Making Solar Simple

Solar Thermal History in North America
1891 – First patented solar water heating device
1900s – Regional growth in sunny areas
– 1920s
1920s –– LA Natural gas discovery ended California market 
LA Natural gas discovery ended California market
– 1941 ‐ Half of Miami homes had Solar Water Heaters, then 
low electric rates withered market
1974 d 1979 Arab oil embargos
1974 and 1979 – A b il b
ΠRapid growth replaced conventional energy sources
ΠGovernment subsidies fueled boom
Π200+ solar panel manufacturers
1986 – Cheaper fossil fuel, ceasing of subsidies, inferior 
equipment lead to end of “first” solar era
By 1995 – Most systems failed, were abandoned, or were 
removed   
removed
2
Seasonal Effects of Sun’s Energy

3
70% of Solar Energy Comes from the
Middle 6 Months
Average Daily Solar Energy Striking Solar Panel  
60,000 

14%
14%  14% 

50,000  12% 
12% 

40 000
40,000  10%
10% 

9% 
BTUs

8% 
30,000 

6% 
6%
6% 
20,000 
4%  4% 
3% 
10 000
10,000 

‐
 US Solar Map
63%

73% 61%

102%
98% 100%
112%
96%

86%

Colorado’s solar resource:

The short answer: It is really, really good!
Average Daily Solar Radiation
Btu/sqft*day
Btu/sqft day

45 deg panel tilt, Hay and Davies model 6

Solar Demand Comes From All 
R i
Regions

7
 Technology Overview
Technology Overview
• Passive Solar Heating ‐ easy, beautiful, elegant
• Solar Hot Water – heating and hot water 
“ h
“Thermal” measured in
l” d “Btu” or “therms”
“ ” “h ”
• Photovoltaics – electricity 
electricity
“PV” measured in “kilowatt hours”
• Synergistic Effects – working together 
 Passive Solar Space Heating

In Winter: Sun shine

enters through south
windows warming space

In Summer: Roof
overhang limits solar
g
gain

Doesn’t incorporate
fans or circulators

9
 Solar Thermal Diagram

From http://powertomorrow.com
 Active Solar Thermal Systems
Active Solar Thermal Systems
Flat Plate

Incorporate a pump to move

li id th
liquid through
h system.
t

Use either: E
Evacuated
t dTTube
b Plate
Pl t
“flat plate collector” or
“evacuated tube collector”

11
• Collect
• Store
St
• Move
• Control
Slide 12

A1 Author, 8/19/2009
 Active Solar Thermal Systems

Jenni Energietechnik AG

13
Active Solar Systems  
Caleffi Lab  ‐ Italy
 3 Categories of
Active Solar Thermal Panels
Œ Low Temperature Panels
ΠSwimming Pools

Œ Medium Temperature Panels
ΠHot Water Heating
Today’s
oday s Focus
ocus
ΠSpace Heating

Œ High Temperature Panels
Hi h T P l
ΠIndustrial and Chemical processing

15
Solar Swimming Pool Panels

16
 Flat Plate Collectors
Œ Most common collector in 
North America

Œ Absorber plate is principle 
component
p
ΠMade of copper sheet
and tubing
Œ “Selective surface”
absorbs majority of
solar radiation

17
Flat Plate Detail

18
 Evacuated Tube Collectors
ΠGlass tubes with
concentric inner and
outer walls
ΠActs like a Thermos
bottle
ΠCoated copper
absorber plate in
inner glass
ΠSpecialized fluid
sealed within

19
 Typical Evacuated Tube Heat 
T
Transmitter
i

Critical detail to transfer heat

20
Flat Panel versus Evacuated Tube
Which Performs Better? 
Factors
Œ Freeze Protection Method Used
Œ Shipping, Handling and Installation Ease
Œ Heat Load: Space Heating or Hot Water?
Œ Roof Area Requirements
Œ Maintenance Requirements
Œ Ability To Shed Snow
Œ Cost of Equipment
Œ Thermal Efficiency  

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 Flat Plate                 Evacuated Tube

• More efficient in temperate • More efficient in very cold,

climates cloudy climates
• Can be architecturally • Can produce higher water
integrated into roofs more temperature – space
easily heating advantage
• When sloped 40 deg or • Must use antifreeze solution
more, sheds snow sooner because of manifold design
• Less expensive • Components are
• Longer
L design
d i track
t k assembled on site
record for durability • Glass requires extra
handling
g care

22
Wet, Sticky Snow, Overcast
C diti
Conditions

Courtesy Solar Skies Mfg.

23 23
Hours Later

Courtesy Solar Skies Mfg.

24 24
 Needs to Be Cleaned Off

Evacuated tubes days after snowfall

25
[email protected] 26
 Orientating
g Solar Panels
Ideal orientation is true south
g
“Plus or minus 30 degrees” g
generally
y results in less
than 5% energy penalty
Adjustment compass reading for “magnetic
declination”

27
Solar Panels are Forgiving
g g for Pitch
Plus or minus 15 Degrees Results in Only 5% Penalty

28
Graph courtesy of Solar Skies Mfg. LLC, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Ground Mount Array
Ground Mount Array

29
Photo courtesy of Hot Water Products
 Ground Mount Array 
y

30
Photo courtesy of Hot Water Products
Flat Plate Collectors
Collectors-- Ground Mounted

31
Cedar Mountain Solar Santa Fe, New Mexico
Awning Mount
Awning Mount 

Photo courtesy of Hot Water Products 32

Flat Plate - Vertical Wall Mounted

Cedar Mountain Solar

33
High Tilt for Space Heating

34
Ground Mount With Air Conditioner

35
Photo courtesy of Hot Water Products
Reverse Pitch Mounting

Beaver Brothers NC 36
Commercial SDHW
Commercial SDHW

37
Photo courtesy of Hot Water Products
 Freeze Protection Methods

All active solar systems in the US 
y
and Canada should employ freeze 
protection

“Manual draining” should be used 
only when freezing is extremely
only when freezing is extremely 
rare

38
 Drain back System
Drain back System

39
Radiant Engineering, Bozeman, MT
Gravity Drainback Systems

It is
i absolutely
b l t l necessary that
th t the
th collectors
ll t and
d allll exposed
d piping
i i b be pitched
it h d a
minimum of 1/4 inch per foot toward the storage tank for complete drainage.

Entire collector array is sloped

 “Closed‐Loop Drain back” Freeze Protection

Water from collect or drains 
automatically when collector
automatically when collector 
is not collecting energy
Relies on gravity and proper 
pitching of collectors and 
piping
Anti‐freeze
Anti freeze is not needed 
is not needed
(however, some choose to 
anyway for extra protection)

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 “Closed Loop Glycol” Freeze Protection

Uses  anti‐freeze
A heat exchanger 
transfers heat to 
water in storage tank
t i t t k
The majority of 
installers prefer over
installers prefer over 
“drain back” 
protection

42
Glycol     40/60 Mix

43
 Basic System Configurations
Œ 3 sizes:
Œ 1 Panel‐ Target 1 to 2 person household
Œ Ave 15,000 BTU harvested/day
Œ 2 Panels‐ Target 2 to 4 person household
Œ Ave 27,000 BTU harvested/day
Œ 3 Panels‐ Target 4 to 6 person household
Œ Ave 40,000 BTU harvested/day
ΠSized to reduce energy costs 45% to 90%
(depending on North American region)

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 Software for System Sizing, 
Performance…and Return on Investment!

•RET Screen www.retscreen.net

•F-Chart www.fchart.com

•Maui Solar www.mauisolarsoftware.com

•Tsol www.valentin.de

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 Configuration #1
Storage Tank Electric Element Serves as Back-
Back-Up Heat
Source

(Optional Accessory)

46
 Configuration #2
Storage Tank Feeds Dedicated Hot Water Heater

(Optional Accessory)

47
 Configuration #3
Boiler Is Used For Back-
Back-Up Heat

(Optional
Accessory)

48
Remember, Always Use Thermostatic
Mixing
Mi i V Valve!
l !

49
[email protected] 50
[email protected] 51
 Boulder, CO
Œ 4 person household with hot water heater
ΠAve Daily HW Consumption = 80 gallons
ΠAve Incoming Cold Water Temp = 46.7 degrees
ΠHW Temp Delivery= 120.0 degrees
Œ Daily energy delivery = 8.33x80x(120‐46.7) 48,847 BTU /day
/
Œ Daily energy consumption (assuming 3% storage loss) yields 
50 312 BTU /day
50,312 BTU /day  
Œ Two panel Caleffi System produces 32,200 BTU / day solar 
energy
Œ Solar fraction = 32,200 / 48,847 = 64%

How much money does, this

save customer?
52
 Since 2002, Average Annual Inflation: 
Electricity 3%
y
10% increase
projected for 2008/09
heating season!

Source http://www.eia.doe.gov/steo Oct 2008 Update 53

 Since 2002, Average Annual Inflation: 
Propane 15%, Heating Oil 22%
p , g

Source http://www.eia.doe.gov/steo Oct 2008 Update 54

 Since 2002, Average Annual Inflation: 
Natural Gas 11%

Source http://www.eia.doe.gov/steo Oct 2008 Update 55

I
Incentive Effect Example
i Eff E l
-- 2 Panel Solar System
-- SRCC Rating g 50,000 Btu

56
 Energy Savings Analysis
Œ Average Daily Solar Harvest= 27,945 BTU/day
Œ Annual Avoidance = 27,945 * 365= 10,199,125 BTU

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Solar Fraction Varies By Region 

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 The Fallacy of Simple Payback
y p y
• It’s good for comparison (only!)
• It ignores inflation rate
g
• It doesn’t look at lifetime
• It ignores “afterwards”

Payback Time

Initial Cost

Incremental
Savings
Solar Thermal Federal Income Tax Credits

™ Credits Extended Through Year 2016

™ Residential Installation
™30% of installed cost

™No cap on credit amount

™ Commercial Installation
™30% of installed cost

™No cap on credit amount

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 More Incentives
More Incentives
• Solar
Solar grants for low and moderate income 
grants for low and moderate income
families
• Utilities rebates on PV, sales and use tax 
Utilities rebates on PV sales and use tax
incentives
• Climate Smart loan program
Cli S l

61
SRCC Label Certifying to OG
OG--100
Standard
Standard

62
Flat Panels Are Very Durable

63
Locating Rafters Electronically

64
Drill Stainless Steel Anchor 
B lt I t R ft
Bolts Into Rafter

65
Threaded rod, cross block
Threaded  rod, cross block

66
L bolt under rafter
L bolt under rafter

67
Close Ups Of Mounting Hardware

68
Stainless Steel Hardware

69
Panel To Panel Union

70
Roof Pitch Gauge

71
Adjusting Panels to Proper Pitch

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 Ideal Solar Panel Pitch
Ideal Solar Panel Pitch
• For Solar Water Heating
–Set
Set at local latitude (from horizontal)
–Make the pitch at least 40 degrees in
snowfall climates

• For
For Space Heating
Space Heating
–Set at local latitude + 15 degrees

73
Tilt Brace Assembled

74
75
76
77
Solar Flex In PVC Sleeve ‐ Attic View

78
Splitting Solar Flex

79
Solar Flex Through The Building
g g

80
Procedure: Setting System Pressure
• Set to accomplish 20psi at top of solar panels
• Procedure:
– For every floor level between solar panel and
storage tank top, add 5 psi
– Example:
• Tank
T k isi in
i b
basementt and
d panels
l are on
roof of one story home.
• Set pressure to = 20 psi + 5 psi/floor * 2
fl
floors = 30 psii
• Adjust expansion tank pressure to equal the 
system pressure
y p

Spin off

81
 Flow Setter Reading

For flow
above 4
GPM, read
from bottom
of impeller
indicator
Shows 2.0 GPM

82
 Procedure: Setting Flow Rate
g
• Desired Flow Rate Value:
– For one panel system: 1.5 GPM
– For two panel system: 2.0 GPM
– For three panel system: 3.0 GPM
• O
Open balancing valve full open and set pump speed to 
b l i l f ll d d
lowest setting
• Adjust controller to 
Adjust controller to “manual
manual on
on” to activate pump
to activate pump
• If flow rate is greater than desired value, use balancing 
valve to adjust back to desired value
• If flow rate is less than desired value, set pump to 
second (or third if needed) speed setting and adjust 
back to desired value.
back to desired value.

83
•
Procedure: Purging Air
1) Open air vent ball valve on solar panel
1) Open air vent ball valve on solar panel
g g
– You will likely hear air being expelled from air 
vent
• 2) Manually open air vent located in pumping station
– Air should  also expel. When fluid begins to 
expel, close vent. 
• 3) Within the next few days after fluid heats:
– R
Repeat step 2) above after manually turning on 
t t 2) b ft ll t i
pump. When only fluid expels when manual 
vent is opened, system air has been sufficiently 
removed. Check that pressure hasn’t changed. 
– Close air vent ball valve on solar panel. The air 
vent is no longer needed and can be removed if 
desired for aesthetic purposes.
• 5) 
5) Repeat step 2) approximately every 12 months and expel any 
Repeat step 2) approximately every 12 months and expel any
trapped air. Check pressure gage to ensure pressure hasn’t dropped 
below desired level. If so, re‐pressurize system to maintain optimal 
performance.

84
 Pump Speed Control
Operating Sequence

• Pump automatically adjusts speed based on the heat gain in the panel. 
The faster the heat gain, the faster the pump speed. 
–Optimizes thermal transfer efficiency in the tank
–Minimizes electrical consumption.
p
• Sequence (starting at night with a cooled tank)
• Sun starts to rise. Delta T reaches 12F.
• Pump activates to 100% speed for 10 seconds
seconds, then drops to 40%
• If Delta T rises to 20F, speed increases to 50%
• If Delta T rises to 24 F, speed increases to 60%
• This process continues – pump speeds up and slows down based on
Delta T.
• Once Delta T drops below 8F, pump turns off. 

85
 Built In Heat Protection
Operating Sequence
Operating Sequence
• Heat transfers from panel to tank until tank temperature 
reaches 140 F. Pump then becomes temporarily disabled even 
though panel temperature may continue to climb
though panel temperature may continue to climb
• If panel temperature rises to 250 F, the pump activates, 
cooling the panel. Tank temperature may rise above 140 F 
t
temporarily.
il
• If either the panel temperature reaches 285 F, or the tank 
temperature reaches 203 F, the system shuts down 
(t
(stagnates) and  the control flashes. Under prolonged 
t ) d th t l fl h U d l d
“stagnation” states, the antifreeze properties can degrade.
• Pump will re‐energize when panel temperature cools below 
285
285, or tank temperature cools below 203.
t kt t l b l 203
• Annual glycol ph checks are recommended to detect 
stagnation occurrence. 

86
87
 Differential Temperature Controller is 
“The Brains”
Monitors two temperatures

When collector temp exceeds

storage tank temperature by
about 12 F, pump circulates

When temperature difference

falls to about 8 F, controller
turns pump off

Frequency of energizing
depends on cloud cover
cover, wind
wind,
shading, energy consumption

88
 Yearly Check‐Ups
y p
• System pressure check, glycol property check, and air purge 
should be performed every year to ensure adequate 
p
performance. 

• Record any glycol adjustments on glycol tag provided.

89
Solar Interest is Not Exclusive to Just the 
Affluent!
[email protected] 91
[email protected] 92
Solar Thermal and PV

93
Solar Thermal and PV

94
Thanks for considering solar!!