Solar Water Heating Systems

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Solar Water Heating Systems

• Aaron Goldwater, Goldwater Solar Services Ltd.
• March, 2009

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Today

• Canadas Solar Resource
• Our perceptions
• Solar Site Assessment
• Solar Pool Heating
• Solar DHW and other applications
• System sizing and performance
• Government incentives

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Average Solar Radiation in Canada 1150 kWh/kW/a
!!! (South Germany 900 kWh/kW/a only)
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Solar Resource

• Canadas Solar radiation as good as Austria (1
  out of 7 homes) and China

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Resource availability
Source Werner B. Koldehoff, Management Beratung
87657 Görisried
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Ipsos-Reid Study for NRCan
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(No Transcript)
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Household Energy Use
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Solar Feasibility

• Things to consider
• Shading
• Roof pitch and direction
• Space for storage tanks
• Plumbing route
• Indoor vs. Outdoor
• Type of heating system

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Shade Assessment

• Buildings
• Trees
• Other Collectors
• Solar pathfinder gt

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Solar Pool Heating

• Extends pool season
• 20 year lifetime
• Minimal maintenance
• Quick payback (1 5 yrs)

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System Design

• Simple System
• Solar panels, piping, and control
• CPVC collectors (50 of pool area and up)
• Solar pool controller and actuator
• Pool pump strong enough

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SDHW System Design

• Components
• Solar collectors, solar storage tanks,
  controller, and circulating pumps
• Freeze protection
• Drainback vs. Glycol
• Direct Circulation

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System Configuration
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Evacuated Tube Collectors

• Very little heat loss
• Good solar capture at various angles
• Very little fluid outdoors

• Can replace components
• Comes in different sizes

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Flat Plate Collectors

• Work well when ambient temperature is similar to
  collector temperature
• Blend in with the roof look like a skylight
• Two styles (serpentine grid) and common size

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Combi Systems
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Commercial Applications

• High hot water demand
• Laundromats
• Car washes
• Apartments/Condos
• Long-term care facilities
• Large roof footprint
• Large hot water storage vessels
• Good government incentives

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System Sizing

• Based on hot water consumption and use
• Residential average of 50 60 litres of hot
  water per person
• Usually based on number of units for
  multi-residential

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System Performance

• Sized to provide up to 50 - 60 of hot water
  needs
• Payback between 5 15 years
• ROI of over 10
• Prefeasibility using RETScreen

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RETScreen
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RETScreen
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Government Rebates

• EcoEnergy for Renewable Heat Program
• Residential building must be greater than 600m2
• Performance based incentive
• Based on sq ft of collector x performance factor
• Typically 30 50 of project costs

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PV vs. Thermal
Source Werner B. Koldehoff, Management Beratung
87657 Görisried
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Contact Information

• Goldwater Solar Services
• 231 Fort York Blvd., Suite 716, Toronto
• Phone [phone]
• Email info_at_goldwatersolar.com
• For More info on Solar Water Heating
• Co-author of Ontario Sustainable Energy
  Associations handbook on Solar Thermal
• Found at www.ontario-sea.org