Solar Thermal Design Class Reminder
httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZkJZzLS0T5M Hey Everybody! I’d just like to send out a reminder about the class for designing and engineering commercial-grade solar hot water systems that is coming up in about two and a half weeks. Here are the details… “Designing Durable, Low-Maintenance Commercial Solar Thermal Systems” Friday, September 9, 2011 8:30am – 5:00pm Holiday Inn Express at […]
Solar Hot Water Systems – Embedding FHS Controls
In this video, we’re putting the finishing touches on three Fluid Handling Systems that are soon to be delivered to the Fayetteville VA Medical Center as part of the solar hot water systems being installed there by our friends at Southern Energy Management. Sam and David are installing the controls and auto-fill valve… httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RX0l8PXFhyA&feature=channel_video_title
Pump Selection for Solar Hot Water Systems
I’ve been having some conversations with a few engineers about how to properly select pumps for large solar hot water systems. The pumps used in our Fluid Handling Systems are selected from major manufacturers, such as TACO and Bell & Gossett. Each pump is chosen for the particular characteristics needed for solar thermal collector operation. […]
3 Solar Hot Water Tanks Under Construction
This past week has been a particularly busy one out at the solar hot water systems shop. We’ve been working hard to get four Fluid Handling Systems ready to ship to our friends at Southern Energy Management. The first one to go out the door will be a 400 gallon solar hot water tank destined for […]
WTU Solar Hot Water System Video #2
Have you ever wondered exactly what’s going on inside the flat plate collectors of a solar hot water system? In this video I provide some insight into that question during our training session for NAVFAC. If you look inside a typical flat plate collector, you will see individual black plated copper fins. Manufacturers have different methods for […]
Solar Water Heating Systems – Definitions
Some of the words used in solar thermal system design may be confusing to the newcomer, so I thought I would go over some of them in this article. We hear the words, pressurized, non-pressurized, drainback, draindown, open loop, closed loop. I have heard professionals confuse some of these terms. Let’s go through them one […]
More Solar Thermal Lessons from Bethesda
Suppose for some crazy reason we had installed a pressurized glycol solar thermal system at the Warrior Transition Unit in Bethesda instead of a non-pressurized drainback one. Think about what that system is doing right now… 50 collectors just sitting there out in the bright summer sun. The system has been commissioned, meaning it’s operational, BUT […]
What’s the COP of a Solar Thermal System?
COP is a term that is used to refer to the performance of heat pumps. Coefficient Of Performance is the ratio of the energy to drive the compressor versus the energy transferred. For any solar thermal system there is a “COP” which refers to the energy gained vs the energy to run the system. More […]
Dr. Ben Meets Solar Thermal Instructors from SMAPSIT
We had the pleasure yesterday of hosting the reception for the 2011 members of the Southern Mid-Atlantic Provider of Solar Instructor Training program, or SMAPSIT, for solar thermal instructors. The program is funded by the US Department of Energy and administered by our good friends at the NC Solar Center at NC State University. I got the chance […]
Solar Hot Water Training from the NC Solar Center
I’ve been getting several inquires lately from people interested in learning more about hands-on training for solar water heating systems. Many local HVAC and plumbing contractors have realized that if they can learn a new trick (like solar hot water) they will grow their business in a new direction. Well, of course the primary purpose […]