How To Avoid Over-sizing A Solar Thermal System
Properly sizing a commercial solar hot water system requires a simple understanding of a basic universal principal: the Law of Diminishing Returns. Let me explain. The term “Solar Fraction” is defined as the ratio between the solar energy output of a system over the total energy demand of a building served by that system.
“What’s wrong with using Rubatex to insulate solar thermal system piping?”
You may have heard me say before not to use any type of rubber when insulating the pipes of solar hot water systems. The picture to the right shows why. This rubber insulation was installed on a new A/C unit only some 4 years ago. The unit is in the shadow of a building and is as […]
What Is An “Immersion Vent”?
I had the opportunity to sit down recently with Alan Watts of Renewable Design Associates. To be such a young guy, Alan really seems to have a firm grasp of the basic fundamentals of solar hot water systems.
Inspecting the Solar Hot Water System at The Healing Place!
The solar thermal system at The Healing Place of Wake County is now up and running! So I decided to pay it a visit and see how it’s doing. I was pleased to see a fair amount of solar energy had been collected and stored over the past several days even though the weather had […]
Irregardless Cafe Goes Solar Thermal With Yes!
2012 is off to a shining start for Arthur Gordon, Chef Emeritus and Owner of the Irregardless Cafe here in Raleigh, NC. The Irregardless has joined the growing number of North Carolina businesses and organizations leading the charge for renewable energy. Arthur recently called Energy Specialist Dan Lezama of Yes! Solar Solutions to come out and […]
New Solar Hot Water System Complete @ Murphey School!
This video is a must watch! We have completed our installation of a drainback solar hot water system comprised of 15 AET solar thermal collectors and a 500 gallon Fluid Handling System for the Murphey School apartments. Take a look and get the whole tour!
Is ASHRAE Getting It Right With Solar Thermal System Design?
I was interested in taking a gander at the ‘official’ ASHRAE solar thermal design manual since I see so many commercial specification packages done poorly. I know many PEs refer to the ASHRAE literature when a client asks them to put solar hot water system on a building project. The engineers do the only thing […]
The Importance of Duty Cycle in Solar Thermal Systems
In a recent letter from Kevin about single tank vs two tank solar hot water systems, he brings up a very important concept that we didn’t cover in the previous discussion. It is known as “duty cycle”, or the load vs time. To start this off, let’s go back to Kevin’s comments about single tank […]
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