transmit the first data from the first memory location to the client device through a communication fabric without having to go through the second CM.

A data processing system comprising: a host computer system supporting a software entity and a receive queue for the software entity; a network interface device having a controller unit configured to provide a data port for receiving data packets from a network and a data bus interface for connection to a host computer system, the network interface device being connected to the host computer system by means of the data bus interface; and an accelerator module arranged between the controller unit and a network and having a first medium access controller for connection to the network and a second medium access controller coupled to the data port of the controller unit, the accelerator module being configured to: on behalf of the software entity, process incoming data packets received from the network in one or more streams associated with a first set of one or more network endpoints; encapsulate data resulting from said processing in network data packets directed to the software entity; and deliver the network data packets to the data port of the controller unit so as to cause the network data packets to be written to the receive queue of the software entity.

In a system where multiple controllers share a link interface but are not all (1) compatible with the same configuration of the physical layer or (2) using the same clocking, a configuration arbitration subsystem intercepts, organizes, and re-clocks configuration-access requests from the various controller agents. Priorities are assigned according to stored policies. The configuration arbiter grants configuration access to the top-priority agent, synchronizing the agent's message with the arbiter's clock. Lower-priority agents' messages are stored in command queues until they ascend to top priority. Besides preventing timing conflicts and streamlining the coordination of clocks, the configuration arbiter may provide access to physical-layer registers beyond the controllers' built-in capabilities to further optimize configuration.

A storage system including a hardware module slot, configured to mechanically accommodate a first hardware module. The hardware module slot includes a hardware module data connector configured to electrically interface with the first hardware module inserted into the hardware module slot. The storage system further includes a fabric that includes a first switch. The first switch includes a first protocol interface to the hardware module data connector and is configured to enable first protocol communications between the first hardware module and a second hardware module. The fabric also includes a second switch that includes a second protocol interface to the hardware module data connector and is configured to enable second protocol communications between the first hardware module and the second hardware module.

An input/output module is provided for a bus system having a socket, the five contact cups of which each may comprise an electrical contact, and a measuring device for detecting a connector of a four-wire data cable. The measuring device can be configured to detect, when a connector is inserted into the socket, whether the connector comprises four or five electrical contact pins which are each plugged into one of the contact cups and are electrically connected to the respective electrical contact of the contact cups. The measuring device may be configured to close a first and a second switching device only when five electrical contact pins are detected in order to apply a respective supply voltage from two DC voltage supplies to the corresponding plugged contact pins of the connector plugged into the socket via the respective electrical contacts of the contact cups.

A pull-out device for a household appliance The pull-out device includes a side grid configured to be installed in an interior space of the household appliance and a plurality of horizontal rods each having a bent end section on opposite sides of the rod, the bent end sections being fixed on a vertical post of the side grid. Also included is a guide rail fixed on at least one of the rods by a fastening element and locking means configured to detachably fix a sliding rail that is movably supported on the guide rail in one or both of a retracted and an extended position.

The Modular Multifunctional Solar Structure is an innovative design in the field of Renewable Energy. This system, the schematic diagram of which is shown in FIG. 2, will collect the energy from the sunlight by using lightweight rotary thermal or bivalent photovoltaic solar receivers (A), sandwiched between Support Columns (B) which house the technical services. Because of its modular concept, this structure allows: an easy and progressive assembly in places exposed to the sun, with negative angles of down to 90°; and a microprocessor controlled solar tracking device, with alternative fixed or manually adjustable settings. These features solve the traditional problems associated with solar energy collectors, which include: a fixed position which is confined to specific angles, or a vertical layout, both of which are inefficient in terms of energy recovery; large dimensions and heavyweight collectors, which may need ungainly support structures; and wasted space.

A heater assembly can be used with a gas appliance. The gas appliance can be a dual fuel appliance for use with one of a first fuel type or a second fuel type different than the first. The heater assembly can include a fuel regulator valve including a main pressure regulator to regulate the fuel pressure, at least one auxiliary pressure regulator, a first fuel source connection for connecting the first fuel type to the heater assembly, and a second fuel source connection for connecting the second fuel type to the heater assembly. The one or more auxiliary pressure regulators introduce a backline pressure to the main pressure regulator, thereby adjusting the fuel pressure to fall within a predetermined range.

A thermal solar system having a fire rating of at least A. In a specific embodiment, the system includes a thermal solar module having an aperture region and a backside region. The system has a shaped thickness of material having a first side and a second side. In a preferred embodiment, the shaped thickness of material is characterized by a fire rating of at least A. The material has a thickness suitable to be free from penetration of moisture according to one or more embodiments. The thickness of material also has a structural characteristic capable of maintaining a shape and coupling to the backside region of the thermal solar module according to one or more embodiments. The system also has an air plenum provided between the thermal solar module and the thickness shaped thickness of material. In a preferred embodiment, the system further has a frame assembly operably coupled to the shaped thickness of material to support the shaped thickness of material and the thermal solar module.

The teachings generally relate to a system for converting solar energy into electrical energy and thermal energy using a self-contained system having a plurality of channels for the heat transfer using a respective plurality of fluids.