February’s Solar Thermal Webinar
What’s the best way to analyze a commercial solar water heating project for optimal energy output? It’s not easy. Several decades ago, a couple of professors from the University of Wisconsin came up with something called the F-Chart methodology. I took their calculations and put them into a spreadsheet of my own. After many tweaks and slight improvements I finally ended up with a program that is both easy to use and remarkably accurate. In this video, I show how to use my F-Chart to determine the appropriate collector area, storage volume, and energy output for a sample project. Enjoy!
Solar Water Heating in Waukesha!
The mechanical room at the STEM Academy Saratoga Campus is proof that there are learning opportunities everywhere. A location in the building that most people walked by without a second thought was harboring some pretty interesting scientific processes the whole time, said teachers at the school. Renovations to the room have transformed it into a thermal energy laboratory with three systems on display; a water tank heated by solar energy, a gas-powered hot water heater, and a steam-powered heating system.
Different Kinds of Drainback Solar Water Heating Systems
Most people don’t know that there are several different kinds of drainback solar water heating systems. They look very much like glycol systems with the important difference that they contain no glycol, expansion tanks, check valves, or any other components required for dealing with pressurization. The water drains out of the collectors when the pump stops…
November’s Solar Thermal Webinar
In the recent November edition of our Question & Answer webinar we reviewed some more of the fundamental principals that support successful solar thermal design. Specifically, we continued our ongoing comparison of the pluses and minuses of both pressurized and non-pressurized solar water heating systems.