Q&A: PV Controls for a Solar Thermal System?
Q&A: Does it make sense to control a solar thermal system using a solar radiation meter or UV meter?
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
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. […]
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 […]