Dr. Ben's Solar Hot Water Systems
Over 40 years of Solar Hot Water Systems
Dr. Ben's Solar Hot Water Systems website was created with one primary purpose in mind. That is to make publicly available reliable information on best practices, installation techniques, and design strategies regarding solar water heating systems to architects, engineers, installers, and owners. The format of this website is interactive so please feel free to leave your thoughts, insights, comments, and questions for discussion on the posts.
Dr. Ben (center) receiving NCSEA Founder's Award
Benjamin T. Gravely, PhD began his career in the solar industry in 1977 with the establishment of Gravely Research Corporation. GRC pursued various inventions in solar energy, two of which were granted U.S. patents. Three years later Ben founded Astron Technologies, Inc. to manufacture and distribute products developed by GRC. Since then, thousands of Ben's solar hot water systems have been installed for residential and commercial applications across the US and over seas.
Ben has also written solar energy computer programs that have been authorized as analytical methods by HUD, the NC Energy Division, and the US Army Corp of Engineers. He was appointed by the governor of North Carolina to be a founding director of the NC Advanced Energy Corp. His work in this area has been recognized by commendation from the governor, ASME, TVA, and the NC Sustainable Energy Association, of which he is co-founder.
Evacuated Tube Versus Flat Plate Solar Hot Water Panels – Who Has The Upper Hand?
I was recently discussing the different types of solar hot water collectors with a business owner considering the purchase of a system. He had heard a lot about evacuated tube collectors, but he knew I used flat plate collectors. So he asked me which type was better. “The answer is simple,” I told him. “Both.” To understand […]
>>Read MoreUnderstanding Solar Hot Water Systems – The Drain Back Design
There are many types of solar hot water systems – pressurized closed loop, pressurized open loop, drain back, thermosyphon, and variations called direct and indirect, referring to the placement of the heat exchanger. There are variations among the variations. The two dominant types today are the pressurized glycol system and the drainback system. One version […]
>>Read More