G. Paul Menyharth, director of the American Solar Institute, weighs in with the test data and collector performance concluding that “the selection should be based on how much energy could be collected per dollar spent for the desired application.”
LEED Version 3 (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) is a worldwide accepted certification system for the design, construction and operation of green buildings. Developed by USGBC (United States Green Building Council), LEED Version 3 supports and encourages whole-building design approaches.
LEED Version 3 certification uses a point scoring system where points are given for building projects that strive for energy savings, water efficiency, carbon emission reduction, enhanced indoor environmental quality, and management of resources. A total of 110 points are offered, including 10 bonus points. A minimum number of 40 points is needed for a building project to become certified. The four levels of LEED Version 3 certification and their required points are: Platinum, 80-110; Gold, 60-79; Silver, 50-59; Certified, 40-49.
LEED Version 3 points are available in the following categories: Sustainable Sites, Water Efficiency, Energy and Atmosphere, Materials and Resources, Indoor Environmental Quality, Innovation in Design and Regional Priority.
The Energy and Atmosphere category offers a total of 35 possible points. This category is further broken down into six specific credits. Credit 1 is named Optimize Energy Performance. A total of nineteen points may be given for Credit 1. Credit 2 is called On-Site Renewable Energy, which offers a total of seven points.
If your building project is incorporating a solar thermal system, you may be able to receive LEED Version 3 points from Credit 1, Optimize Energy Performance. (Since solar thermal does not actually generate power like solar electric does, the energy savings received from solar thermal does not qualify in Credit 2, On-Site Renewable Energy.)
LEED Version 3 points from Credit 1 for inclusion of a solar thermal system are calculated by first establishing a reference building as a baseline. Then data regarding the system is analyzed using a simulation software program, comparing it to the baseline. One point is awarded for every 3.5% of energy efficiency over the baseline, with a maximum of ten points available.
Since solar thermal is generally less expensive than many other renewable energy technologies, it is a much more economically feasible way of obtaining LEED Version 3 points for your building project.
The U.S. solar water heating industry produced a record year of growth in 2008, with a 50% increase in capacity compared to 2007. By the end of 2008, approximately 139 MWTh (MegaWatts Thermal equivalent) was installed, bringing the total installed capacity to about 485 MWTh, according to a report released by the Solar Energy Industries Association.
One of the main reasons for the growth of the solar water heating industry was the extension of the residential and commercial solar investment tax credit. Additionally, the public has become increasingly aware of solar energy options available and more concerned about the overall energy crisis.
Even with the significant growth of the solar water heating industry in 2008, solar energy (solar water heating and photovoltaics combined) accounts for only 1% of the total U.S. energy usage. This small percentage is mainly concentrated in several states, possibly as a result of varying http://www.solarhotusa.com/support.html. The state of Hawaii, with its tax credit of 35% of the cost of a solar hot water installation, accounted for 37% of the total MWTh installed in the U.S. in 2008.
The U.S. currently ranks fourth in the world in installed solar energy capacity (solar water heating and photovoltaics combined). Germany ranks first, with Spain and Japan ranking second and third respectfully.
It is expected that the U.S. solar water heating industry will continue to grow in the coming years as the country confronts the issue of reducing solar energy costs to the same level as that of conventional fossil fuel energy.
With the cost of conventional energy ever increasing, consumers are becoming more interested in the use of solar energy. But which solar energy technology makes the most sense for the average consumer, solar heating or solar electric?
A solar heating system generally consists of solar collectors, a water storage tank, a pump and automatic controls. The estimated cost of a hot water solar heating system for a typical single family home is between $4,000 and $8,000, including installation. The system will replace approximately 80% of the energy used by a conventional hot water system, and represents a cost savings of $500 to $600 a year. The payback will average between 5 to 7 years after tax credits, meaning that after 5 to 7 years the total cost savings will have paid for the initial cash investment.
The components of a solar electric system are the photovoltaic solar collectors, an inverter, a charge controller and batteries. The projected cost of a grid-tied solar electric system for the same typical single family home is from $25,000 to $35,000 and will supply approximately 20-25% of the electricity usage of the home. The yearly savings would be between $500 and $600. The payback of the system is estimated at 15 to 25 years.
The initial costs of both of the solar hot water heating system and the solar electric system may be reduced by federal tax credits and state tax incentives. The cost savings per year and payback time for both systems will vary depending on the exact costs of the system components, actual current energy costs and future increases in energy costs.
Neither system is 100% efficient, since energy is lost due to conversion processes. Solar hot water heating systems are considered to be between 35% and 50% efficient, compared to solar electric systems which are 4% to 13% efficient.
In our opinion, because of the lesser initial expenditure, the quicker return of the investment and the higher rate of efficiency, the solar hot water heating system is the better, more cost effective choice.
The European Member States have to work out a Renewables Action Plan this year, outlining how it will reach its 2020 target
by Werner Weiss and Peter Biermayr
London, UK [RenewableEnergyWorld.com]
The European Union and its Member States have committed themselves to achieving a 20% share of renewable energy in Europe’s final energy consumption by 2020. As only three renewable sources (biomass, geothermal and solar) generate heat, it is crucial to clarify how these different sectors can contribute to the renewable energy target. A new study being released this autumn – Study of the Potential of Solar Thermal in Europe, which has come from two Austrian bodies (AEE – Institute for Sustainable Technologies and Vienna University of Technology) examines the growth that can come from solar.
Obviously, solar thermal systems will be needed to provide a substantial share of the low temperature heat: deep geothermal sources are limited to a few locations in Europe, and shallow geothermal is considered within this study as an energy efficiency technology; biomass will be used for transport fuels, electricity generation and medium-to-high temperature applications.
In order to provide the European Union and its Member States with substantiated information on the solar thermal contribution to the 20% renewable energy target and its long-term potential, detailed surveys were conducted using a representative sample of five European countries – Austria, Denmark Germany, Poland and Spain. The information gathered was then extrapolated to cover the 27 EU countries. The study examined both the technical and economic potential of solar thermal technologies, for different applications, including low-temperature industrial heat requirements and cooling.
In order to determine the potential contribution solar thermal could make to the overall heat demand in the selected reference countries, a model was developed for the future demand – taking into account energy efficiency measures. Using this model as a base, future heating and cooling demand was calculated for 2020, for 2030 and 2050. The model includes three scenarios and focuses on the following segments:
* space heating of residential buildings
* hot water preparation in the residential sector
* space heating in the service sector
* industrial low temperature heat (up to 250°C)
* air conditioning and cooling in the residential and service sectors
The three scenarios are a ‘Business As Usual scenario’ (BAU); an ‘Advanced Market Deployment scenario’ (AMD), which includes financial and political support mechanisms such as subsidies and obligations, moderate energy efficiency measures and improved research activities; and a ‘Full R&D and Policy scenario’ (RDP), which includes substantial financial and political support mechanisms, energy efficiency measures and research activities.
Contribution of Solar Thermal to the EU 20% Renewable Energy target
Assuming there is a 9% reduction of the overall final energy demand due to energy efficiency measures by 2020 (compared with 2006), then solar thermal would make up 6.3% of the European Union’s 20% renewable energy target under the RDP scenario, and 2.4% under the less ambitious AMD scenario. The share of renewables in 2005 (to the EU-27’s total energy consumption of 13,609 TWh) was 8.5%. To reach 20%, an increase of 11.5 percentage points in renewable energies is required across the EU-27 countries by 2020. The contribution of solar thermal to that increase would be 12% according to the RDP scenario, 4.5% according to the AMD scenario and 2.9% in the BAU scenario.
To reach the goals of the RDP scenario, a 26% average annual growth rate of the European solar thermal market is needed up to 2020. (By comparison, the average annual market growth in Europe between 2000 and 2007 was 12.4%.) A 15% average annual growth rate is required to reach the goals of the AMD scenario and a 7% growth rate for the BAU scenario. The resulting total collector area by 2020 would be between 97 million m2 (BAU) and 388 million m2 (RDP). These collector areas correspond to total installed capacities of 67.9 GWth and 271.6 GWth, respectively.
Economic Effects
According to the RDP scenario the effect on employment would be considerable. In total, the solar thermal sector would encompass 470,000 full-time jobs in 2020, in the European Union domestic market alone. €214 billion would be required in the solar thermal sector to reach the 2020 goals of the RDP scenario. This includes production, engineering, trade and installation of solar thermal systems from 2006 to 2020.
Solar thermal contribution to the energy supply and CO2 reduction
The solar yield in the RDP scenario is 155 TWh in 2020. This corresponds to an oil equivalent of 22 billion metric tons. Taking this oil equivalent into account the annual contribution to the CO2 reduction by solar thermal systems is 69 million metric tons.
Technology Innovation
Stepping up solar on this scale will require innovation. In order to use the potential much larger roof and facade areas will be needed for the installation of solar collectors.
Large-scale solar renovation of buildings will make use of prefabricated elements, with solar providing space heating, cooling and hot water. Combisystems will play an essential part, and a key issue is the development of thermal energy storage.
Long-Term Potential – Beyond Domestic Hot Water
In 2050, the solar thermal contribution to the European Union’s (EU-27) low temperature heat demand ranges from 47% (RDP scenario) to 8% (BAU scenario).
The corresponding annual solar yields are 1552 TWh (RDP) and 391 TWh (BAU). The collector area needed to reach these goals is between 8 m2 (RDP) and 2 m2 (BAU) per inhabitant in the EU-27. The resulting total collector area is between 3.88 billion m2 (RDP) and 970 million m2 (BAU).
If solar thermal is to contribute significantly to the long-term heating and cooling demand in EU-27 countries then the primary focus in central and northern Europe must be on systems for space heating (solar combisystems) and in the Mediterranean area on systems providing space heating, hot water and air conditioning (solar combi+ systems).
If the focus remains solely on solar thermal systems for domestic hot water preparation, then the solar thermal contribution to the long-term final energy demand will be limited. By 2030 the full potential for these applications will have been reached and the market would be reduced mainly to the replacement of old systems. Another important segment with considerable potential is low-temperature process heat for industry, (up to 250°C).
With upscaled R&D and market/political support, solar heat can make a valuable contribution to Europe’s energy future. It’s the right moment – in fact, without the renewable heat sector, the 2020 targets will not be reached.
Werner Weiss is at AEE – Institute for Sustainable Technologies, Gleisdorf, Austria. Peter Biermayr is with Vienna University of Technology Energy Economics Group, Austria.
The full version of the Solar Thermal Potential in Europe study is available: http://www.estif.org/.
This study was prepared in the framework of the EU-funded project RESTMAC, TREN/05/FP6EN/S07.58365/020185. The Solar Thermal partner in the RESTMAC project is ESTIF, European Solar Thermal Industry Federation.
After reviewing dozens of websites, we have come up with a top ten list of our favorite solar water heating installer websites.
Each of these websites has introduced their company to the potential customer with content that is informative, clear, concise and up to date. Each one has provided a description of a typical solar water heating installation, some with illustrations. All of these websites have also included their company’s solar energy credentials and the reasons why they should be chosen as the customer’s installer. Some have incorporated photographs of their recent installations, with customer feedback. In addition each one has presented the information in a professional looking website that is easy for the user to navigate.
Since websites should be designed as marketing tools, each of these websites has been graded on the elements of aesthetics, content and navigation, and have been given a numerical score in each. Additionally each website has an SEO grade based on its grading from the website http://www.websitegrader.com. Having a great looking website is only part of the battle since you need the customers to be able to find your website as well. If you notice our top website isn’t the best looking and also doesn’t have the best content but it does have the highest visibility to the search engines and is passable in the other respects.
Our top ten list of solar water heating installer websites is as follows:
#1 ECS Solar Energy Systems, Inc located in Gainesville, Florida
http://www.ecs-solar.com/
Excellent slide show of various types of solar panels installed on homes.
Aesthetics 5, Content 8, Navigation 10, SEO Grade: 91
#2 Dovetail Solar And Wind located in Cincinnati, Ohio
http://www.dovetailsolar.com/index.htm
Extensive “frequently asked questions” area with important information.
Aesthetics 7, Content 10, Navigation 10, SEO Grade: 68
#3 Solar Assist, located in Eugene, Oregon
http://www.solarassist.net/index.html
Impressive photo gallery of recent solar heating projects
Aesthetics 9, Content 7, Navigation 10, SEO Grade: 55
#4 Greenhead Solar, located in Spokane, Washington
http://www.greenheadsolar.com/index.htm
Excellent descriptions of solar panels.
Aesthetics 5, Content 8, Navigation 10, SEO Grade: 52
#5 New England Solar Hot Water, located in Duxbury, Massachusetts
http://www.neshw.com/default.aspx
Informative explanation of solar basics
Aesthetics 8, Content 8, Navigation 10, SEO Grade: 36
#6 Enviro Plumbing, located in Santa Monica, California
http://www.enviroplumbing.com/index.html
Extensive photo gallery including pictures of workers installing panels
Aesthetics 8, Content 9, Navigation 6, SEO Grade: 34
#7 Boston Solar Living, located in Medford, Massachusetts
http://www.bostonsolarliving.com/
Great information on tax credits and rebates
Aesthetics 7, Content 10, Navigation 6, SEO Grade: 29
#8 Creative Solar USA located in Canton, Georgia
http://creativesolarusa.com/index.php
Read an open letter from the company’s founder on why he went green
Aesthetics 9, Content 10 , Navigation 10 , SEO Grade: 18
#9 Aladdin Solar, located in Excelsior, Minnesota
http://www.aladdinsolar.com/home.html
One of the few websites to give estimated solar water heating prices
Aesthetics 5, Content 7, Navigation 9, SEO Grade: 24
#10 Solar Heating Services located in Berlin, Wisconsin
http://www.solarheatingservices.com/index.php
Read interesting case study of one their latest solar projects
Aesthetics 8, Content 8, Navigation 8, SEO Grade: 12
If your solar water heating installer website is on our top ten list, congratulations!
If not, contact us with a link to you website and we will review it for our future top ten lists.
There are many blogs on the internet devoted to the subject of renewable energy, and specifically to solar energy. In searching the web, the following six blogs are among the most unique and interesting ones that we found. Our ratings for each blog are also included.
#1
A particularly noteworthy solar energy blog is Solar Energy Rocks!. This blog primarily focuses on informing homeowners about rebates, grants, subsidies and tax credits available in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The writers of the Solar Energy Rocks! blog believe that the reason that residential solar systems are not more prevalent is because homeowners are unaware of and misinformed about these incentive programs. Along with blog entries, visitors to the blog can click on their state to retrieve this information which is presented in an easy to understand format. In addition, Solar Energy Rocks! Has recently added two podcasts to their blog. This renewable energy blog can be found at http://www.solarpowerrocks.com/
Quality of content: 10
Applicability: 10
Aesthetics: 9
Frequency of posts: 10
#2
The Build It Solar is a relatively new renewable energy blog. The objective of this blog is to respond to questions that have been emailed to their website. The blog’s entries primarily deal with installation issues. Professional installers and do-it-yourselfers alike will benefit from the information offered by this blog. Recent posts regarding the building of a solar water heating system for $1000 and its continued performance will be of particular interest. Visit this blog at http://www.builditsolar.com/Blog/index.html
Quality of content: 10
Applicability: 9
Aesthetics: 9
Frequency of posts: 9
#3
Clean Technica is a renewable energy blog published by Green Options Media Production. This blog’s intention is to provide the general public with information on renewable energy options available and to describe actual applications of this technology. The Clean Technica blog is divided into categories, one of those categories being “solar energy”. Written for the lay person, blog entries to the Clean Technica blog are contributed by knowledgeable experts in the field. Visitors to the blog are encouraged to add their comments or questions, to which blog writers will respond. A recent blog post describes how a California company installed a solar power system in its warehouse facility. Other recent blogs include the U.S. Army’s solar energy system at a California base and the Energy Information Administration’s recent news of the significant increase in renewable energy in the U.S. Users may click on http://cleantechnica.com/category/solar-energy/ to be directed to the solar energy category of the Clean Technica blog.
Quality of content: 8
Applicability: 8
Aesthetics: 10
Frequency of posts: 10
#4
Powered By Solar Panels is the name of another solar energy blog. In addition to offering information about the benefits of renewable energy, this writer of Powered By Solar Panels is deeply concerned about the damage that the use of coal, oil and natural gas has done to the environment. Subjects of recent blog entries include a comparison between conventional and solar energy, an description of how solar energy works, how to generate solar house plans, and an explanation of why renewable energy solutions are necessary. Visit Powered By Solar Panels at http://poweredbysolarpanels.com/
Quality of content: 9
Applicability: 9
Aesthetics: 9
Frequency of posts: 8
#5
Get Your Green On is another renewable energy blog. The user will find recent posts pertaining to solar energy in the “green energy” category of this blog. The Get Your Green On blog is geared towards the residential home owner who is looking for increased energy efficiency in their home. Written in an easy to read style, subjects of recent posts include selecting a reputable renewable energy company, the installation of solar panels, the recent technological advancement of solar panels, the functionality of solar panels in cloudy winter months, how a solar energy system adds value to a home, how to build your own solar panels and more. The Get Your Green On blog is available at http://getyourgreenon.com/category/green-energy/
Quality of content: 10
Applicability: 8
Aesthetics: 6
Frequency of posts: 10
#6
The Residential Solar blog is published by The Solar Energy Source. The goal of this renewable energy is to educate the community, especially those uninformed, about how carbon emissions can be reduced for a cleaner environment by the use of solar energy solutions. User feedback is promoted with an email address for questions or comments. Recent entries this blog consist of the steps to take for a solar system installation, the top ten reasons for using solar panels and more. In addition to The Residential Solar blog, The Solar Energy Source also publishes several other renewable energy blogs. Visit The Residential Solar blog at http://thesolarenergysource.com/category/blog-installing-residential-home-house-solar-power-energy-electric/
Quality of content: 9
Applicability: 8
Aesthetics: 8
Frequency of posts: 6
I saw this video a few years back and thought it was amazing. I came across it again the other day and thought that anybody involved in solar should see it.
Enjoy.
As the solar water heating business expands to the traditional trades (plumbing and HVAC) we get questions about system payback more and more. The contractors want to understand that the systems they install will rapidly pay for themselves. While this is an excellent question it comes laced with many pitfalls.
We can quickly go down the road of answering this question for our own satisfaction although I don’t recommend it in general. According to “More evidence of Rational Market Values for Home Energy Efficiency” by the Appraisal Journal a home will increase in value $20 for every $1 reduction in annual energy bill. An average solar water heating system will save a family of 4 approximately $400 per year on their energy bill. That would mean that if a homeowner installs a system they she see an appreciation in the value of their home of $8,000. Interestingly, that is also about the national average installed cost of a 64 ft^2 80 gallon tank freeze protected system. You add to that the current tax incentives which include as a minimum 30% tax credit from the federal government and you now have a system that costs less than it adds in value to your home. With this stunning fact it would seem that every homeowner that is about to sell there home should add a system simply by the pure economics. I make the last statement a little tongue in cheek because I understand that some homeowners are concerned about the aesthetics of an installation (I am sure to discuss that later in a future post).
When it comes down to it, the economics of solar water heating are such that a homeowner get shift there assets from their bank to their home and in return get a huge chunk of cash from the government and start saving money immediately on their utility bills. This should be a no-brainer economically. Although the logic is clear I don’t recommend sharing this with those that question the value of solar water heating (or more likely solar energy in general). People’s prejudices, party affiliations and biases are such that rare is the person that will listen to logic. I would recommend to focus the selling of systems to people that are already convinced of the value of energy efficiency they can be seen all around us. They are the people that drive hybrids, purchase high SEER air conditioning, bicycle to work, use compact fluorescent lamps, or install programmable thermostats. The people that are ready are all around us so we need to stop focusing on the people that won’t be convinced no matter what the logic.
Another article that might be interesting is: http://www.pmmag.com/Articles/Column/BNP_GUID_9-5-2006_A_10000000000000620715
Thanks for checking out the SOLARHOT blog. This blog is a place where we share tips, ideas, and interesting information from across the solar heating industry that we believe would be helpful for solar installers or general solar enthusiasts. The tips and ideas come from our interaction with people in the trades, end customers, and general industry info. SOLARHOT designs manufactures and wholesales solar water heating systems so this blog will relate primarily to solar water heating but we also have information about other technologies in the renewable and conventional energy space.
