Solar Photovoltaic Financing: Residential Sector Deployment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Coughlin, J.; Cory, K.

2009-03-01

This report presents the information that homeowners and policy makers need to facilitate PV financing at the residential level. The full range of cash payments, bill savings, and tax incentives is covered, as well as potentially available solar attribute payments. Traditional financing is also compared to innovative solutions, many of which are borrowed from the commercial sector. Together, these mechanisms are critical for making the economic case for a residential PV installation, given its high upfront costs. Unfortunately, these programs are presently limited to select locations around the country. By calling attention to these innovative initiatives, this report aims to help policy makers consider greater adoption of these models to benefit homeowners interested installing a residential PV system.

Innovative Sustainable Water Management Practices in Solar Residential Design

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

C. Jason Mabry

2012-11-01

Full Text Available This paper communicates the results of an architectural research project which sought innovative design strategies for achieving energy and resource efficiencies in water management systems traditionally used in single-family housing. It describes the engineering of an efficient, multifaceted, and fully integrated water management system for a domesticenvironment of 800 sq. ft., entirely powered by solar energy. The four innovations whose details are conveyed include the use of alternate materials for piping distribution and collection, the use of water in solar energy generation, the design of a building skin which capitalizes on water’s capacity to store heat as well as the design of a ecological groundscape which re-usesand filters waste water and rain water.Keywords: energy, plumbing, home design

Design and optimization of zero-energy-consumption based solar energy residential building systems

Science.gov (United States)

Zheng, D. L.; Yu, L. J.; Tan, H. W.

2017-11-01

Energy consumption of residential buildings has grown fast in recent years, thus raising a challenge on zero energy residential building (ZERB) systems, which aim at substantially reducing energy consumption of residential buildings. Thus, how to facilitate ZERB has become a hot but difficult topic. In the paper, we put forward the overall design principle of ZERB based on analysis of the systems’ energy demand. In particular, the architecture for both schematic design and passive technology is optimized and both energy simulation analysis and energy balancing analysis are implemented, followed by committing the selection of high-efficiency appliance and renewable energy sources for ZERB residential building. In addition, Chinese classical residential building has been investigated in the proposed case, in which several critical aspects such as building optimization, passive design, PV panel and HVAC system integrated with solar water heater, Phase change materials, natural ventilation, etc., have been taken into consideration.

SOLCOST. Solar Hot Water Handbook. A Simplified Design Method for Sizing and Costing Residential and Commercial Solar Service Hot Water Systems. Second Edition.

Science.gov (United States)

Energy Research and Development Administration, Washington, DC. Div. of Solar Energy.

This pamphlet offers a preview of information services available from Solcost, a research and development project. The first section explains that Solcost calculates system and costs performance for solar heated and cooled new and retrofit constructions, such as residential buildings and single zone commercial buildings. For a typical analysis,…

Solar Energy Systems for Ohioan Residential Homeowners

Science.gov (United States)

Luckett, Rickey D.

Dwindling nonrenewable energy resources and rising energy costs have forced the United States to develop alternative renewable energy sources. The United States' solar energy industry has seen an upsurge in recent years, and photovoltaic holds considerable promise as a renewable energy technology. The purpose of this case study was to explore homeowner's awareness of the benefits of solar energy. Disruptive-innovation theory was used to explore marketing strategies for conveying information to homeowners about access to new solar energy products and services. Twenty residential homeowners were interviewed face-to-face to explore (a) perceived benefits of solar energy in their county in Ohio, and (b) perceptions on the rationale behind the marketing strategy of solar energy systems sold for residential use. The study findings used inductive analyses and coding interpretation to explore the participants' responses that revealed 3 themes: the existence of environmental benefits for using solar energy systems, the expensive cost of equipment associated with government incentives, and the lack of marketing information that is available for consumer use. The implications for positive social change include the potential to enable corporate leaders, small business owners, and entrepreneurs to develop marketing strategies for renewable energy systems. These strategies may promote use of solar energy systems as a clean, renewable, and affordable alternative electricity energy source for the 21st century.

Solar heating and cooling of residential buildings: design of systems, 1980 edition

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

None

1980-09-01

This manual was prepared primarily for use in conducting a practical training course on the design of solar heating and cooling systems for residential and small office buildings, but may also be useful as a general reference text. The content level is appropriate for persons with different and varied backgrounds, although it is assumed that readers possess a basic understanding of heating, ventilating, and air-conditioning systems of conventional (non-solar) types. This edition is a revision of the manual with the same title, first printed and distributed by the US Government Printing Office in October 1977. The manual has been reorganized, new material has been added, and outdated information has been deleted. Only active solar systems are described. Liquid and air-heating solar systems for combined space and service water heating or service water heating are included. Furthermore, only systems with proven experience are discussed to any extent.

Estimation of solar collector area for water heating in buildings of Malaysia

Science.gov (United States)

Manoj Kumar, Nallapaneni; Sudhakar, K.; Samykano, M.

2018-04-01

Solar thermal energy (STE) utilization for water heating at various sectorial levels became popular and still growing especially for buildings in the residential area. This paper aims to study and identify the solar collector area needed based on the user requirements in an efficient manner. A step by step mathematical approach is followed to estimate the area in Sq. m. Four different cases each having different hot water temperatures (45°, 50°C, 55°C, and 60°C) delivered by the solar water heating system (SWHS) for typical residential application at Kuala Lumpur City, Malaysia is analysed for the share of hot and cold water mix. As the hot water temperature levels increased the share of cold water mix is increased to satisfy the user requirement temperature, i.e. 40°C. It is also observed that as the share of hot water mix is reduced, the collector area can also be reduced. Following this methodology at the installation stage would help both the user and installers in the effective use of the solar resource.

Residential Solar Design Review: A Manual on Community Architectural Controls and Solar Energy Use.

Science.gov (United States)

Jaffe, Martin; Erley, Duncan

Presented are architectural design issues associated with solar energy use, and procedures for design review committees to consider in examining residential solar installation in light of existing aesthetic goals for their communities. Recommended design review criteria include the type of solar system being used and the ways in which the system…

Solar Adoption and Energy Consumption in the Residential Sector

Science.gov (United States)

McAllister, Joseph Andrew

This dissertation analyzes the energy consumption behavior of residential adopters of solar photovoltaic systems (solar-PV). Based on large data sets from the San Diego region that have been assembled or otherwise acquired by the author, the dissertation quantifies changes in energy consumption after solar-PV installation and determines whether certain household characteristics are correlated with such changes. In doing so, it seeks to answer two related questions: First, "Do residential solar adopters increase or decrease their electricity consumption after they install a solar-PV system?" Assuming that certain categories of residential adopters increase and others decrease, the second question is "Which residential adopters increase and which decrease their consumption and why?" The database that was used to conduct this analysis includes information about 5,243 residential systems in San Diego Gas & Electric's (SDG&E) service territory installed between January 2007 and December 2010. San Diego is a national leader in the installation of small-scale solar-electric systems, with over 12,000 systems in the region installed as of January 2012, or around 14% of the total number installed in California. The author performed detailed characterization of a significant subset of the solar installations in the San Diego region. Assembled data included technical and economic characteristics of the systems themselves; the solar companies that sold and installed them; individual customer electric utility billing data; metered PV production data for a subgroup of these solar systems; and data about the properties where the systems are located. Primarily, the author was able to conduct an electricity consumption analysis at the individual household level for 2,410 PV systems installed in SDG&E service territory between January 2007 and December 2010. This analysis was designed to detect changes in electricity consumption from the pre-solar to the post-installation period. To

Assessing the PACE of California residential solar deployment: Impacts of Property Assessed Clean Energy programs on residential solar photovoltaic deployment in California, 2010-2015

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Deason, Jeff; Murphy, Sean

2018-04-04

A new study by Berkeley Lab found that residential Property Assessed Clean Energy (R-PACE) programs increased deployment of residential solar photovoltaic (PV) systems in California, raising it by about 7-12% in cities that adopt these programs. R-PACE is a financing mechanism that uses a voluntary property tax assessment, paid off over time, to facilitate energy improvements and, in some jurisdictions, water and resilience measures. While previous studies demonstrated that early, regional R-PACE programs increased solar PV deployment, this new analysis is the first to demonstrate these impacts from the large, statewide R-PACE programs dominating the California market today, which use private capital to fund the upfront costs of the improvements. Berkeley Lab estimated the impacts using econometric techniques on two samples: -Large cities only, allowing annual demographic and economic data as control variables -All California cities, without these annual data Analysis of both samples controls for several factors other than R-PACE that would be expected to drive solar PV deployment. We infer that on average, cities with R-PACE programs were associated with greater solar PV deployment in our study period (2010-2015). In the large cities sample, solar PV deployment in jurisdictions with R-PACE programs was higher by 1.1 watts per owner-occupied household per month, or 12%. Across all cities, solar PV deployment in jurisdictions with R-PACE programs was higher by 0.6 watts per owner-occupied household per month, or 7%. The large cities results are statistically significant at conventional levels; the all-cities results are not. The estimates imply that the majority of solar PV deployment financed by R-PACE programs would likely not have occurred in their absence. Results suggest that R-PACE programs have increased PV deployment in California even in relatively recent years, as R-PACE programs have grown in market share and as alternate approaches for financing solar PV

Competitive solar heating systems for residential buildings

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Furbo, Simon; Thür, Alexander; Fiedler, Frank

2005-01-01

The paper describes the ongoing research project “Competitive solar heating systems for residential buildings”. The aim of the project is to develop competitive solar combisystems which are attractive to buyers. The solar combisystems must be attractive compared to traditional energy systems, both....... In Denmark and Norway the focus is on solar heating/natural gas systems, and in Sweden and Latvia the focus is on solar heating/pellet systems. Additionally, Lund Institute of Technology and University of Oslo are studying solar collectors of various types being integrated into the roof and facade......, are the universities: Technical University of Denmark, Dalarna University, University of Oslo, Riga Technical University and Lund Institute of Technology, as well as the companies: Metro Therm A/S (Denmark), Velux A/S (Denmark), Solentek AB (Sweden) and SolarNor (Norway). The project consists of a number of Ph...

Solar-assisted gas-energy water-heating feasibility for apartments

Science.gov (United States)

Davis, E. S.

1975-01-01

Studies of residential energy use, solar-energy technology for buildings, and the requirements for implementing technology in the housing industry led to a project to develop a solar water heater for apartments. A design study for a specific apartment was used to establish a solar water-heater cost model which is based on plumbing contractor bids and manufacturer estimates. The cost model was used to size the system to minimize the annualized cost of hot water. The annualized cost of solar-assisted gas-energy water heating is found to be less expensive than electric water heating but more expensive than gas water heating. The feasibility of a natural gas utility supplying the auxiliary fuel is evaluated. It is estimated that gas-utilizing companies will find it profitable to offer solar water heating as part of a total energy service option or on a lease basis when the price of new base-load supplies of natural gas reaches $2.50-$3.00 per million Btu.

Solar Water Heating as a Potential Source for Inland Norway Energy Mix

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dejene Assefa Hagos

2014-01-01

Full Text Available The aim of this paper is to assess solar potential and investigate the possibility of using solar water heating for residential application in Inland Norway. Solar potential based on observation and satellite-derived data for four typical populous locations has been assessed and used to estimate energy yield using two types of solar collectors for a technoeconomic performance comparison. Based on the results, solar energy use for water heating is competitive and viable even in low solar potential areas. In this study it was shown that a typical tubular collector in Inland Norway could supply 62% of annual water heating energy demand for a single residential household, while glazed flat plates of the same size were able to supply 48%. For a given energy demand in Inland Norway, tubular collectors are preferred to flat plate collectors for performance and cost reasons. This was shown by break-even capital cost for a series of collector specifications. Deployment of solar water heating in all detached dwellings in Inland could have the potential to save 182 GWh of electrical energy, equivalent to a reduction of 15,690 tonnes of oil energy and 48.6 ktCO2 emissions, and contributes greatly to Norway 67.5% renewable share target by 2020.

Dissemination of Solar Water Heaters in Taiwan: The Case of Remote Islands

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kung-Ming Chung

2013-10-01

Full Text Available Solar water heaters represent the success story in the development of renewable energy in Taiwan. With increasing public awareness, there are over 0.3 million residential systems in operation. To disseminate solar water heaters in remote islands, economic feasibility and water quality are taken into account in this study. The payback period in Kinmen and Penghu Counties are evaluated, according to effective annual solar energy gain, hot water consumption pattern and cost. Assessment of the scaling and corrosion tendencies for solar water heaters using tap and underground water are also presented. For flat-plate solar collectors with metal components, favorable corrosion resistance and protective anti-corrosion coatings are required.

Cheap type solar bioclimatic individual houses for residential areas

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mihailescu Teofil

2016-01-01

Full Text Available In the Romanian architectural practice for individual houses in residential areas, designing the architectural object in order to function together with the nature is neglected in the majority of the situations. This happens despite of a great variety of the solar bioclimatic solutions materialized in the traditional houses of all the Romanian geographical regions in a history of over 2000 years of traditional architecture. Unfortunately, in the local real estate realities, other choices are preferred in instead those of the solar bioclimatic architecture. The approach starts with a historical approach, analyzing several examples of traditional houses from all the regions of Romania, in order to identify the traditional bioclimatic solutions used to better adapt to the environment. This constitutes the source of inspiration for the modern cheap type solar bioclimatic houses presented. But a way of thinking should be changed for it, with the help of the Romanian state transformed in financial and legislative realities. These cheap type solar bioclimatic individual houses are destined for the middle class families and involve minimum costs for building and living, creating the best premises to efficiently use one or all of the complementary systems for producing, storage and/or transforming the energy from the environment (using solar, wind, water and/or earth energy.

Residential solar energy users: a review of empirical research and related literature

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Unseld, C.T.; Crews, R.

1979-12-01

This report reviews 15 empirical studies of residential solar energy users and related literature on residential solar energy use. The purpose of the review is to summarize and analyze the experiences of residential solar users for helping formulate policies concerning the accelerated commercialization of solar technologies. Four of the studies employed case histories or focus group techniques. The 11 questionnaire studies represented interviews with over 1,600 owners of solar systems. The demographic characteristics of samples are listed and compared; research findings and conclusions are presented. Findings on user satisfaction and system performance, possible reasons for evidence of lacking correlation between them, and implications for consumer protection and future research are discussed. General findings are: (1) systematic research on the experiences of solar users is lacking - much research remains to be done; (2) the reported overall experiences of users has been very positive; (3) user reports indicate that system performance is generally good but there is some evidence that user reports are not accurate measures of actual performance; (4) a need exists for adequate consumer protection; (5) design or installation problems are evidenced in significant numbers of early solar installations; and (6) these problems evidently are resolvable. An annotated bibliography describes 10 other studies in progress.

Evaluation of Factors that Influence Residential Solar Panel Installations

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Morton, April M. [ORNL; Omitaomu, Olufemi A. [ORNL; Kotikot, Susan M. [ORNL; Held, Elizabeth L. [ORNL; Bhaduri, Budhendra L. [ORNL

2018-03-01

Though rooftop photovoltaic (PV) systems are the fastest growing source of distributed generation, detailed information about where they are located and who their owners are is often known only to installers and utility companies. This lack of detailed information is a barrier to policy and financial assessment of solar energy generation and use. To bridge the described data gap, Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) was sponsored by the Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Energy Policy and Systems Analysis (EPSA) to create an automated approach for detecting and characterizing buildings with installed solar panels using high-resolution overhead imagery. Additionally, ORNL was tasked with using machine learning techniques to classify parcels on which solar panels were automatically detected in the Washington, DC, and Boston areas as commercial or residential, and then providing a list of recommended variables and modeling techniques that could be combined with these results to identify attributes that motivate the installation of residential solar panels. This technical report describes the methodology, results, and recommendations in greater detail, including lessons learned and future work.

Costs of Residential Solar PV Plants in Distribution Grid Networks

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kjær, Søren Bækhøj; Yang, Guangya; Ipsen, Hans Henrik

2015-01-01

In this article we investigate the impact of residential solar PV plants on energy losses in distribution networks and their impact on distribution transformers lifetime. Current guidelines in Denmark states that distribution transformers should not be loaded with more than 67% solar PV power...

Using Machine Learning and Data Analysis to Improve Customer Acquisition and Marketing in Residential Solar

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sigrin, Benjamin O [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)

2017-10-18

High customer acquisition costs remain a persistent challenge in the U.S. residential solar industry. Effective customer acquisition in the residential solar market is increasingly achieved with the help of data analysis and machine learning, whether that means more targeted advertising, understanding customer motivations, or responding to competitors. New research by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Sandia National Laboratories, Vanderbilt University, University of Pennsylvania, and the California Center for Sustainable Energy and funded through the U.S. Department of Energy's Solar Energy Evolution and Diffusion (SEEDS) program demonstrates novel computational methods that can help drive down costs in the residential solar industry.

Development of a solar powered residential air conditioner (General optimization)

Science.gov (United States)

Lowen, D. J.

1976-01-01

A commercially available 3-ton residential Lithium Bromide (LiBr) absorption air conditioner was modified for use with lower temperature solar heated water. The modification included removal of components such as the generator, concentration control chamber, liquid trap, and separator; and the addition of a Chrysler designed generator, an off-the-shelf LiBr-solution pump. The design goal of the modified unit was to operate with water as the heat-transfer fluid at a target temperature of 85 C (185 F), 29.4 C (85 F) cooling water inlet, producing 10.5 kW (3 tons) of cooling. Tests were performed on the system before and after modification to provide comparative data. At elevated temperatures (96 C, 205 F), the test results show that Lithium Bromide was carried into the condenser due to the extremely violent boiling and degraded the evaporator performance.

Thermal performance assessment and improvement of a solar domestic hot water tank with PCM in the mantle

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Deng, Jie; Furbo, Simon; Kong, Weiqiang

2018-01-01

To develop an appropriate solar DHW (Domestic Hot Water) tank for residential dwellings and put it into the European solar thermal market for promotion, thermal performance tests of PCM (Phase Change Material) hot water storage tanks of both a prototype and an improved version with a water volume...

Impact of Rooftop Solar PV on Residential Distribution Network

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bhattarai, Bishnu Prasad; Bak-Jensen, Birgitte; Pillai, Jayakrishnan Radhakrishna

Increased environmental awareness in recent years has encouraged rapid growth of renewable energy sources especially solar PV and wind. Among them, small scale solar PV has been gaining more momentum especially at residential level. Even today moderate penetration of grid tied rooftop solar PV has...... become reality in many countries. In spite of various benefits, higher penetration of rooftop PVs might come up with number of detrimental effects, with power quality and overcurrent protection being the major ones. Therefore, it is reasonable to quantify both drawback and benefits of rooftop PV...

Solar Ray Tracing Analysis to Determine Energy Availability in a CPC Designed for Use as a Residential Water Heater

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Miguel Terrón-Hernández

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Compound parabolic concentrators are relevant systems used in solar thermal technology. With adequate tailoring, they can be used as an efficient and low-cost alternative in residential water heating applications. This work presents a simulation study using a ray tracing analysis. With this technique, we simulate the interaction between solar rays and solar concentrator to quantify the amount of energy that impinges on the receiver at a particular time. Energy availability is evaluated in a comparison of two configurations throughout the year: static setup at 21° and multi-position setup; tilted with respect to the horizontal, depending on three seasonal positions: 0° for summer, 16° for spring/autumn, and 32° for winter, with the aim to evaluate the amount of available energy in each season. The fact that a tracking system can be dispensed with also represents an economical option for the proposed application. The results showed that at 21°, the proposed solar Compound Parabolic Concentrator (CPC works satisfactorily; however, by carrying out the selected angular adjustments, the overall energy availability increased by 22%, resulting in a more efficient option. The most effective design was also built and analyzed outdoors. The obtained thermal efficiency was of ~43%. The optical design and its evaluation developed herein proved to be a valuable tool for prototype design and performance evaluation.

Factors influencing the performance and efficiency of solar water pumping systems:  a review

OpenAIRE

Gouws, Rupert; Lukhwareni, Thendo

2012-01-01

The world is having an energy crisis and currently there is a strong drive towards renewable energy. A renewable energy option is solar energy, where by means of photovoltaic (PV) modules electrical energy can be produced. A residential as well as industrial application for these PV modules is solar water pumping systems. Disadvantages of solar water pumping systems are low performance and low energy efficiency. This paper provides a review on the factors that influence the performance and ef...

The Evolving Market Structure of the U.S. Residential Solar PV Installation Industry, 2000-2016

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

OShaughnessy, Eric J [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)

2018-02-22

Market structure refers to the number of firms and the distribution of market shares among firms within an industry. In The Evolving Market Structure of the U.S. Residential Solar PV Installation Industry, 2000-2016, we examine market structure in the context of residential solar PV. We find that over 8,000 companies have installed at least one residential PV system, with about 2,900 companies active in 2016. The majority of residential PV installers are relatively small companies, with about half of installers installing fewer than five systems. At the same time, a subset of high-volume installers accumulated market share, especially beginning around 2010 with the emergence of alternative customer financing options.

Simulation study on reduction of peak power demand and energy consumption in residential houses with solar thermal and PV systems; Taiyo energy riyo jutaku no fuka heijunka oyobi energy sakugen koka no simulation ni yoru kento

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Endo, T. [Yokohama City Office, Yokohama (Japan); Udagawa, M. [Kogakuin Univ., Tokyo (Japan). Faculty of Engineering

1995-11-20

In this study, taking the all factors involved in the energy consumption in residential houses as subjects, the effectiveness of the solar PV system and solar thermal utilizing system in residential houses has been studied by simulating a model residential house considering the improvement of the residual environment in the future. Therefore, a model residual house is assumed, 18 kinds of combinations of construction style, cooling and heating type and solar energy utilizing form are assumed and year round simulation is carried out. The conclusions obtained by the simulation are as follows. The energy consumption in residential houses may decrease greatly by using a solar hot water supplying system. If combined with a solar PV system, the energy consumption in one year is about 8.7 to 9.7 MWh. The combined use of a solar thermal utilizing system and a PV system is more effective to reduce the second-time energy in comparison with the PV system only. 36% of the space heating energy consumption may be decreased by using the solar space heating system, but the decrease effect of the energy consumption of the solar space heating system is smaller than the solar hot water supplying system. 12 refs., 26 figs., 3 tabs.

Profitability of Residential Battery Energy Storage Combined with Solar Photovoltaics

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Christoph Goebel

2017-07-01

Full Text Available Lithium-ion (Li-Ion batteries are increasingly being considered as bulk energy storage in grid applications. One such application is residential energy storage combined with solar photovoltaic (PV panels to enable higher self-consumption rates, which has become financially more attractive recently due to decreasing feed-in subsidies. Although residential energy storage solutions are commercially mature, it remains unclear which system configurations and circumstances, including aggregator-based applications such as the provision of ancillary services, lead to profitable consumer investments. Therefore, we conduct an extensive simulation study that is able to jointly capture these aspects. Our results show that, at current battery module prices, even optimal system configurations still do not lead to profitable investments into Li-Ion batteries if they are merely used as a buffer for solar energy. The first settings in which they will become profitable, as prices are further declining, will be larger households at locations with higher average levels of solar irradiance. If the batteries can be remote-controlled by an aggregator to provide overnight negative reserve, their profitability increases significantly.

Energy-Independent Architectural Models for Residential Complex Plans through Solar Energy in Daegu Metropolitan City, South Korea

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sung-Yul Kim

2018-02-01

Full Text Available This study suggests energy-independent architectural models for residential complexes through the production of solar-energy-based renewable energy. Daegu Metropolitan City, South Korea, was selected as the target area for the residential complex. An optimal location in the area was selected to maximize the production of solar-energy-based renewable energy. Then, several architectural design models were developed. Next, after analyzing the energy-use patterns of each design model, economic analyses were conducted considering the profits generated from renewable-energy use. In this way, the optimum residential building model was identified. For this site, optimal solar power generation efficiency was obtained when solar panels were installed at 25° angles. Thus, the sloped roof angles were set to 25°, and the average height of the internal space of the highest floor was set to 1.8 m. Based on this model, analyses were performed regarding energy self-sufficiency improvement and economics. It was verified that connecting solar power generation capacity from a zero-energy perspective considering the consumer’s amount of power consumption was more effective than connecting maximum solar power generation capacity according to building structure. Moreover, it was verified that selecting a subsidizable solar power generation capacity according to the residential solar power facility connection can maximize operational benefits.

Solar access of residential rooftops in four California cities

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Levinson, Ronnen; Akbari, Hashem; Pomerantz, Melvin

2010-05-14

Shadows cast by trees and buildings can limit the solar access of rooftop solar-energy systems, including photovoltaic panels and thermal collectors. This study characterizes residential rooftop shading in Sacramento, San Jose, Los Angeles and San Diego, CA. Our analysis can be used to better estimate power production and/or thermal collection by rooftop solar-energy equipment. It can also be considered when designing programs to plant shade trees. High-resolution orthophotos and LiDAR (Light Detection And Ranging) measurements of surface height were used to create a digital elevation model of all trees and buildings in a well-treed 2.5-4 km{sup 2} residential neighborhood. On-hour shading of roofing planes (the flat elements of roofs) was computed geometrically from the digital elevation model. Values in future years were determined by repeating these calculations after simulating tree growth. Parcel boundaries were used to determine the extent to which roofing planes were shaded by trees and buildings in neighboring parcels. For the subset of S+SW+W-facing planes on which solar equipment is commonly installed for maximum solar access, absolute light loss in spring, summer and fall peaked about two to four hours after sunrise and about two to four hours before sunset. The fraction of annual insolation lost to shading increased from 0.07-0.08 in the year of surface-height measurement to 0.11-0.14 after 30 years of tree growth. Only about 10% of this loss results from shading by trees and buildings in neighboring parcels.

Optimized operation of a solar driven thermoelectric dehumidification system for fresh water production

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jradi, M.; Ghaddar, N.; Ghali, K. [Department of Mechanical Engineering, American University of Beirut (Lebanon)], Email: maj18@aub.edu.lb, email: farah@aub.edu.lb, email: ka04@aub.edu.lb

2011-07-01

One of the biggest challenges facing humanity is the scarcity of water resources; around 15% of people in the Arab world who do not have access to fresh water. A solar-driven thermoelectric system has been designed to dehumidify air and generate fresh water and combined with a solar distiller, which humidifies the air, the quantity of fresh water produced is further increased. The aim of this study is to assess the performance of this system. A case study was carried out in the Lebanese coastal humid climate zone on a residential space of 80m2 with water needs of 10 liters per day during summer months. Results showed that water requirements can be met with 5 thermoelectrically cooled channels and a solar distiller and that it would result in energy savings of from 17 to 45% during summer. This study demonstrated that the association of solar-driven thermoelectric systems and a solar distiller can provide fresh water at a low cost.

Technology Solutions for New and Existing Homes Case Study: Addressing Multifamily Piping Losses with Solar Hot Water

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

D. Springer, M. Seitzler, and C. Backman

2016-12-01

Sun Light & Power, a San Francisco Bay Area solar design-build contractor, teamed with the U.S. Department of Energy’s Building America partner the Alliance for Residential Building Innovation (ARBI) to study this heat-loss issue. The team added three-way valves to the solar water heating systems for two 40-unit multifamily buildings. In these systems, when the stored solar hot water is warmer than the recirculated hot water returning from the buildings, the valves divert the returning water to the solar storage tank instead of the water heater. This strategy allows solar-generated heat to be applied to recirculation heat loss in addition to heating water that is consumed by fixtures and appliances.

Solarize Guidebook: A Community Guide to Collective Purchasing of Residential PV Systems

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Irvine, L.; Sawyer, A.; Grove, J.

2011-02-01

This handbook is intended as a road map for project planners and solar advocates who want to convert interest into action, to break through market barriers and permanently transform the market for residential solar installations in their communities. It describes the key elements of the Solarize campaigns in Portland, and offers several program refinements from projects beyond Portland. The handbook provides lessons, considerations, and step-by-step plans for project organizers to replicate the success of Solarize Portland.

The value of price transparency in residential solar photovoltaic markets

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

O’Shaughnessy, Eric; Margolis, Robert

2018-06-01

Installed prices for residential solar photovoltaic (PV) systems have declined significantly in recent years. However price dispersion and limited customer access to PV quotes prevents some prospective customers from obtaining low price offers. This study shows that improved customer access to prices - also known as price transparency - is a potential policy lever for further PV price reductions. We use customer search and strategic pricing theory to show that PV installation companies face incentives to offer lower prices in markets with more price transparency. We test this theoretical framework using a unique residential PV quote dataset. Our results show that installers offer lower prices to customers that are expected to receive more quotes. Our study provides a rationale for policies to improve price transparency in residential PV markets.

Development of a solar-powered residential air conditioner: Screening analysis

Science.gov (United States)

1975-01-01

Screening analysis aimed at the definition of an optimum configuration of a Rankine cycle solar-powered air conditioner designed for residential application were conducted. Initial studies revealed that system performance and cost were extremely sensitive to condensing temperature and to the type of condenser used in the system. Consequently, the screening analyses were concerned with the generation of parametric design data for different condenser approaches; i. e., (1) an ambient air condenser, (2) a humidified ambient air condenser (3) an evaporative condenser, and (4) a water condenser (with a cooling tower). All systems feature a high performance turbocompressor and a single refrigerant (R-11) for the power and refrigeration loops. Data were obtained by computerized methods developed to permit system characterization over a broad range of operating and design conditions. The criteria used for comparison of the candidate system approaches were (1) overall system COP (refrigeration effect/solar heat input), (2) auxiliary electric power for fans and pumps, and (3) system installed cost or cost to the user.

Survey of large-scale solar water heaters installed in Taiwan, China

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chang Keh-Chin; Lee Tsong-Sheng; Chung Kung-Ming [Cheng Kung Univ., Tainan (China); Lien Ya-Feng; Lee Chine-An [Cheng Kung Univ. Research and Development Foundation, Tainan (China)

2008-07-01

Almost all the solar collectors installed in Taiwan, China were used for production of hot water for homeowners (residential systems), in which the area of solar collectors is less than 10 square meters. From 2001 to 2006, there were only 39 large-scale systems (defined as the area of solar collectors being over 100 m{sup 2}) installed. Their utilization purposes are for rooming house (dormitory), swimming pool, restaurant, and manufacturing process. A comprehensive survey of those large-scale solar water heaters was conducted in 2006. The objectives of the survey were to asses the systems' performance and to have the feedback from the individual users. It is found that lack of experience in system design and maintenance are the key factors for reliable operation of a system. For further promotion of large-scale solar water heaters in Taiwan, a more compressive program on a system design for manufacturing process should be conducted. (orig.)

The Private Net Benefits of Residential Solar PV: The Role of Electricity Tariffs, Tax Incentives and Rebates

OpenAIRE

Severin Borenstein

2015-01-01

With dramatic declines in the cost of solar PV technology over the last 5 years, the electricity industry is in the midst of discussions about whether to use this low-polluting renewable energy source in grid-scale generation or in distributed generation (DG), mostly with rooftop solar PV. California has led the growth in DG solar in the U.S. I use 2007 to early 2014 residential data from Pacific Gas & Electric – the utility with largest number of residential solar customers in the U.S. – to ...

Evaluating the energy and CO2 emissions impacts of shifts in residential water heating in the United States

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sanders, Kelly T.; Webber, Michael E.

2015-01-01

Water heating represented nearly 13% of 2010 residential energy consumption making it an important target for energy conservation efforts. The objective of this work is to identify spatially-resolved strategies for energy conservation, since little analysis has been done to identify how regional characteristics affect the energy consumed for water heating. We present a first-order thermodynamic analysis, utilizing ab initio calculations and regression methods, to quantify primary energy consumption and CO 2 emissions with regional specificity by considering by considering local electricity mixes, heat rates, solar radiation profiles, heating degrees days, and water heating unit sales for 27 regions of the US. Results suggest that shifting from electric towards natural gas or solar water heating offered primary energy and CO 2 emission reductions in most US regions, but these reductions varied considerably according to regional electricity mix and solar resources. We find that regions that would benefit most from technology transitions, are often least likely to switch due to limited economic incentives. Our results suggest that federal energy factor metrics, which ignore upstream losses in power generation, are insufficient in informing consumers about the energy performance of residential end use appliances. - Highlights: • US energy factor ratings for water heaters ignore upstream losses. • Switching from electric storage water heating reduces CO 2 emissions in most US regions. • Regions with greatest potential for CO 2 avoidance are least likely to shift technologies. • Benefits vary significantly according to climate and regional electricity fuel mix

Development of a solar-powered residential air conditioner. Program review

Science.gov (United States)

1975-01-01

Progress in the effort to develop a residential solar-powered air conditioning system is reported. The topics covered include the objectives, scope and status of the program. The results of state-of-art, design, and economic studies and component and system data are also presented.

Residential heating costs: A comparison of geothermal solar and conventional resources

Science.gov (United States)

Bloomster, C. H.; Garrett-Price, B. A.; Fassbender, L. L.

1980-08-01

The costs of residential heating throughout the United States using conventional, solar, and geothermal energy were determined under current and projected conditions. These costs are very sensitive to location, being dependent on the local prices of conventional energy supplies, local solar insolation, climate, and the proximity and temperature of potential geothermal resources. The sharp price increases in imported fuels during 1979 and the planned decontrol of domestic oil and natural gas prices have set the stage for geothermal and solar market penetration in the 1980's.

Development of a solar-powered residential air conditioner

Science.gov (United States)

1975-01-01

The initial objective of the program was the optimization (in terms of cost and performance) of a Rankine cycle mechanical refrigeration system which utilizes thermal energy from a flat solar collector for air conditioning residential buildings. However, feasibility investigations of the adsorption process revealed that a dessicant-type air conditioner offers many significant advantages. As a result, limited efforts were expended toward the optimization of such a system.

An assessment of solar hot water heating in the Washington, D.C. area - Implications for local utilities

Science.gov (United States)

Stuart, M. W.

1980-04-01

A survey of residential solar hot water heating in the Washington, D.C. area is presented with estimates of the total solar energy contribution per year. These estimates are examined in relation to a local utility's peak-load curves to determine the impact of a substantial increase in solar domestic hot water use over the next 20 yr in the area of utility management. The results indicate that a 10% market penetration of solar water heaters would have no detrimental effect on the utility's peak-load profile and could save several million dollars in new plant construction costs.

Solar photovoltaic/thermal residential experiment. Phase I. Final report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Darkazalli, G.

1980-07-01

Month-by-month energy transfer data between an occupied residence and its energy supply systems are presented. The data were obtained during the first phase of photovoltaic/thermal residential research conducted at the University of Texas at Arlington/Solar Energy Research Facility. This research was part of the US Department of Energy Photovoltaic/Thermal Project managed by the M.I.T. Lincoln Laboratory. Energy transfer data are divided into different categories depending on how the energy is consumed. Energy transfers between some system components are also categorized. These components include a flat-plate thermal collector array, a flat-plate photovoltaic array, a dc-to-ac inverter, thermal storage tanks, and a series heat pump. System operations included directing surplus electrical energy (generated by the photovoltaic array) into the local utility grid. The heat pump used off-peak utility power to chill water during the cooling season.

The Evolving Market Structure of the U.S. Residential Solar PV Installation Industry, 2000-2016

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

OShaughnessy, Eric J. [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)

2018-01-16

This study uses data on over 900,000 solar PV installations to summarize the evolving market structure of the U.S. residential solar PV installation industry. Over 8,000 companies have installed residential PV systems in the United States. The vast majority of these installers are small local companies. At the same time, a subset of national-scale high-volume PV installation companies hold high market shares. This study examines the factors behind these trends in market concentration, including the role of customer financing options.

Solarize Guidebook: A Community Guide to Collective Purchasing of Residential PV Systems (Book)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

2012-05-01

This guidebook is intended as a road map for project planners and solar advocates who want to convert 'interest' into 'action,' to break through market barriers and permanently transform the market for residential solar installations in their communities. It describes the key elements of the Solarize campaigns in Portland, and offers several program refinements from projects beyond Portland. The guidebook provides lessons, considerations, and step-by-step plans for project organizers to replicate the success of Solarize Portland.

Cost-Reduction Roadmap for Residential Solar Photovoltaics (PV), 2017-2030

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cook, Jeffrey J. [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Ardani, Kristen B. [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Margolis, Robert M. [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Fu, Ran [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)

2018-01-03

The installed cost of solar photovoltaics (PV) has fallen rapidly in recent years and is expected to continue declining in the future. In this report, we focus on the potential for continued PV cost reductions in the residential market. From 2010 to 2017, the levelized cost of energy (LCOE) for residential PV declined from 52 cents per kilowatt-hour (cents/kWh) to 16 cents/kWh (Fu et al. 2017). The U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE's) Solar Energy Technologies Office (SETO) recently set new LCOE targets for 2030, including a target of 5 cents/kWh for residential PV. We present a roadmap for achieving the SETO 2030 residential PV target. Because the 2030 target likely will not be achieved under business-as-usual trends (NREL 2017), we examine two key market segments that demonstrate significant opportunities for cost savings and market growth: installing PV at the time of roof replacement and installing PV as part of the new home construction process. Within both market segments, we identify four key cost-reduction opportunities: market maturation, business model integration, product innovation, and economies of scale. To assess the potential impact of these cost reductions, we compare modeled residential PV system prices in 2030 to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory's (NREL's) quarter one 2017 (Q1 2017) residential PV system price benchmark (Fu et al. 2017). We use a bottom-up accounting framework to model all component and project-development costs incurred when installing a PV system. The result is a granular accounting for 11 direct and indirect costs associated with installing a residential PV system in 2030. All four modeled pathways demonstrate significant installed-system price savings over the Q1 2017 benchmark, with the visionary pathways yielding the greatest price benefits. The largest modeled cost savings are in the supply chain, sales and marketing, overhead, and installation labor cost categories. When we translate these

关于住宅建筑太阳能热水系统设计的探讨%Design of Solar Water Heating System in Residential Buildings

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

王彬

2015-01-01

太阳能系统建筑一体化设计，在住宅建筑实践中已被广泛应用，且收效良好。结合本刊刊发的某篇关于太阳能热水系统设计的论述，对其重点提出的“集中集热-分户使用的热水系统”加以再分析。本着严谨的技术适用性分析态度，现提出住宅建筑太阳能热水系统在一般条件下的首选方案，即采取独立分户系统；以及在不同建筑高度、建筑朝向、日照条件等情况下，综合利用建筑平、立面进行立体布局；特殊情况下，甚至可利用太阳能光伏系统进行补充，从而促进和鼓励系统使用效率，实现系统最大化节能减排作用。%Building integrated solar system has been widely used in residential construction with good effect. A paper was issued in this Journal about solar hot water system, and the related analysis on centralized heat water systems for household use is reviewed. In a rigorous analysis of the technical suitability, the preferred solution is proposed for the residential building’s solar hot water systems in general terms, which is the independent household system; three-dimensional layout of the facade shall be utilized in the case of different building heights, building orientation and sunshine conditions; the solar photovoltaic system even shall be supplemented in special circumstances, to promote system using efficiency and achieve the maximized energy efficiency and emission reduction effect.

Residential Solar-Based Seasonal Thermal Storage Systems in Cold Climates: Building Envelope and Thermal Storage

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alexandre Hugo

2012-10-01

Full Text Available The reduction of electricity use for heating and domestic hot water in cold climates can be achieved by: (1 reducing the heating loads through the improvement of the thermal performance of house envelopes, and (2 using solar energy through a residential solar-based thermal storage system. First, this paper presents the life cycle energy and cost analysis of a typical one-storey detached house, located in Montreal, Canada. Simulation of annual energy use is performed using the TRNSYS software. Second, several design alternatives with improved thermal resistance for walls, ceiling and windows, increased overall air tightness, and increased window-to-wall ratio of South facing windows are evaluated with respect to the life cycle energy use, life cycle emissions and life cycle cost. The solution that minimizes the energy demand is chosen as a reference house for the study of long-term thermal storage. Third, the computer simulation of a solar heating system with solar thermal collectors and long-term thermal storage capacity is presented. Finally, the life cycle cost and life cycle energy use of the solar combisystem are estimated for flat-plate solar collectors and evacuated tube solar collectors, respectively, for the economic and climatic conditions of this study.

The Price-Concentration Relationship in Early Residential Solar Third-Party Markets

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pless, Jacquelyn [Univ. of Oxford (United Kingdom); Langheim, Ria [Center for Sustainable Energy, San Francisco, CA (United States); Machak, Christina [Center for Sustainable Energy, San Francisco, CA (United States); Hellow, Henar [Center for Sustainable Energy, San Francisco, CA (United States); Sigrin, Ben [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)

2017-01-01

The market for residential solar photovoltaic (PV) systems in the United States has experienced tremendous growth over the past decade, with installed capacity more than doubling between 2014 and 2016 alone (SEIA, 2016). As the residential market continues to grow, it prompts new questions about the nature of competition between solar installers and how this competition, or lack thereof, affects the prices consumers are paying. It is often assumed that more competition leads to lower prices, but this is not universally true. For example, some studies have shown that factors such as brand loyalty could lead to a negative relationship between concentration and price in imperfectly competitive markets (Borenstein, 1985; Holmes, 1989). As such, the relationship between prices and market concentration is an open empirical question since theory could predict either a positive or negative relationship. Determining a relationship between prices and market concentration is challenging for several reasons. Most significantly, prices and market structure are simultaneously determined by each other -- the amount of competition a seller faces influences the price they can command, and prices determine a seller's market share. Previous studies have examined recent PV pricing trends over time and between markets (Davidson et al., 2015a; Davidson and Margolis 2015b; Nemet et al., 2016; Gillingham et al., 2014; Barbose and Darghouth 2015). While these studies of solar PV pricing are able to determine correlations between prices and market factors, they have not satisfactorily proven causation. Thus, to the best of our knowledge, there is little work to date that focuses on identifying the causal relationship between market structure and the prices paid by consumers. We use a unique dataset on third-party owned contract terms for the residential solar PV market in the San Diego Gas and Electricity service territory to better understand this relationship. Surprisingly, we find

Estimating the Determinants of Residential Water Demand in Italy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Giulia Romano

2014-09-01

Full Text Available The aim of this study was to estimate the determinants of residential water demand for chief towns of every Italian province, in the period 2007–2009, using the linear mixed-effects model estimated with the restricted-maximum-likelihood method. Results confirmed that the applied tariff had a negative effect on residential water consumption and that it was a relevant driver of domestic water consumption. Moreover, income per capita had a positive effect on water consumption. Among measured climatic and geographical features, precipitation and altitude exerted a strongly significant negative effect on water consumption, while temperature did not influence water demand. Further, data show that small towns in terms of population served were characterized by lower levels of consumption. Water utilities ownership itself did not have a significant effect on water consumption but tariffs were significantly lower and residential water consumption was higher in towns where the water service was managed by publicly owned water utilities. However, further research is needed to gain a better understanding of the connection between ownership of water utilities and water prices and water consumption.

Energy Efficiency and Sustainability Evaluation of Space and Water Heating in Urban Residential Buildings of the Hot Summer and Cold Winter Zone in China

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xiao Chen

2016-09-01

Full Text Available With the urbanization process of the hot summer and cold winter (HSCW zone in China, the energy consumption of space and water heating in urban residential buildings of the HSCW zone has increased rapidly. This study presents the energy efficiency and sustainability evaluation of various ways of space and water heating taking 10 typical cities in the HSCW zone as research cases. Two indicators, primary energy efficiency (PEE and sustainability index based on exergy efficiency, are adopted to perform the evaluation. Models for the energy and total exergy efficiencies of various space and water heating equipment/systems are developed. The evaluation results indicate that common uses of electricity for space and water heating are the most unsustainable ways of space and water heating. In terms of PEE and sustainability index, air-source heat pumps for space and water heating are suitable for the HSCW zone. The PEE and sustainability index of solar water heaters with auxiliary electric heaters are greatly influenced by local solar resources. Air-source heat pump assisted solar hot water systems are the most sustainable among all water heating equipment/systems investigated in this study. Our works suggest the key potential for improving the energy efficiency and the sustainability of space and water heating in urban residential buildings of the HSCW zone.

Estimating the Determinants of Residential Water Demand in Italy

OpenAIRE

Giulia Romano; Nicola Salvati; Andrea Guerrini

2014-01-01

The aim of this study was to estimate the determinants of residential water demand for chief towns of every Italian province, in the period 2007–2009, using the linear mixed-effects model estimated with the restricted-maximum-likelihood method. Results confirmed that the applied tariff had a negative effect on residential water consumption and that it was a relevant driver of domestic water consumption. Moreover, income per capita had a positive effect on water consumption. Among measured cli...

Solar power and policy powerlessness − perceptions of persuasion in distributed residential solar energy policy development

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Simpson Genevieve

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Distributed residential solar energy (photovoltaic technologies have been praised as a mechanism to not only increase the penetration of renewable energy but engage the community in a clean energy revolution. In spite of this it is unclear how much potential there is for stakeholders to influence processes around the adoption of solar energy, including policy development and regulation. As part of a wider research project assessing the social acceptance of residential solar energy in Western Australia a variety of stakeholders, including public servants, network operators, Members of Parliament, energy advocates, renewable energy industry members and community members, were asked whether they thought they had the potential to influence solar policy. The objective of this research was to highlight positions of influence over policy development. In total 23 interviews with regional Western Australian householders and 32 interviews with members of industry and government were undertaken between May and October 2015. Most respondents believed that they had previously, or could in future, influence solar policy by taking advantage of networks of influence. However, stakeholders perceived as having policy influence did not necessarily demonstrate the capacity to influence policy beyond providing information to decision-makers, namely Cabinet members. Instead, networks of renewable energy advocates, industry and community members could apply political pressure through petitions, media coverage and liaising with parliamentarians to develop support for policy changes. Furthermore, while policies for the promotion of solar energy, and renewable energy more generally, could be implemented at various levels of government, only those policies delivered at the state level could address socio-political barriers to renewable energy adoption. These barriers include: a lack of political will and funding to overcome technical issues with network connection

Residential solar photovoltaic market stimulation: Japanese and Australian lessons for Canada

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Parker, Paul

2008-01-01

Canada is a leading electricity consumer, yet lags behind other industrial countries (14th out of 20 reporting IEA countries) in the installation of solar photovoltaic systems. The factors (environmental benefits, health benefits, network benefits, need for new production capacity, etc.) promoting solar or other renewable sources of electricity in other countries are also present in Canada, but effective policy mechanisms to stimulate Canada's photovoltaic industry are only starting to appear. Discussions of policy options focused initially on renewable portfolio standards and then on feed-in tariffs. This paper reviews the Japanese and Australian experience with capital incentives to stimulate the residential market for photovoltaics. It demonstrates the ability of a market-sensitive program to stimulate industrial growth, achieve unit cost reductions and shift the market to include a large grid-tied share. Residential respondents to surveys report high costs as their primary barrier to installing photovoltaic systems and state a strong preference for capital incentives to reduce their investment costs. The Canadian government needs a market stimulation policy if it is to join those countries where a decentralized photovoltaic generation system strengthens the electricity supply system. A balanced solar energy market stimulation program is proposed that combines a feed-in tariff with a declining capital incentive. (author)

Energy Analysis of a Complementary Heating System Combining Solar Energy and Coal for a Rural Residential Building in Northwest China.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhen, Xiaofei; Li, Jinping; Abdalla Osman, Yassir Idris; Feng, Rong; Zhang, Xuemin; Kang, Jian

2018-01-01

In order to utilize solar energy to meet the heating demands of a rural residential building during the winter in the northwestern region of China, a hybrid heating system combining solar energy and coal was built. Multiple experiments to monitor its performance were conducted during the winter in 2014 and 2015. In this paper, we analyze the efficiency of the energy utilization of the system and describe a prototype model to determine the thermal efficiency of the coal stove in use. Multiple linear regression was adopted to present the dual function of multiple factors on the daily heat-collecting capacity of the solar water heater; the heat-loss coefficient of the storage tank was detected as well. The prototype model shows that the average thermal efficiency of the stove is 38%, which means that the energy input for the building is divided between the coal and solar energy, 39.5% and 60.5% energy, respectively. Additionally, the allocation of the radiation of solar energy projecting into the collecting area of the solar water heater was obtained which showed 49% loss with optics and 23% with the dissipation of heat, with only 28% being utilized effectively.

Energy Analysis of a Complementary Heating System Combining Solar Energy and Coal for a Rural Residential Building in Northwest China

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xiaofei Zhen

2018-01-01

Full Text Available In order to utilize solar energy to meet the heating demands of a rural residential building during the winter in the northwestern region of China, a hybrid heating system combining solar energy and coal was built. Multiple experiments to monitor its performance were conducted during the winter in 2014 and 2015. In this paper, we analyze the efficiency of the energy utilization of the system and describe a prototype model to determine the thermal efficiency of the coal stove in use. Multiple linear regression was adopted to present the dual function of multiple factors on the daily heat-collecting capacity of the solar water heater; the heat-loss coefficient of the storage tank was detected as well. The prototype model shows that the average thermal efficiency of the stove is 38%, which means that the energy input for the building is divided between the coal and solar energy, 39.5% and 60.5% energy, respectively. Additionally, the allocation of the radiation of solar energy projecting into the collecting area of the solar water heater was obtained which showed 49% loss with optics and 23% with the dissipation of heat, with only 28% being utilized effectively.

Energy Analysis of a Complementary Heating System Combining Solar Energy and Coal for a Rural Residential Building in Northwest China

Science.gov (United States)

Zhen, Xiaofei; Abdalla Osman, Yassir Idris; Feng, Rong; Zhang, Xuemin

2018-01-01

In order to utilize solar energy to meet the heating demands of a rural residential building during the winter in the northwestern region of China, a hybrid heating system combining solar energy and coal was built. Multiple experiments to monitor its performance were conducted during the winter in 2014 and 2015. In this paper, we analyze the efficiency of the energy utilization of the system and describe a prototype model to determine the thermal efficiency of the coal stove in use. Multiple linear regression was adopted to present the dual function of multiple factors on the daily heat-collecting capacity of the solar water heater; the heat-loss coefficient of the storage tank was detected as well. The prototype model shows that the average thermal efficiency of the stove is 38%, which means that the energy input for the building is divided between the coal and solar energy, 39.5% and 60.5% energy, respectively. Additionally, the allocation of the radiation of solar energy projecting into the collecting area of the solar water heater was obtained which showed 49% loss with optics and 23% with the dissipation of heat, with only 28% being utilized effectively. PMID:29651424

Economic performance and policies for grid-connected residential solar photovoltaic systems in Brazil

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mitscher, Martin; Rüther, Ricardo

2012-01-01

We analyze the economic competitiveness of grid-connected, distributed solar photovoltaic generation through small-scale rooftop installations in five Brazilian state-capitals. The locations represent a comprehensive set of the two essential parameters for the economic viability of PV—solar irradiation and local electricity tariffs. Levelized electricity costs (LEC) for PV generation and net present values (NPV) for a specific PV system are presented. The analysis comprises three different interest rate scenarios reflecting different conditions for capital acquisition to finance the generators; subsidized, mature market and country-specific risk-adjusted interest. In the NPV analysis, revenue flow is modeled by the sale of PV electricity at current residential tariffs assuming net metering. Using subsidized interest rates, the analysis shows that solar PV electricity is already competitive in Brazil, while in the country-specific risk-adjusted rate, the declining, but still high capital costs of PV make it economically unfeasible. At a mature market interest rate, PV competitiveness is largely dependent on the residential tariff. Economic competitiveness in this scenario is given for locations with high residential tariffs. We demonstrate the high potential of distributed generation with photovoltaic installations in Brazil, and show that under certain conditions, grid-connected PV can be economically competitive in a developing country. - Highlights: ► Debt financed grid-connected PV on Brazilian rooftops can be economically feasible since 2011. ► The cost of capital in Brazil is the decisive parameter in PV competitiveness with conventional generation sources. ► Low-cost, long-term financing is an essential requirement for PV to become an economically justifiable generation alternative. ► The Brazilian market holds huge potential for distributed, residential rooftop PV systems of small size.

Solar Process Heat Basics | NREL

Science.gov (United States)

Process Heat Basics Solar Process Heat Basics Commercial and industrial buildings may use the same solar technologies-photovoltaics, passive heating, daylighting, and water heating-that are used for residential buildings. These nonresidential buildings can also use solar energy technologies that would be

Design package for a complete residential solar space heating and hot water system

Science.gov (United States)

1978-01-01

Information necessary to evaluate the design of a solar space heating and hot water system is reported. System performance specifications, the design data brochure, the system description, and other information pertaining to the design are included.

Design, evaluation and recommedation effort relating to the modification of a residential 3-ton absorption cycle cooling unit for operation with solar energy

Science.gov (United States)

Merrick, R. H.; Anderson, P. P.

1973-01-01

The possible use of solar energy powered absorption units to provide cooling and heating of residential buildings is studied. Both, the ammonia-water and the water-lithium bromide cycles, are considered. It is shown that the air cooled ammonia water unit does not meet the criteria for COP and pump power on the cooling cycle and the heat obtained from it acting as a heat pump is at too low a temperature. If the ammonia machine is water cooled it will meet the design criteria for cooling but can not supply the heating needs. The water cooled lithium bromide unit meets the specified performance for cooling with appreciably lower generator temperatures and without a mechanical solution pump. It is recommeded that in the demonstration project a direct expansion lithium bromide unit be used for cooling and an auxiliary duct coil using the solar heated water be employed for heating.

Solar Community Organizations and active peer effects in the adoption of residential PV

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Noll, Daniel; Dawes, Colleen; Rai, Varun

2014-01-01

Solar Community Organizations (SCOs) are formal or informal organizations and citizen groups that help to reduce the barriers to the adoption of residential solar photovoltaic (PV) by (1) providing access to credible and transparent information about the localized benefits of residential PV and (2) actively campaigning to encourage adoption within their operational boundaries. We study the peer effect, or social interaction, process catalyzed by SCOs to understand the impact of these organizations on the residential PV market. Using a standardized search methodology across spatial scales (state; city; neighborhoods), we identify and characterize the operations of 228 SCOs formed in the U.S. between 1970 and 2012. We also present case studies of four successful SCOs and find that a common thread of why these SCOs are successful involves effectively leveraging trusted community networks combined with putting together a complete information and financial-tools package for use by interested communities. Finally, our findings suggest that empirical studies that attempt statistical identification and estimation of peer effects should pay close attention to the role of SCOs, as the social interactions engendered by SCOs may be correlated both with the level of social learning and the socio-demographic characteristics of the communities of interest. - Highlights: • New dataset on Solar Community Organizations (SCOs) in the U.S. during 1970–2012. • Shock events catalyze formation of SCOs. • SCOs-driven peer effects found to positively impact PV adoption. • Leveraging trust networks is crucial for the success of SCOs. • In addition to information provision, financing options also key for SCOs' success

Indirect Solar Water Heating in Single-Family, Zero Energy Ready Homes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Aldrich, Robb [Consortium for Advanced Residential Buildings, Norwalk, CT (United States)

2016-02-17

Solar water heating systems are not new, but they have not become prevalent in most of the U.S. Most of the country is cold enough that indirect solar thermal systems are required for freeze protection, and average installed cost of these systems is $9,000 to $10,000 for typical systems on single-family homes. These costs can vary significantly in different markets and with different contractors, and federal and regional incentives can reduce these up-front costs by 50% or more. In western Massachusetts, an affordable housing developer built a community of 20 homes with a goal of approaching zero net energy consumption. In addition to excellent thermal envelopes and PV systems, the developer installed a solar domestic water heating system (SDHW) on each home. The Consortium for Advanced Residential Buildings (CARB), a research consortium funded by the U.S. Department of Energy Building America program, commissioned some of the systems, and CARB was able to monitor detailed performance of one system for 28 months.

Preliminary design package for residential heating/cooling system: Rankine air conditioner redesign

Science.gov (United States)

1978-01-01

A summary of the preliminary redesign and development of a marketable single family heating and cooling system is presented. The interim design and schedule status of the residential (3-ton) redesign, problem areas and solutions, and the definition of plans for future design and development activities were discussed. The proposed system for a single-family residential heating and cooling system is a single-loop, solar-assisted, hydronic-to-warm-air heating subsystem with solar-assisted domestic water heating and a Rankine-driven expansion air-conditioning subsystem.

Integrated urban water management for residential areas: a reuse model.

Science.gov (United States)

Barton, A B; Argue, J R

2009-01-01

Global concern over growing urban water demand in the face of limited water resources has focussed attention on the need for better management of available water resources. This paper takes the "fit for purpose" concept and applies it in the development of a model aimed at changing current practices with respect to residential planning by integrating reuse systems into the design layout. This residential reuse model provides an approach to the design of residential developments seeking to maximise water reuse. Water balance modelling is used to assess the extent to which local water resources can satisfy residential demands with conditions based on the city of Adelaide, Australia. Physical conditions include a relatively flat topography and a temperate climate, with annual rainfall being around 500 mm. The level of water-self-sufficiency that may be achieved within a reuse development in this environment is estimated at around 60%. A case study is also presented in which a conventional development is re-designed on the basis of the reuse model. Costing of the two developments indicates the reuse scenario is only marginally more expensive. Such costings however do not include the benefit to upstream and downstream environments resulting from reduced demand and discharges. As governments look to developers to recover system augmentation and environmental costs the economics of such approaches will increase.

Feasibility study of a hybrid renewable energy system with geothermal and solar heat sources for residential buildings in South Korea

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Young Ju; Woo, Nam Sub; Jang, Sung Cheol; Choi, Jeong Ju

2013-01-01

This study investigates the economic feasibility of a hybrid renewable energy system (HRES) that uses geothermal and solar heat sources for water heating, space heating, and space cooling in a residential building in Korea. A small-scale HRES consists of a geothermal heat pump for heating and cooling, solar collectors for hot water, a gas-fired backup boiler, and incidental facilities. To determine whether the Hares will produce any economic benefits for homeowners, an economic analysis is conducted to compare the Hares with conventional methods of space heating and cooling in Korea. The payback period of a small-scale Hares is predicted as a maximum of 9 yrs by life cycle costing based on a performance index compared with conventional systems. However, the payback period of large-scale HRES above 400 RT is 6 yrs to 7 yrs.

Feasibility study of a hybrid renewable energy system with geothermal and solar heat sources for residential buildings in South Korea

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kim, Young Ju; Woo, Nam Sub [Korea Institute of Geoscience and Mineral Resources, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of); Jang, Sung Cheol [Mechatronics Department of the Korea Aviation Polytechnic College, Sacheon (Korea, Republic of); Choi, Jeong Ju [Dong-A University, Busan (Korea, Republic of)

2013-08-15

This study investigates the economic feasibility of a hybrid renewable energy system (HRES) that uses geothermal and solar heat sources for water heating, space heating, and space cooling in a residential building in Korea. A small-scale HRES consists of a geothermal heat pump for heating and cooling, solar collectors for hot water, a gas-fired backup boiler, and incidental facilities. To determine whether the Hares will produce any economic benefits for homeowners, an economic analysis is conducted to compare the Hares with conventional methods of space heating and cooling in Korea. The payback period of a small-scale Hares is predicted as a maximum of 9 yrs by life cycle costing based on a performance index compared with conventional systems. However, the payback period of large-scale HRES above 400 RT is 6 yrs to 7 yrs.

Module Embedded Micro-inverter Smart Grid Ready Residential Solar Electric System

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Agamy, Mohammed [GE Global Research Center, Niskayuna, NY (United States)

2015-10-27

The “Module Embedded Micro-inverter Smart Grid Ready Residential Solar Electric System” program is focused on developing innovative concepts for residential photovoltaic (PV) systems with the following objectives: to create an Innovative micro-inverter topology that reduces the cost from the best in class micro-inverter and provides high efficiency (>96% CEC - California Energy Commission), and 25+ year warranty, as well as reactive power support; integrate micro-inverter and PV module to reduce system price by at least $0.25/W through a) accentuating dual use of the module metal frame as a large area heat spreader reducing operating temperature, and b) eliminating redundant wiring and connectors; and create micro-inverter controller handles smart grid and safety functions to simplify implementation and reduce cost.

Calculating solar photovoltaic potential on residential rooftops in Kailua Kona, Hawaii

Science.gov (United States)

Carl, Caroline

As carbon based fossil fuels become increasingly scarce, renewable energy sources are coming to the forefront of policy discussions around the globe. As a result, the State of Hawaii has implemented aggressive goals to achieve energy independence by 2030. Renewable electricity generation using solar photovoltaic technologies plays an important role in these efforts. This study utilizes geographic information systems (GIS) and Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) data with statistical analysis to identify how much solar photovoltaic potential exists for residential rooftops in the town of Kailua Kona on Hawaii Island. This study helps to quantify the magnitude of possible solar photovoltaic (PV) potential for Solar World SW260 monocrystalline panels on residential rooftops within the study area. Three main areas were addressed in the execution of this research: (1) modeling solar radiation, (2) estimating available rooftop area, and (3) calculating PV potential from incoming solar radiation. High resolution LiDAR data and Esri's solar modeling tools and were utilized to calculate incoming solar radiation on a sample set of digitized rooftops. Photovoltaic potential for the sample set was then calculated with the equations developed by Suri et al. (2005). Sample set rooftops were analyzed using a statistical model to identify the correlation between rooftop area and lot size. Least squares multiple linear regression analysis was performed to identify the influence of slope, elevation, rooftop area, and lot size on the modeled PV potential values. The equations built from these statistical analyses of the sample set were applied to the entire study region to calculate total rooftop area and PV potential. The total study area statistical analysis findings estimate photovoltaic electric energy generation potential for rooftops is approximately 190,000,000 kWh annually. This is approximately 17 percent of the total electricity the utility provided to the entire island in

Preliminary design package for residential heating/cooling system--Rankine air conditioner redesign

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1978-12-01

This report contains a summary of the preliminary redesign and development of a marketable single-family heating and cooling system. The objectives discussed are the interim design and schedule status of the Residential (3-ton) redesign, problem areas and solutions, and the definition of plans for future design and development activities. The proposed system for a single-family residential heating and cooling system is a single-loop, solar-assisted, hydronic-to-warm-air heating subsystem with solar-assisted domestic water heating and a Rankine-driven expansion air-conditioning subsystem.

Indirect Solar Water Heating in Single-Family, Zero Energy Ready Homes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Aldrich, Robb [Steven Winters Associates, Inc., Norwalk, CT (United States)

2016-02-01

In western Massachusetts, an affordable housing developer built a community of 20 homes with the goal of approaching zero energy consumption. In addition to excellent thermal envelopes and photovoltaic systems, the developer installed a solar domestic hot water (SDHW) system on each home. The Consortium for Advanced Residential Buildings (CARB), a U.S. Department of Energy Building America research team, commissioned some of the systems, and CARB was able to monitor detailed performance of one system for 28 months.

Integrated solar water-heater and solar water cooler performance during winter time

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shaikh, N.U.; Siddiqui, M.A

2012-01-01

Solar powered water heater and water cooler is an important contribution for the reduction of fossil fuel consumptions and harmful emissions to the environment. This study aims to harness the available solar potential of Pakistan and provide an option fulfilling the domestic hot and cold water demands during winter and summer seasons respectively. The system was designed for the tap-water temperature of 65 degree C (149 degree F) and the chilled drinking-water temperature of 14 degree C (57 degree F) that are the recommended temperatures by World Health Organization (WHO). The solar water heater serves one of the facilities of the Department of Mechanical Engineering at NED University of Engineering and Technology whereas, the solar water cooler will provide drinking water to approximately 50 people including both faculty and students. A pair of single glazed flat plate solar collector was installed to convert solar radiations to heat. Hot water storage and supply system was carefully designed and fabricated to obtain the designed tap-water temperature. Vapour-absorption refrigeration system was designed to chill drinking water. Intensity of solar radiations falling on the solar collector, water temperatures at the inlet and outlet of the solar collectors and the tap water temperature were measured and analyzed at different hours of the day and at different days of the month. The results show that the installed solar collector system has potential to feed hot water of temperatures ranging from 65 degree C (149 degree F) to 70 Degree C (158 degree F), that is the required hot water temperature to operate a vapour absorption chilled water production system. (author)

77 FR 74559 - Energy Conservation Program for Consumer Products: Test Procedures for Residential Water Heaters...

Science.gov (United States)

2012-12-17

... Conservation Program for Consumer Products: Test Procedures for Residential Water Heaters, Direct Heating... Energy (DOE) is amending its test procedures for residential water heaters, direct heating equipment (DHE... necessary for residential water heaters, because the existing test procedures for those products already...

76 FR 56347 - Energy Conservation Program for Consumer Products: Test Procedures for Residential Water Heaters...

Science.gov (United States)

2011-09-13

... Conservation Program for Consumer Products: Test Procedures for Residential Water Heaters, Direct Heating... proposed to amend, where appropriate, its test procedures for residential water heaters, direct heating... notes that the test procedure and metric for residential water heaters currently address and incorporate...

A water heating system analysis for rural residences, using solar energy; Analise de um sistema de aquecimento de agua para residencias rurais, utilizando energia solar

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Basso, Luiz H.; Souza, Samuel N.M. de; Siqueira, Jair A.C.; Nogueira, Carlos E.C.; Santos, Reginaldo F. [Universidade Estadual do Oeste do Parana (UNIOESTE), Cascavel, PR (Brazil). Programa de Pos-Graduacao em Engenharia Agricola], emails: melegsouza@yahoo.com, ssouza@unioeste.br, jairsiqueira@unioeste.br, cecn1@yahoo.com.br, rfsantos@unioeste.br

2010-01-15

The awareness of the importance of the environment has stimulated the study of new renewed energy sources and less pollutant. Amongst these sources, solar energy stands alone for being perennial and clean. The use of solar energy in systems of agricultural residential water heating, can complement the economy of electric energy, base of the Brazilian energy matrix. Knowing the factors that influence the operation of a system of water heating by solar energy is important in determining their technical viabilities targeting their distribution in agricultural residences. To evaluate equipment of water heating for solar energy, a prototype was constructed in the campus of Assis Gurgacz College, in Cascavel,State of Parana, Brazil, with similar characteristics to equipment used in residences for two inhabitants, to function with natural circulation or thermo siphon and without help of a complementary heating system. The equipment revealed technical viability, reaching the minimum temperature for shower, of 35 deg C, whenever the solar radiation was above the 3,500 Wh m{sup -2}, for the majority of the studied days. (author)

DETERMINANTS OF RESIDENTIAL PER CAPITA WATER ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

This report presents the findings of the study on the determinants of residential per capita water demand of Makurdi metropolis in Benue State, Nigeria. Data for the study was obtained by the use of questionnaires, oral interviews and observations. The data was analyzed using SPSS. Twenty variables were considered in ...

Integration of Solar Photovoltaics and Electric Vehicles in Residential Grids

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pillai, Jayakrishnan Radhakrishna; Huang, Shaojun; Bak-Jensen, Birgitte

2013-01-01

In the last few years, there is an increased penetration of solar photovoltaic (SPV) units in low voltage (LV) distribution grids. Also electric vehicles (EVs) are introduced to these LV networks. This has caused the distribution networks to be more active and complex as these local generation...... and load units are characterised by unpredictable and diverse operating characteristics. This paper analyses the combined effect of SPVs and EVs in LV Danish residential grids. The EVs charging needs based on typical driving patterns of passenger cars and SPV power profiles during winter/summer days...

Potential application of a centralized solar water-heating system for a high-rise residential building in Hong Kong

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chow, T.T.; Fong, K.F.; Chan, A.L.S.; Lin, Z.

2006-01-01

There is a growing, government-led trend of applying renewable energy in Hong Kong. One area of interest lies in the wider use of solar-energy systems. The worldwide fast development of building-integrated solar technology has prompted the design alternative of fixing the solar panels on the external facades of buildings. In Hong Kong, high-rise buildings are found everywhere in the urban districts. How to make full use of the vertical facades of these buildings to capture the most solar radiation can be an important area in the technology promotion. In this numerical study, the potential application of a centralized solar water-heating system in high-rise residence was evaluated. Arrays of solar thermal collectors, that occupied the top two-third of the south and west facades of a hypothetical high-rise residence, were proposed for supporting the domestic hot-water system. Based on typical meteorological data, it was found that the annual efficiency of the vertical solar collectors could reach 38.4% on average, giving a solar fraction of 53.4% and a payback period of 9.2 years. Since the solar collectors were able to reduce the heat transmission through the building envelope, the payback was in fact even shorter if the energy saving in air-conditioner operation was considered

Solar energy uses in home water heating systems; Utilizacao da energia solar em sistemas de aquecimento de agua residencial

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Basso, Luiz Henrique

2008-07-01

The awareness of the importance of the environment has stimulated the study of new energy sources renewed and less pollutant. Amongst these sources, solar energy stands alone for being perennial and clean. The use of solar energy in systems of residential water heating, instead of the electric shower, can compliment the economy of electric energy, based on the Brazilian energy matrix. To know all the factors that influence the operation of a system of water heating by solar energy it is important the determination of its economic and technical viabilities and, distribution targeting in urban and agricultural residences. To evaluate equipment of water heating for solar energy in the region west of the Parana, Brazil, an archetype with similar characteristics to equipment used in residences for two inhabitants was built, to function with natural circulation or thermosyphon and without help of a complementary heating system. The room temperature and the speed of the wind were also evaluated, verifying its influence in the heating system. The equipment revealed technical viability, reaching the minimum temperature of 35 deg C for shower, whenever the solar radiation was above the 3500 W.m{sup -2}, for the majority of the studied days. The system operated without interruptions and it did not need maintenance, except for the monthly glass cleaning. Economic viability was clearly demonstrated since the useful life of the equipment exceeded the period of use to gain its investment. (author)

The impact of changing solar screen rotation angle and its opening aspect ratios on Daylight Availability in residential desert buildings

KAUST Repository

Sherif, Ahmed H.; Sabry, Hanan M.; Gadelhak, Mahmoud I.

2012-01-01

usually used to diffuse and prevent direct solar penetration into spaces. This paper investigates the impact of changing solar screen axial rotation angle and screen opening aspect ratio on daylighting performance in a typical residential living room space

75 FR 20111 - Energy Conservation Program: Energy Conservation Standards for Residential Water Heaters, Direct...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-16

... Program: Energy Conservation Standards for Residential Water Heaters, Direct Heating Equipment, and Pool... heating equipment and pool heaters. Table I.1--Amended Energy Conservation Standards for Residential Water... for national energy and water conservation; and 7. Other factors the Secretary of Energy (Secretary...

Intermittent Water Supplies: Challenges and Opportunities for Residential Water Users in Jordan

OpenAIRE

Rosenberg, David E.; Talozi, Samer; Lund, Jay

2008-01-01

Intermittent access to improved urban water supplies is a large and expanding global problem. This paper describes 16 supply enhancement and 23 demand management actions available to urban residential water users in Jordan to cope with intermittent supplies. We characterize actions by implementation, costs, and water quantities and qualities acquired or conserved. This effort systematically identifies potential options prior to detailed study and shows that water users have significant capaci...

Prediction of photovoltaic and solar water heater diffusion and evaluation of promotion policies on the basis of consumers’ choices

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yamaguchi, Yohei; Akai, Kenju; Shen, Junyi; Fujimura, Naoki; Shimoda, Yoshiyuki; Saijo, Tatsuyoshi

2013-01-01

Highlights: ► Consumers’ preference on PV and solar water heater were investigated. ► Diffusion of the technologies in Japan was modeled by using Bass diffusion model. ► Policy measures to diffuse the technologies were evaluated by using the framework. ► Subsidy is more cost effective than FIT to diffuse PV. ► Public perception is the bottleneck of diffusion of solar water heater. -- Abstract: This paper proposes an integrated analytical framework consisting of the following three steps: (1) investigation of consumers’ preferences, (2) prediction of technology diffusion by taking into account consumers’ preferences, and (3) estimation of CO 2 emission reduction caused by the diffusion of the examined technology. By using this framework, this paper evaluates the policy measures implemented for disseminating photovoltaics and solar water heaters in terms of the contribution to reducing CO 2 emissions from the residential sector. We investigated consumer preferences for these technologies as well as the effects of attributes such as installation cost, energy price, energy efficiency, and perception on consumers’ choices. Considering these effects, we developed a model that estimates the diffusion of these technologies into the residential sector of Japan through 2025 and the resulting CO 2 emission reduction. We found that the policy measures for the diffusion of photovoltaics that reduce initial cost (e.g., subsidy programs) are more cost effective for reducing CO 2 emission than those reducing users’ operating expenditure (e.g., feed-in tariff programs). For solar water heater to be able to reduce the CO 2 emissions considerably, the public perception must be improved.

Characterizing Synergistic Water and Energy Efficiency at the Residential Scale Using a Cost Abatement Curve Approach

Science.gov (United States)

Stillwell, A. S.; Chini, C. M.; Schreiber, K. L.; Barker, Z. A.

2015-12-01

Energy and water are two increasingly correlated resources. Electricity generation at thermoelectric power plants requires cooling such that large water withdrawal and consumption rates are associated with electricity consumption. Drinking water and wastewater treatment require significant electricity inputs to clean, disinfect, and pump water. Due to this energy-water nexus, energy efficiency measures might be a cost-effective approach to reducing water use and water efficiency measures might support energy savings as well. This research characterizes the cost-effectiveness of different efficiency approaches in households by quantifying the direct and indirect water and energy savings that could be realized through efficiency measures, such as low-flow fixtures, energy and water efficient appliances, distributed generation, and solar water heating. Potential energy and water savings from these efficiency measures was analyzed in a product-lifetime adjusted economic model comparing efficiency measures to conventional counterparts. Results were displayed as cost abatement curves indicating the most economical measures to implement for a target reduction in water and/or energy consumption. These cost abatement curves are useful in supporting market innovation and investment in residential-scale efficiency.

Potential Effect and Analysis of High Residential Solar Photovoltaic (PV Systems Penetration to an Electric Distribution Utility (DU

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jeffrey Tamba Dellosa

2016-11-01

Full Text Available The Renewable Energy Act of 2008 in the Philippines provided an impetus for residential owners to explore solar PV installations at their own rooftops through the Net-Metering policy. The Net-Metering implementation through the law however presented some concerns with inexperienced electric DU on the potential effect of high residential solar PV system installations. It was not known how a high degree of solar integration to the grid can possibly affect the operations of the electric DU in terms of energy load management. The primary objective of this study was to help the local electric DU in the analysis of the potential effect of high residential solar PV system penetration to the supply and demand load profile in an electric distribution utility (DU grid in the province of Agusan del Norte, Philippines. The energy consumption profiles in the year 2015 were obtained from the electric DU operating in the area. An average daily energy demand load profile was obtained from 0-hr to the 24th hour of the day based from the figures provided by the electric DU. The assessment part of the potential effect of high solar PV system integration assumed four potential total capacities from 10 Mega Watts (MW to 40 MW generated by all subscribers in the area under study at a 10 MW interval. The effect of these capacities were measured and analyzed with respect to the average daily load profile of the DU. Results of this study showed that a combined installations beyond 20 MWp coming from all subscribers is not viable for the local electric DU based on their current energy demand or load profile. Based from the results obtained, the electric DU can make better decisions in the management of high capacity penetration of solar PV systems in the future, including investment in storage systems when extra capacities are generated. Article History: Received July 15th 2016; Received in revised form Sept 23rd 2016; Accepted Oct 1st 2016; Available online How to Cite

Forecasting HotWater Consumption in Residential Houses

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Linas Gelažanskas

2015-11-01

Full Text Available An increased number of intermittent renewables poses a threat to the system balance. As a result, new tools and concepts, like advanced demand-side management and smart grid technologies, are required for the demand to meet supply. There is a need for higher consumer awareness and automatic response to a shortage or surplus of electricity. The distributed water heater can be considered as one of the most energy-intensive devices, where its energy demand is shiftable in time without influencing the comfort level. Tailored hot water usage predictions and advanced control techniques could enable these devices to supply ancillary energy balancing services. The paper analyses a set of hot water consumption data from residential dwellings. This work is an important foundation for the development of a demand-side management strategy based on hot water consumption forecasting at the level of individual residential houses. Various forecasting models, such as exponential smoothing, seasonal autoregressive integrated moving average, seasonal decomposition and a combination of them, are fitted to test different prediction techniques. These models outperform the chosen benchmark models (mean, naive and seasonal naive and show better performance measure values. The results suggest that seasonal decomposition of the time series plays the most significant part in the accuracy of forecasting.

Infectious Intestinal Diseases and Residential Water Services in Mexico: a Spatial Analysis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nicholas P. Sisto

2017-09-01

Full Text Available Infectious intestinal diseases (IID represent a widespread public health problem in Mexico. The country also faces major challenges with respect to the provision of residential water services (piped water and sewer—an essential input for hygiene and cleanliness in homes. This paper analyzes morbidity rates from several IID associated with unsanitary living conditions along with a series of residential water services indicators for Mexico’s 2,456 municipalities. With data obtained through a special request to the federal epidemiological authority as well as official census data for 2010, we find stark regional contrasts and identify interesting spatial structures for both IID morbidity and residential water services indicators. In particular, municipalities tend to present values similar to neighboring municipalities, forming clusters of relatively high-value (or low-value municipalities. Moreover we find that municipalities with a relatively high level of access to residential water services tend to present relatively low IID morbidity rates. These results have multiple public policy implications. In order to reduce the incidence of IID effectively and efficiently, interventions should explicitly consider the spatial structure of morbidity and target problem spots—which typically spill over state, municipal and other administrative boundaries. Moreover, improvements in the quality of access to piped water (for example, increasing the frequency of supply may be as important for reducing morbidity as the expansion of basic access to this service.

Analysis of the photovoltaic solar energy capacity of residential rooftops in Andalusia (Spain)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ordonez, J.; Jadraque, E.; Alegre, J.; Martinez, G. [Department of Civil Engineering, University of Granada (Spain)

2010-09-15

Fossil fuel energy resources are becoming increasingly scarce. Given the negative environmental impacts (e.g. greenhouse gas emissions) that accompany their use, it is hardly surprising that the development of renewable energies has become a major priority in the world today. Andalusia, with a mean solar radiation of 4.75 kWh/m{sup 2} per day and a surface area of 87,597 km{sup 2}, is the region in Europe with the highest solar energy potential. This research study determined the solar energy potential in Andalusia for grid-connected photovoltaic systems installed on residential rooftops. A methodology was developed for this purpose, which first involved a description of building characteristics, followed by the calculation of the useful roof surface area where photovoltaic arrays could be installed. In the next phase of the study, the mean solar irradiation characteristics were defined as well as the technical parameters of the photovoltaic systems. All of these factors allowed us to estimate the amount of electricity that could be potentially generated per year by solar panels. (author)

Solar-powered hot-air system

Science.gov (United States)

1979-01-01

Solar-powered air heater supplies part or all of space heating requirements of residential or commercial buildings and is interfaced with air to water heat exchanger to heat domestic hot water. System has potential application in drying agricultural products such as cotton, lumber, corn, grains, and peanuts.

Role of Solar Water Heating in Multifamily Zero Energy Homes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Aldrich, Robb [Consortium for Advanced Residential Buildings, Norwalk, CT (United States); Williamson, James [Consortium for Advanced Residential Buildings, Norwalk, CT (United States)

2016-04-08

Solar domestic hot water (SDHW) systems have been installed on buildings for decades, but because of relatively high costs they have not achieved significant market penetration in most of the country. As more buildings move towards zero net energy consumption, however, many designers and developers are looking more closely at SDHW. In multifamily buildings especially, SDHW may be more practical for several reasons: 1) When designing for zero net energy consumption, solar water heating may be part of the lowest cost approach to meet water heating loads; 2) Because of better scale, SDHW systems in multifamily buildings cost significantly less per dwelling than in single-family homes; 3) Many low-load buildings are moving away from fossil fuels entirely. SDHW savings are substantially greater when displacing electric resistance water heating; and 4) In addition to federal tax incentives, some states have substantial financial incentives that dramatically reduce the costs (or increase the benefits) of SDHW systems in multifamily buildings. With support from the U.S. DOE Building America program, the Consortium for Advanced Residential Buildings (CARB) worked with a developer in western Massachusetts to evaluate a SDHW system on a 12-unit apartment building. Olive Street Development completed construction in spring of 2014, and CARB has been monitoring performance of the water heating systems since May 2014.

Residential hot water distribution systems: Roundtablesession

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lutz, James D.; Klein, Gary; Springer, David; Howard, Bion D.

2002-08-01

Residential building practice currently ignores the lossesof energy and water caused by the poor design of hot water systems. Theselosses include: combustion and standby losses from water heaters, thewaste of water (and energy) while waiting for hot water to get to thepoint of use; the wasted heat as water cools down in the distributionsystem after a draw; heat losses from recirculation systems and thediscarded warmth of waste water as it runs down the drain. Severaltechnologies are available that save energy (and water) by reducing theselosses or by passively recovering heat from wastewater streams and othersources. Energy savings from some individual technologies are reported tobe as much as 30 percent. Savings calculations of prototype systemsincluding bundles of technologies have been reported above 50 percent.This roundtable session will describe the current practices, summarizethe results of past and ongoing studies, discuss ways to think about hotwater system efficiency, and point to areas of future study. We will alsorecommend further steps to reduce unnecessary losses from hot waterdistribution systems.

Long-term energy storage tanks for dwellings and solar house architecture. Final report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1980-12-01

The design and installation of hot water storage tanks as accumulators of solar energy is presented. Solar house architecture which maximizes roof, solar collector energy absorption potential is then considered. Proposals for residential areas which include solar houses are made.

Solar Hot Water Heater

Science.gov (United States)

1978-01-01

The solar panels pictured below, mounted on a Moscow, Idaho home, are part of a domestic hot water heating system capable of providing up to 100 percent of home or small business hot water needs. Produced by Lennox Industries Inc., Marshalltown, Iowa, the panels are commercial versions of a collector co-developed by NASA. In an effort to conserve energy, NASA has installed solar collectors at a number of its own facilities and is conducting research to develop the most efficient systems. Lewis Research Center teamed with Honeywell Inc., Minneapolis, Minnesota to develop the flat plate collector shown. Key to the collector's efficiency is black chrome coating on the plate developed for use on spacecraft solar cells, the coating prevents sun heat from "reradiating," or escaping outward. The design proved the most effective heat absorber among 23 different types of collectors evaluated in a Lewis test program. The Lennox solar domestic hot water heating system has three main components: the array of collectors, a "solar module" (blue unit pictured) and a conventional water heater. A fluid-ethylene glycol and water-is circulated through the collectors to absorb solar heat. The fluid is then piped to a double-walled jacket around a water tank within the solar module.

The active thermal solar; Le solaire thermique actif

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bedel, St.; Salomon, Th.

2000-05-01

This information paper recalls the different types of solar cells and their operating. It presents the possible utilizations for the buildings heating (air and water systems) and for the water heating in the residential houses (also for the heating of swimming pools) and the collective buildings. The drying of agricultural products and the solar cooling are also discussed. (A.L.B.)

Methodology for estimation of potential for solar water heating in a target area

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pillai, Indu R.; Banerjee, Rangan

2007-01-01

Proper estimation of potential of any renewable energy technology is essential for planning and promotion of the technology. The methods reported in literature for estimation of potential of solar water heating in a target area are aggregate in nature. A methodology for potential estimation (technical, economic and market potential) of solar water heating in a target area is proposed in this paper. This methodology links the micro-level factors and macro-level market effects affecting the diffusion or adoption of solar water heating systems. Different sectors with end uses of low temperature hot water are considered for potential estimation. Potential is estimated at each end use point by simulation using TRNSYS taking micro-level factors. The methodology is illustrated for a synthetic area in India with an area of 2 sq. km and population of 10,000. The end use sectors considered are residential, hospitals, nursing homes and hotels. The estimated technical potential and market potential are 1700 m 2 and 350 m 2 of collector area, respectively. The annual energy savings for the technical potential in the area is estimated as 110 kW h/capita and 0.55 million-kW h/sq. km. area, with an annual average peak saving of 1 MW. The annual savings is 650-kW h per m 2 of collector area and accounts for approximately 3% of the total electricity consumption of the target area. Some of the salient features of the model are the factors considered for potential estimation; estimation of electrical usage pattern for typical day, amount of electricity savings and savings during the peak load. The framework is general and enables accurate estimation of potential of solar water heating for a city, block. Energy planners and policy makers can use this framework for tracking and promotion of diffusion of solar water heating systems. (author)

Predicting compliance with an information-based residential outdoor water conservation program

Science.gov (United States)

Landon, Adam C.; Kyle, Gerard T.; Kaiser, Ronald A.

2016-05-01

Residential water conservation initiatives often involve some form of education or persuasion intended to change the attitudes and behaviors of residential consumers. However, the ability of these instruments to change attitudes toward conservation and their efficacy in affecting water use remains poorly understood. In this investigation the authors examine consumer attitudes toward complying with a persuasive water conservation program, the extent to which those attitudes predict compliance, and the influence of environmental contextual factors on outdoor water use. Results indicate that the persuasive program was successful in developing positive attitudes toward compliance, and that those attitudes predict water use. However, attitudinal variables explain a relatively small proportion of the variance in objectively measured water use behavior. Recommendations for policy are made stressing the importance of understanding both the effects of attitudes and environmental contextual factors in behavior change initiatives in the municipal water sector.

Economics of Condensing Gas Furnaces and Water Heaters Potential in Residential Single Family Homes

OpenAIRE

Lekov, Alex

2010-01-01

Residential space and water heating accounts for over 90percent of total residential primary gas consumption in the United States. Condensing space and water heating equipment are 10-30percent more energy-efficient than conventional space and water heating. Currently, condensing gas furnaces represent 40 percent of shipments and are common in the Northern U.S. market. Meanwhile, manufacturers are planning to develop condensing gas storage water heaters to qualify for Energy Star? certificati...

Solar Water Heater Installation Package

Science.gov (United States)

1982-01-01

A 48-page report describes water-heating system, installation (covering collector orientation, mounting, plumbing and wiring), operating instructions and maintenance procedures. Commercial solar-powered water heater system consists of a solar collector, solar-heated-water tank, electrically heated water tank and controls. Analysis of possible hazards from pressure, electricity, toxicity, flammability, gas, hot water and steam are also included.

Incentive Pass-through for Residential Solar Systems in California

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dong, C. G. [Univ. of Texas, Austin, TX (United States); Wiser, Ryan [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Rai, Varun [Univ. of Texas, Austin, TX (United States)

2014-10-01

The deployment of solar photovoltaic (PV) systems has grown rapidly over the last decade, partly because of various government incentives. In the United States, among the largest and longest-running incentives have been those established in California. Building on past research, this report addresses the still-unanswered question: to what degree have the direct PV incentives in California been passed through from installers to consumers? This report helps address this question by carefully examining the residential PV market in California (excluding a certain class of third-party-owned PV systems) and applying both a structural-modeling approach and a reduced-form regression analysis to estimate the incentive pass-through rate. The results suggest an average pass-through rate of direct incentives of nearly 100%, though with regional differences among California counties. While these results could have multiple explanations, they suggest a relatively competitive market and well-functioning subsidy program. Further analysis is required to determine whether similar results broadly apply to other states, to other customer segments, to all third-party-owned PV systems, or to all forms of financial incentives for solar (considering not only direct state subsidies, but also utility electric bill savings and federal tax incentives).

75 FR 52892 - Energy Conservation Program for Consumer Products: Test Procedures for Residential Water Heaters...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-08-30

... ``Energy Conservation Program for Consumer Products Other Than Automobiles,'' including residential water... final rule revising energy conservation standards for residential water heaters, direct heating.... EERE-2009-BT-TP-0013] RIN 1904-AB95 Energy Conservation Program for Consumer Products: Test Procedures...

Performances of solar water pumping station with solar tracker

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Buniatyan, V.V.; Vardanyan, A.A.

2011-01-01

For the solar water pumping stations ? solar tracking system with phototransistor is developed. On the basis of the experimental investigations the utility and efficiency of the PV water pumping station with solar tracker under different conditions of varying solar radiation in Armenia is shown

Energy Saving in an ETC Solar System to Produce High Temperature Water

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Carlos J. Porras-Prieto

2018-04-01

Full Text Available The use of solar water heating systems (SWHS based on evacuated tube collectors (ETC has experienced rapid growth in the residential sector. In contrast, the implementation of these systems in the industrial sector is very limited, due in part to the demand of a higher temperature in water. Taking into account that the final energy of the industrial sector is similar to the residential sector, to increase the generation of renewable energy and energy saving in cities, efforts in this sector should be redoubled. Therefore, the present work characterises the behaviour of a SWHS-ETC with active circulation to produce hot water at 90 °C, determining its performance, energy saving and profitability in different scenarios in Europe. The annual energy savings generated by the SWHS Range between 741 and 435 kWh m−2 (reduction of emissions between 215 and 88 kg CO2 m−2. The results of the analysis of profitability, studying the variation of the conventional energy price, the cost of the investment, the useful life and the energy supplied, in thousands of scenarios, are a valuable tool for correct decision making, as they can be of great utility to increase the implementation of these systems in the industrial sector.

Residential on site solar heating systems: a project evaluation using the capital asset pricing model

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Schutz, S.R.

1978-12-01

An energy source ready for immediate use on a commercial scale is solar energy in the form of On Site Solar Heating (OSSH) systems. These systems collect solar energy with rooftop panels, store excess energy in water storage tanks and can, in certain circumstances, provide 100% of the space heating and hot water required by the occupants of the residential or commercial structure on which the system is located. Such systems would take advantage of a free and inexhaustible energy source--sunlight. The principal drawback of such systems is the high initial capital cost. The solution would normally be a carefully worked out corporate financing plan. However, at the moment it is individual homeowners and not corporations who are attempting to finance these systems. As a result, the terms of finance are excessively stringent and constitute the main obstacle to the large scale market penetration of OSSH. This study analyzes the feasibility of OSSH as a private utility investment. Such systems would be installed and owned by private utilities and would displace other investment projects, principally electric generating plants. The return on OSSH is calculated on the basis of the cost to the consumer of the equivalent amount of electrical energy that is displaced by the OSSH system. The hurdle rate for investment in OSSH is calculated using the Sharpe--Lintner Capital Asset Pricing Model. The results of this study indicate that OSSH is a low risk investment having an appropriate hurdle rate of 7.9%. At this rate, OSSH investment appears marginally acceptable in northern California and unambiguously acceptable in southern California. The results also suggest that utility investment in OSSH should lead to a higher degree of financial leverage for utility companies without a concurrent deterioration in the risk class of utility equity.

Residential water usage: A case study of the major cities of the western region of Saudi Arabia

Science.gov (United States)

Abu Rizaiza, Omar S.

1991-05-01

Socioeconomic and climatological data of the major cities of the western region of Saudi Arabia have been used to develop several models to estimate the residential water usage for different kinds of houses. The developed models correlate the residential water usages with temperature, income, family size, price of water, and availability of a garden within the house. The study shows that the residential water uses in houses supplied by a public pipe network are 1.4-2 times greater than the residential water uses in houses supplied by tankers. It also shows that the price elasticities are very similar to those estimated in the United States. Income elasticities, on the other hand, are lower than those typically found in more industrialized countries.

A High Rated Solar Water Distillation Unit for Solar Homes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Abhishek Saxena

2016-01-01

Full Text Available India is presently focusing on complete utilization of solar energy and saving fossil fuels, which are limited. Various solar energy systems like solar cookers, solar water heaters, solar lanterns, solar PV lights, and solar lamps are continuously availing by the people of India at a low cost and on good subsidies. Apart from this, India is a solar energy promising country with a good number of solar homes (carrying solar energy systems in its various locations. The present paper focuses on a unique combination of solar dish cooker (SDC and solar water heater (SWH to produce distilled water with a high distillate and a high daily productivity. The procedure has been discussed on the basis of experimental testing to produce distilled water by combining an evacuated type SWH and a SDC. Experimentation has been carried out in MIT, Moradabad (longitude, 28.83°N, and latitude, 78.78°E by developing the same experimental setup on behalf of solar homes. The daily productivity of distilled water was found around 3.66 litres per day in full sunshine hours for an approximated pH value of 7.7 and a ppm value of 21. The payback period (PBP has been estimated around 1.16 years of the present system.

A comparative study on three types of solar utilization technologies for buildings: Photovoltaic, solar thermal and hybrid photovoltaic/thermal systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Huide, Fu; Xuxin, Zhao; Lei, Ma; Tao, Zhang; Qixing, Wu; Hongyuan, Sun

2017-01-01

Highlights: • Models of Solar thermal, Photovoltaic and Photovoltaic/thermal systems are developed. • Experiments are performed to validate the simulation results. • Annual performances of the three solar systems used in china are predicted. • Energy comparison between the three solar systems is analyzed. - Abstract: Buildings need energy including heat and electricity, and both of them can be provided by the solar systems. Solar thermal and photovoltaic systems absorb the solar energy and can supply the heat and electricity for buildings, respectively. However, for the urban residential buildings, the limited available area makes installation of the solar thermal collectors and photovoltaic modules together impossible. A hybrid photovoltaic/thermal system can simultaneously generate heat and electricity, which is deemed to be quite suitable for the urban residential buildings application. And yet, for a rural house of China, the available area for installation of the solar collectors is large but daily domestic hot water demand of a rural family is generally not exceeded 300 L. If only the hybrid photovoltaic/thermal collectors are installed on the whole available area, this will lead to an overproduction of the thermal energy, especially in summer. Moreover, buildings requiring for the heat and electricity are different in different regions and different seasons. In this paper, simulation models of the solar thermal, photovoltaic and hybrid photovoltaic/thermal systems are presented, and experiments are also performed to validate the simulation results. Using the validated models, performances of the three solar systems for residential applications were predicted. And energy comparison between the three solar systems used in Hongkong, Lhasa, Shanghai and Beijing of China, respectively, were also studied. Results show that, for the urban residential building with limited available installation space, a hybrid photovoltaic/thermal system may have the

Public perceptions and information gaps in solar energy in Texas

Science.gov (United States)

Rai, Varun; Beck, Ariane L.

2015-07-01

Studying the behavioral aspects of the individual decision-making process is important in identifying and addressing barriers in the adoption of residential solar photovoltaic (PV). However, there is little systematic research focusing on these aspects of residential PV in Texas, an important, large, populous state, with a range of challenges in the electricity sector including increasing demand, shrinking reserve margins, constrained water supply, and challenging emissions reduction targets under proposed federal regulations. This paper aims to address this gap through an empirical investigation of a new survey-based dataset collected in Texas on solar energy perceptions and behavior. The results of this analysis offer insights into the perceptions and motivations influencing intentions and behavior toward solar energy in a relatively untapped market and help identify information gaps that could be targeted to alleviate key barriers to adopting solar, thereby enabling significant emissions reductions in the residential sector in Texas.

Simulation of solar lithium bromide-water absorption cooling system with parabolic trough collector

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mazloumi, M.; Naghashzadegan, M.; Javaherdeh, K.

2008-01-01

Ahwaz is one of the sweltering cities in Iran where an enormous amount of energy is being consumed to cool residential places in a year. The aim of this research is to simulate a solar single effect lithium bromide-water absorption cooling system in Ahwaz. The solar energy is absorbed by a horizontal N-S parabolic trough collector and stored in an insulated thermal storage tank. The system has been designed to supply the cooling load of a typical house where the cooling load peak is about 17.5 kW (5 tons of refrigeration), which occurs in July. A thermodynamic model has been used to simulate the absorption cycle. The working fluid is water, which is pumped directly to the collector. The results showed that the collector mass flow rate has a negligible effect on the minimum required collector area, but it has a significant effect on the optimum capacity of the storage tank. The minimum required collector area was about 57.6 m 2 , which could supply the cooling loads for the sunshine hours of the design day for July. The operation of the system has also been considered after sunset by saving solar energy

Business Opportunity Prospectus for Utilities in Solar Water Heating

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Energy Alliance Group

1999-06-30

Faced with deregulation and increasingly aggressive competition, utilities are looking for new products and services to increase revenues, improve customer loyalty and retention, and establish barriers to market erosion. With open access now a reality, and retail wheeling just around the corner, business expansion via new products and services is now the central goal for most utilities in the United States. It may seem surprising that solar thermal energy as applied to heating domestic hot water - an idea that has been around for a long time - offers what utilities and their residential customers want most in a new product/service. This document not only explains how and why, it shows how to get into the business and succeed on a commercial scale.

Impact of Rate Design Alternatives on Residential Solar Customer Bills. Increased Fixed Charges, Minimum Bills and Demand-based Rates

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bird, Lori [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Davidson, Carolyn [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); McLaren, Joyce [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Miller, John [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)

2015-09-01

With rapid growth in energy efficiency and distributed generation, electric utilities are anticipating stagnant or decreasing electricity sales, particularly in the residential sector. Utilities are increasingly considering alternative rates structures that are designed to recover fixed costs from residential solar photovoltaic (PV) customers with low net electricity consumption. Proposed structures have included fixed charge increases, minimum bills, and increasingly, demand rates - for net metered customers and all customers. This study examines the electricity bill implications of various residential rate alternatives for multiple locations within the United States. For the locations analyzed, the results suggest that residential PV customers offset, on average, between 60% and 99% of their annual load. However, roughly 65% of a typical customer's electricity demand is non-coincidental with PV generation, so the typical PV customer is generally highly reliant on the grid for pooling services.

78 FR 2340 - Energy Conservation Program: Test Procedures for Residential Water Heaters and Commercial Water...

Science.gov (United States)

2013-01-11

... corresponded to the levels in the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air Conditioning Engineers... provides a brief history of DOE's more recent test procedure rulemakings related to residential water... performance (e.g., such as ambient air temperature, ambient relative humidity, and inlet water temperature...

Analysing the dynamics of transitions in residential water consumption in the Netherlands

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Agudelo-Vera, C.M.; Blokker, E.J.M.; Buscher, C.H.; Vreeburg, J.H.G.

2014-01-01

Water infrastructure is inherently a socio-technical system. Rapidly changing urban trends and long-term uncertainties make water infrastructure management complex. This paper analyses the dynamics of residential water consumption in the Netherlands since 1900. During this period, different drivers

Side-by-Side Testing of Water Heating Systems: Results from the 2013-2014 Evaluation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Colon, Carlos [Florida Solar Energy Center, Cocoa, FL (United States). Bulding America Partnership for Improved Residential Construction

2017-07-12

The Florida Solar Energy Center (FSEC) has completed a fourth year-long evaluation on residential hot water heating systems in a laboratory environment (east central Florida, hot-humid climate). This report contains a summary of research activities regarding the evaluation of two residential electric heat pump water heaters (HPWHs), a solar thermal system utilizing a polymer glazed absorber and a high efficiency natural gas system.

Simulation and optimization study on a solar space heating system combined with a low temperature ASHP for single family rural residential houses in Beijing

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Deng, Jie; Tian, Zhiyong; Fan, Jianhua

2016-01-01

A pilot project of the solar water heating system combined with a low temperature air source heat pump (ASHP) unit was established in 2014 in a detached residential house in the rural region of Beijing, in order to investigate the system application prospect for single family houses via system...... optimization design and economic analysis. The established system was comprised of the glass heat-pipe based evacuated tube solar collectors with a gross area of 18.8 m2 and an ASHP with a stated heating power of 8 kW for the space heating of a single family rural house of 81.4 m2. The dynamic thermal...... with good building insulation were undertaken to figure out the system economical efficiency in the rural regions of Beijing. The results show that the payback periods of the solar space heating system combined with the ASHP with the collector areas 15.04-22.56 m2 are 17.3-22.4 years for the established...

Control of Solar Power Plants Connected Grid with Simple Calculation Method on Residential Homes

Science.gov (United States)

Kananda, Kiki; Nazir, Refdinal

2017-12-01

One of the most compatible renewable energy in all regions to apply is solar energy. Solar power plants can be built connected to existing or stand-alone power grids. In assisting the residential electricity in which there is a power grid, then a small scale solar energy power plants is very appropriate. However, the general constraint of solar energy power plants is still low in terms of efficiency. Therefore, this study will explain how to control the power of solar power plants more optimally, which is expected to reactive power to zero to raise efficiency. This is a continuation of previous research using Newton Rapshon control method. In this study we introduce a simple method by using ordinary mathematical calculations of solar-related equations. In this model, 10 PV modules type of ND T060M1 with a 60 Wp capacity are used. The calculations performed using MATLAB Simulink provide excellent value. For PCC voltage values obtained a stable quantity of approximately 220 V. At a maximum irradiation condition of 1000 W / m2, the reactive power value of Q solar generating system maximum 20.48 Var and maximum active power of 417.5 W. In the condition of lower irradiation, value of reactive power Q almost close to zero 0.77Var. This simple mathematical method can provide excellent quality control power values.

Solar water heaters in Taiwan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chang, K.; Lee, T.; Chung, K.

2006-01-01

Solar water heater has been commercialized during the last two decades in Taiwan. The government initiated the incentive programs during 1986-1991 and 2000-2004. This created an economic incentive for the end-users. The total area of solar collectors installed was more than one million square meters. The data also show that most of the solar water heaters are mainly used by the domestic sector for hot water production (about 97%). The regional popularization analysis indicates limited installation of solar water heaters in the northern district. In the eastern district and remote islands, the problems of climatic conditions and availability of localized installers/dealers are addressed. (author)

Solar action: solar hot water in The Netherlands

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Van de Water, Adrie

2001-01-01

This paper focuses on the use of solar hot water systems in the Netherlands, and reports on the Dutch Solar Domestic Hot Water System agreement signed in 1999 and set up to enhance the development of the market for solar domestic hot water (SDHW) systems and their application as a sustainable energy source. The Dutch Thermal Solar Energy Programme's objectives and goals, the subsidy schemes for thermal solar energy administered by Senter - an agency of the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MEA), and the project-based and individual approaches to boosting the sales of SDHW systems are examined. Large system sales, the targeting of consumers via a national campaign, and national publicity using the slogan 'Sustainable energy. Goes without saying' commissioned by the MEA are discussed along with the support shown by the Dutch power distribution companies for SDHW systems, marketing aspects, and the outlook for sales of SDHW systems

Residential photovoltaic module and array requirement study. Low-Cost Solar Array Project engineering area. Final report appendices

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1979-06-01

This volume contains the appendices to a study to identify design requirements for photovoltaic modules and arrays used in residential applications. Appendices include: (1) codes, standards, and manuals of accepted practice-definition and importance; (2) regional code variations-impact; (3) model and city codes-review; (4) National Electric Code (NEC)-review; (5) types of standards-definition and importance; (6) federal standards-review; (7) standards review method; (8) manuals of accepted practice; (9) codes and referenced standards-summary; (10) public safety testing laboratories; (11) insurance review; (12) studies approach; (13) mounting configurations; (14) module/panel size and shape cost analysis; (15) grounding, wiring, terminal and voltage studies; (16) array installation cost summary; (17) photovoltaic shingle/module comparison; (18) retrofit application; (19) residential photovoltaic module performance criteria; (20) critique of JPL's solar cell module design and test specifications for residential applications; and (21) CSI format specification. (WHK)

Expert opinion on risks to the long-term viability of residential recycled water schemes: An Australian study.

Science.gov (United States)

West, Camilla; Kenway, Steven; Hassall, Maureen; Yuan, Zhiguo

2017-09-01

The water sector needs to make efficient and prudent investment decisions by carefully considering the long-term viability of water infrastructure projects. To support the assessment and planning of residential recycled water schemes in Australia, we have sought to clarify scheme objectives and to further define the array of critical risks that can impact the long-term viability of schemes. Building on historical information, we conducted a national survey which elicited responses from 88 Australian expert practitioners, of which 64% have over 10 years of industry experience and 42% have experience with more than five residential recycled water schemes. On the basis of expert opinion, residential recycled water schemes are considered to be highly relevant for diversifying and improving water supply security, reducing wastewater effluent discharge and pollutant load to waterways and contributing to sustainable urban development. At present however, the inability to demonstrate an incontestable business case is posing a significant risk to the long-term viability of residential recycled water schemes. Political, regulatory, organisational and financial factors were also rated as critical risks, in addition to community risk perception and fall in demand. The survey results shed further light on the regulatory environment of residential recycled water schemes, with regulatory participants rating the level and impact of risk factors higher than other survey participants in most cases. The research outcomes provide a comprehensive understanding of the critical risks to the long-term viability of residential recycled water schemes, thereby enabling the specification of targeted risk management measures at the assessment and planning stage of a scheme. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A New Remote Communications Link to Reduce Residential PV Solar Costs

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

King, Randy [Operant Solar Corporation,CA (United States); Sugiyama, Rod [Operant Solar Corporation,CA (United States)

2017-12-11

Monitoring of PV/DER site production is expensive to install and unreliable. Among third party systems providers, lost communications links are a growing concern. Nearly 20% of links are failing, provisioning is complex, recovery is expensive, production data is lost, and access is fragmented. FleetLink is a new concept in DER system communications, purpose built for lowering the cost of maintaining active contact with residential end user sites and ensuring that production data is reliably available to third party systems providers. Systems providers require accurate, secure system monitoring and reporting of production data and system faults while driving down overall costs to compete effectively. This plug and play, independently operating communications solution lowers the cost of fleet contact from typically .08 dollars-$.12/W down to .02 dollars -.03/W including installation and maintenance expenses. FleetLink establishes a breakthrough in simplicity that facilitates rapid expansion of residential solar by reducing initial capital outlay and lowering installation labor time and skill levels. The solution also facilitates higher DER installation growth rates by driving down maintenance costs and eliminating communications trouble calls. This is accomplished by the FleetLink’s unique network technology that enables dynamic network configuration for fast changes, and active, self-healing DER site contact for uptime assurance. Using an open source network framework with proprietary, application specific enhancements, FleetLink independently manages connectivity, security, recovery, grid control communications, and fleet expansion while presenting a compliant SunSpec interface to the third party operations centers. The net system cost savings of at least .05 dollars/W supports the SunShot cost goals and the flexibility and scalability of the solution accelerates the velocity and ubiquitous adoption of solar.

Tracking the Sun VIII. The Installed Price of Residential and Non-Residential Photovoltaic Systems in the United States

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Barbose, Galen L. [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Darghouth, Naïm R. [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Millstein, Dev [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Spears, Mike [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Wiser, Ryan H. [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Buckley, Michael [Exeter Associates, Columbia, MD (United States); Widiss, Rebecca [Exeter Associates, Columbia, MD (United States); Grue, Nick [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)

2015-08-01

Now in its eighth edition, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL)’s Tracking the Sun report series is dedicated to summarizing trends in the installed price of grid-connected solar photovoltaic (PV) systems in the United States. The present report focuses on residential and nonresidential systems installed through year-end 2014, with preliminary trends for the first half of 2015. As noted in the text box below, this year’s report incorporates a number of important changes and enhancements. Among those changes, this year's report focuses solely on residential and nonresidential PV systems; data on utility-scale PV are reported in LBNL’s companion Utility-Scale Solar report series. Installed pricing trends presented within this report derive primarily from project-level data reported to state agencies and utilities that administer PV incentive programs, solar renewable energy credit (SREC) registration systems, or interconnection processes. In total, data were collected for roughly 400,000 individual PV systems, representing 81% of all U.S. residential and non-residential PV capacity installed through 2014 and 62% of capacity installed in 2014, though a smaller subset of this data were used in analysis.

Comparative economic analysis of supporting policies for residential solar PV in the United States: Solar Renewable Energy Credit (SREC) potential

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Burns, John Edward; Kang, Jin-Su

2012-01-01

Numerous studies and market reports suggest that the solar photovoltaic markets rely heavily, if not entirely, upon governmental support policies at present. Unlike in other countries where these policies are enacted at a national level, the 50 states in the US pursue different policies in an attempt to foster the growth of renewable energy, and specifically solar photovoltaics. This paper provides an economic and financial analysis of the US federal and state level policies in states with solar-targeted policies that have markets. After putting a value on SRECs, this study further compares solar carve-outs with other incentives including the federal tax credit, net metering, and state personal tax credits. Our findings show that SREC markets can certainly be strong, with New Jersey, Delaware, and Massachusetts having the most potential. Despite their strong potential as effective renewable policies, the lack of a guaranteed minimum and the uncertainty attached are major drawbacks of SREC markets. However, the leveraging of this high value offers hope that the policies will indeed stimulate residential solar photovoltaic markets. - Highlights: ► We measure solar support incentives in eight US states with set-asides that include SREC policies. ► Compare each financial incentive using DCF, NPV, IRR, and Present Value/Watt-capacity. ► Most US SREC markets have strong potential to stimulate solar photovoltaics. ► SREC success requires price floors to alleviate uncertainty issues. ► Private financial entities can leverage SRECs to provide necessary price floors.

External perforated Solar Screens for daylighting in residential desert buildings: Identification of minimum perforation percentages

KAUST Repository

Sherif, Ahmed

2012-06-01

The desert climate is endowed by clear sky conditions, providing an excellent opportunity for optimum utilization of natural light in daylighting building indoor spaces. However, the sunny conditions of the desert skies, in countries like Egypt and Saudi Arabia, result in the admittance of direct solar radiation, which leads to thermal discomfort and the incidence of undesired glare. One type of shading systems that is used to permit daylight while controlling solar penetration is " Solar Screens" Very little research work addressed different design aspects of external Solar Screens and their influence on daylighting performance, especially in desert conditions, although these screens proved their effectiveness in controlling solar radiation in traditional buildings throughout history.This paper reports on the outcomes of an investigation that studied the influence of perforation percentage of Solar Screens on daylighting performance in a typical residential living room of a building in a desert location. The objective was to identify minimum perforation percentage of screen openings that provides adequate illuminance levels in design-specific cases and all-year-round.Research work was divided into three stages. Stage one focused on the analysis of daylighting illuminance levels in specific dates and times, while the second stage was built on the results of the first stage, and addressed year round performance using Dynamic Daylight Performance Metrics (DDPMs). The third stage addressed the possibility of incidence of glare in specific cases where illuminance levels where found very high in some specific points during the analysis of first stage. The research examined the daylighting performance in an indoor space with a number of assumed fixed experimentation parameters that were chosen to represent the principal features of a typical residential living room located in a desert environment setting.Stage one experiments demonstrated that the screens fulfilled the

Solar based water treatment technologies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ahmad, I.; Hyder, M.J.

2000-01-01

In developing countries, the quality of drinking water is so poor that reports of 80% diseases from water-related causes is no surprise (Tebbet, 90). Frequently, there are reports in press of outbreak of epidemics in cities due to the unhygienic drinking-water. The state of affairs in the rural areas can be well imagined, where majority of the people live with no piped water. This paper describes the solar-based methods of removing organic pollutants from waste-water (also called Advanced Oxidation Technologies) and solar desalination. Experimental results of a simple solar water-sterilization technique have been discussed, along with suggestions to enhance the performance of this technique. (author)

Solar thermal market in Taiwan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chang, Keh-Chin; Lin, Wei-Min; Chung, Kung-Ming

2013-01-01

The long-duration of national programs has been the driving force behind the expansion of the local market of solar water heaters (SWHs) in Taiwan in the last two decades. This study examines the potential market for SWHs using the statistical data from end users and the 2010 Population and Housing Census. The current effective utilization rate of residential SWHs in terms of potential number of systems installed is estimated to be 11.8%. The analyses also show that the current national subsidy program has recently lost its momentum in expanding the market. Therefore, regional subsidy programs should become the main force in influencing the growth in sales. In addition, SWHs of larger scale would be particularly effective in industries. To promote such applications, a combination of performance-based and direct subsidy schemes or tax deductions can be offered to end users to promote the applications of SWHs in the commercial sector. Solar-assisted cooling systems are considered to be another potential application of solar energy, which is associated with energy saving and power consumption in commercial and residential buildings. A short review of the R and D activities is also given in this paper. - Highlights: ► Regional subsidy programs will be the main force in influencing the growth in sales. ► A revised program is needed to promote solar water heaters for industry applications. ► Solar-assisted cooling systems are potential applications of solar energy in Taiwan

Have Chinese water pricing reforms reduced urban residential water demand?

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, B.; Fang, K. H.; Baerenklau, K. A.

2017-06-01

China continues to deal with severe levels of water scarcity and water pollution. To help address this situation, the Chinese central government initiated urban water pricing reforms in 2002 that emphasized the adoption of increasing block rate (IBR) price structures in place of existing uniform rate structures. By combining urban water use records with microlevel data from the Chinese Urban Household Survey, this research investigates the effectiveness of this national policy reform. Specifically, we compare household water consumption in 28 cities that adopted IBR pricing structures during 2002-2009, with that of 110 cities that had not yet done so. Based on difference-in-differences models, our results show that the policy reform reduced annual residential water demand by 3-4% in the short run and 5% in the longer run. These relatively modest reductions are consistent with the generous nature of the IBR pricing structures that Chinese cities have typically chosen to implement. Our results imply that more efforts are needed to address China's persistent urban water scarcity challenges.

Solar district heating and seasonal heat storage - state of the art; Solare Nahwaerme und Saisonale Waermespeicherung - Stand der Technik

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pfeil, M.; Hahne, E. [Zentrum fuer Sonnenenergie- und Wasserstoff-Forschung Baden-Wuerttemberg (ZSW), Stuttgart (Germany). Geschaeftsbereich Solarthermische Energietechnik; Lottner, V. [BEO Biologie, Energie Oekologie, Juelich (Germany); Schulz, M. [Stuttgart Univ. (Germany). Inst. fuer Thermodynamik und Waermetechnik

1998-02-01

Solar energy technology becomes more and more important for space and water heating of residential buildings. Compared to small systems for single-family houses, the specific investment cost of big solar plants is lower and a higher contribution of solar energy can be achieved. In central solar heating plants with seasonal storage (CSHPSS), more than 50% of the total heat demand of residential areas can be covered by solar energy. The first pilot plants for CSHPSS are operating in Germany since 1996. The first results of the accompanying monitoring program show good agreement between calculated and actual solar contribution. (orig.) [Deutsch] Die Nutzung solarer Niedertemperaturwaerme zur Brauchwassererwaermung und zur Beheizung von Wohngebaeuden erfaehrt in Deutschland ein immer groesseres Interesse. Solare Grossanlagen haben gegenueber solaren Kleinanlagen den Vorteil, dass mit geringeren Investitions- und Waermekosten groessere Anlagenertraege erzielt werden koennen. In Verbindung mit saisonaler Waermespeicherung erreichen solare Grossanlagen Deckungsanteile von 50% und darueber am Gesamtwaermebedarf von Wohnsiedlungen. Die ersten Pilotanlagen zur solaren Nahwaerme mit saisonalem Waermespeicher gingen 1996 in Betrieb und werden derzeit detailliert vermessen. Erste Ergebnisse zeigen, dass die vorausberechneten Werte fuer den Jahresenergieertrag erreicht werden koennen. (orig.)

The role and benefits of solar water heating in the energy demands of low-income dwellings in Brazil

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Naspolini, H.F.; Militao, H.S.G.; Ruether, R.

2010-01-01

In Brazil the widespread use of electrical showerheads for providing hot water for domestic consumption contributes to a load curve that peaks in the early evening, imposing a considerable burden to generation, transmission, and distribution utilities. On average, over 73% of Brazilian households use these 3-8 kW electrical resistance showerheads. In some of the more temperate climate regions in the south of the country, where most of the Brazilian population is concentrated, electrical showers are present in over 90% of residential buildings. For the residential consumer, while these high-power heating devices are the least-cost investment alternative, they lead to high running energy costs. Furthermore, due to their very low load factor (typically below 2%), each of these high-power showerheads results in considerably low return on the high investment costs in terms of infrastructure for the electricity sector. Particularly in low-income dwellings, electrical showerheads represent by far the highest electrical loads, resulting in a considerable component in the monthly energy bill. On the other hand, Brazil is one of the sunniest countries in the world, and solar water heating technologies have demonstrated large financial benefits and short payback times. Due to their comparatively higher initial investment costs, however, domestic solar water heaters are used mostly in higher income residences. In this work we present the potential of a low-cost version of the typical domestic solar water heating system for low-income dwellings, where the electrical resistance, which is normally installed inside the hot water tank, is replaced by a variable power electrical showerhead. This design avoids the use of electrical power as auxiliary heating for the whole of the boiler volume, since only the water which passes through the showerhead might be heated by the electrical resistance. This system configuration is a commercially available low-cost solar water heater option

Residential Water Scarcity in Cyprus: Impact of Climate Change and Policy Options

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Theodoros Zachariadis

2010-10-01

Full Text Available This paper presents an assessment of the cost of water scarcity in Cyprus, today and in the next 20 years, taking into account the effect of projected climate change in the region. It focuses on the residential sector, accounting also for tourism and industry. Using a simple demand function, total scarcity costs in Cyprus are computed for the period 2010–2030, and three scenarios of future water demand are presented. The central estimate shows that the present value of total costs due to water shortages will amount to 72 million Euros (at 2009 prices, and, if future water demand increases a little faster, these costs may reach 200 million Euros. Using forecasts of regional climate models, costs are found to be about 20% higher in a “climate change” scenario. Compared to the loss of consumer surplus due to water shortages, desalination is found to be a costly solution, even if environmental damage costs from the operation of desalination plants are not accounted for. Finally, dynamic constrained optimization is employed and shows that efficient residential water prices should include a scarcity price of about 40 Eurocents per cubic meter at  2009 prices; this would constitute a 30–100% increase in current prices faced by residential consumers. Reductions in rainfall due to climate change would raise this price by another 2-3 Eurocents. Such a pricing policy would provide a clear long-term signal to consumers and firms and could substantially contribute to a sustainable use of water resources in the island.

Molded polymer solar water heater

Science.gov (United States)

Bourne, Richard C.; Lee, Brian E.

2004-11-09

A solar water heater has a rotationally-molded water box and a glazing subassembly disposed over the water box that enhances solar gain and provides an insulating air space between the outside environment and the water box. When used with a pressurized water system, an internal heat exchanger is integrally molded within the water box. Mounting and connection hardware is included to provide a rapid and secure method of installation.

Residential Solar PV Planning in Santiago, Chile: Incorporating the PM10 Parameter

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gustavo Cáceres

2014-12-01

Full Text Available This paper addresses an economic study of the installation of photovoltaic (PV solar panels for residential power generation in Santiago, Chile, based on the different parameters of a PV system, such as efficiency. As a performance indicator, the Levelized Cost of Energy (LCOE was used, which indicates the benefit of the facility vs. the current cost of electrical energy. In addition, due to a high level of airborne dusts typically associated with PM10, the effect of the dust deposition on PV panels’ surfaces and the effect on panel performance are examined. Two different scenarios are analyzed: on-grid PV plants and off-grid PV plants.

Field Measurement and Evaluation of the Passive and Active Solar Heating Systems for Residential Building Based on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau Case

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zhijian Liu

2017-10-01

Full Text Available Passive and active solar heating systems have drawn much attention and are widely used in residence buildings in the Qinghai-Tibetan plateau due to its high radiation intensity. In fact, there is still lack of quantitative evaluation of the passive and active heating effect, especially for residential building in the Qinghai-Tibetan plateau areas. In this study, three kinds of heating strategies, including reference condition, passive solar heating condition and active solar heating condition, were tested in one demonstration residential building. The hourly air temperatures of each room under different conditions were obtained and analyzed. The results show the indoor air temperature in the living room and bedrooms (core zones was much higher than that of other rooms under both passive and active solar heating conditions. In addition, the heating effect with different strategies for core zones of the building was evaluated by the ratio of indoor and outdoor degree hour, which indicates that solar heating could effectively reduce the traditional energy consumption and improve the indoor thermal environment. The passive solar heating could undertake 49.8% degree hours for heating under an evaluation criterion of 14 °C and the active solar heating could undertake 75% degree hours for heating under evaluation criterion of 18 °C, which indicated that solar heating could effectively reduce the traditional energy consumption and improve the indoor thermal environment in this area. These findings could provide reference for the design and application of solar heating in similar climate areas.

A Non-Modeling Exploration of Residential Solar Photovoltaic (PV) Adoption and Non-Adoption

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Moezzi, Mithra [Portland State Univ., Portland, OR (United States); Ingle, Aaron [Portland State Univ., Portland, OR (United States); Lutzenhiser, Loren [Portland State Univ., Portland, OR (United States); Sigrin, Benjamin O. [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)

2017-09-01

Although U.S. deployment of residential rooftop solar photovoltaic (PV) systems has accelerated in recent years, PV is still installed on less than 1 percent of single-family homes. Most research on household PV adoption focuses on scaling initial markets and modeling predicted growth rather than considering more broadly why adoption occurs. Among the studies that have investigated the characteristics of PV adoption, most collected data from adopters, sometimes with additional non-adopter data, and rarely from people who considered but did not adopt PV. Yet the vast majority of Americans are non-adopters, and they are a diverse group - understanding their ways of evaluating PV adoption is important. Similarly, PV is a unique consumer product, which makes it difficult to apply findings from studies of other technologies to PV. In addition, little research addresses the experience of households after they install PV. This report helps fill some of these gaps in the existing literature. The results inform a more detailed understanding of residential PV adoption, while helping ensure that adoption is sufficiently beneficial to adopters and even non-adopters.

Using Residential Solar PV Quote Data to Analyze the Relationship Between Installer Pricing and Firm Size

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

O' Shaughnessy, Eric [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Margolis, Robert [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)

2017-04-01

The vast majority of U.S. residential solar PV installers are small local-scale companies, however the industry is relatively concentrated in a few large national-scale installers. We develop a novel approach using solar PV quote data to study the price behavior of large solar PV installers in the United States. Through a paired differences approach, we find that large installer quotes are about higher, on average, than non-large installer quotes made to the same customer. The difference is statistically significant and robust after controlling for factors such as system size, equipment quality, and time effects. The results suggest that low prices are not the primary value proposition of large installer systems. We explore several hypotheses for this finding, including that large installers are able to exercise some market power and/or earn returns from reputations.

Using Residential Solar PV Quote Data to Analyze the Relationship Between Installer Pricing and Firm Size

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

O' Shaughnessy, Eric [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Margolis, Robert [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)

2017-05-19

We use residential solar photovoltaic (PV) quote data to study the role of firm size in PV installer pricing. We find that large installers (those that installed more than 1,000 PV systems in any year from 2013 to 2015) quote higher prices for customer-owned systems, on average, than do other installers. The results suggest that low prices are not the primary value proposition of large installers.

Residential Energy Performance Metrics

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Christopher Wright

2010-06-01

Full Text Available Techniques for residential energy monitoring are an emerging field that is currently drawing significant attention. This paper is a description of the current efforts to monitor and compare the performance of three solar powered homes built at Missouri University of Science and Technology. The homes are outfitted with an array of sensors and a data logger system to measure and record electricity production, system energy use, internal home temperature and humidity, hot water production, and exterior ambient conditions the houses are experiencing. Data is being collected to measure the performance of the houses, compare to energy modeling programs, design and develop cost effective sensor systems for energy monitoring, and produce a cost effective home control system.

Intracellular mechanisms of solar water disinfection

Science.gov (United States)

Castro-Alférez, María; Polo-López, María Inmaculada; Fernández-Ibáñez, Pilar

2016-12-01

Solar water disinfection (SODIS) is a zero-cost intervention measure to disinfect drinking water in areas of poor access to improved water sources, used by more than 6 million people in the world. The bactericidal action of solar radiation in water has been widely proven, nevertheless the causes for this remain still unclear. Scientific literature points out that generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) inside microorganisms promoted by solar light absorption is the main reason. For the first time, this work reports on the experimental measurement of accumulated intracellular ROS in E. coli during solar irradiation. For this experimental achievement, a modified protocol based on the fluorescent probe dichlorodihydrofluorescein diacetate (DCFH-DA), widely used for oxidative stress in eukaryotic cells, has been tested and validated for E. coli. Our results demonstrate that ROS and their accumulated oxidative damages at intracellular level are key in solar water disinfection.

The blue water footprint of the world's artificial reservoirs for hydroelectricity, irrigation, residential and industrial water supply, flood protection, fishing and recreation

Science.gov (United States)

Hogeboom, Rick J.; Knook, Luuk; Hoekstra, Arjen Y.

2018-03-01

For centuries, humans have resorted to building dams to gain control over freshwater available for human consumption. Although dams and their reservoirs have made many important contributions to human development, they receive negative attention as well, because of the large amounts of water they can consume through evaporation. We estimate the blue water footprint of the world's artificial reservoirs and attribute it to the purposes hydroelectricity generation, irrigation water supply, residential and industrial water supply, flood protection, fishing and recreation, based on their economic value. We estimate that economic benefits from 2235 reservoirs included in this study amount to 265 × 109 US a year, with residential and industrial water supply and hydroelectricity generation as major contributors. The water footprint associated with these benefits is the sum of the water footprint of dam construction (<1% contribution) and evaporation from the reservoir's surface area, and globally adds up to 66 × 109 m3 y-1. The largest share of this water footprint (57%) is located in non-water scarce basins and only 1% in year-round scarce basins. The primary purposes of a reservoir change with increasing water scarcity, from mainly hydroelectricity generation in non-scarce basins, to residential and industrial water supply, irrigation water supply and flood control in scarcer areas.

Modeling of Residential Water Demand Using Random Effect Model,Case Study: Arak City

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Seyed Hossein Sajadifar

2011-10-01

Full Text Available The present study tries to apply the “Partial Adjustment Model” and “Random Effect Model” techniques to the Stone-Greay’s linear expenditure system, in order to estimate the "Residential Seasonal Demand" for water in Arak city. Per capita water consumption of family residences is regressed on marginal price, per capita income, price of other goods, average temperature and average rainfall. Panel data approaches based on a sample of 152 observations from Arak city referred to 1993-2003. From the estimation of the Elasticity-price of the residential water demand, we want to know how a policy of responsive pricing can lead to more efficient household water consumption inArakcity. Results also indicated that summer price elasticity was twice the winter and price and income elasticity was less than 1 in all cases.

Water decontamination by solar photocatalysis. Descontaminacion de aguas residuales mediante fotocatalisis solar

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Blanco Galvez, J; Malato Rodriguez, S

1993-01-01

A solar photocatalytic system is being developed at the Plataforma Solar de Almeria to destroy organic contaminants in water. Test with common water contaminants were conducted at the Solar Detoxification Loop with real sunlight and large quantities of water flowing through glass tubes were the solar UV light is concentrated. Experiments at this scale provide verification of laboratory studies and allow the design and operation of real preindustrial detoxification systems. (Author)

Performance Monitoring of Residential Hot Water Distribution Systems

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Liao, Anna; Lanzisera, Steven; Lutz, Jim; Fitting, Christian; Kloss, Margarita; Stiles, Christopher

2014-08-11

Current water distribution systems are designed such that users need to run the water for some time to achieve the desired temperature, wasting energy and water in the process. We developed a wireless sensor network for large-scale, long time-series monitoring of residential water end use. Our system consists of flow meters connected to wireless motes transmitting data to a central manager mote, which in turn posts data to our server via the internet. This project also demonstrates a reliable and flexible data collection system that could be configured for various other forms of end use metering in buildings. The purpose of this study was to determine water and energy use and waste in hot water distribution systems in California residences. We installed meters at every end use point and the water heater in 20 homes and collected 1s flow and temperature data over an 8 month period. For a typical shower and dishwasher events, approximately half the energy is wasted. This relatively low efficiency highlights the importance of further examining the energy and water waste in hot water distribution systems.

HEAT LOSS FROM HOT WATER SUPPLY LINE IN A RESIDENTIAL BUILDING

OpenAIRE

近藤, 修平; 鉾井, 修一

2011-01-01

In order to the evaluate heat loss from hot water supply lines in a residential building, hot water demand in a house in Chiba prefecture was measured and analyzed. The following results were obtained. 1. The heat loss of the hot water supply line was about 132kJ for the shower and 110kJ for the bathtub in winter. Since the temperature difference between the inlet and outlet of the hot water supply line is small, the measured heat loss from the hot water supply line sometimes becomes negative...

Tracking the Sun IX: The Installed Price of Residential and Non-Residential Photovoltaic Systems in the United States

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Barbose, Galen [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States). Energy Technologies Area; Darghouth, Naïm [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States). Energy Technologies Area; Millstein, Dev [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Cates, Sarah [Exeter Associates, Columbia, MD (United States); DiSanti, Nicholas [Exeter Associates, Columbia, MD (United States); Widiss, Rebecca [Exeter Associates, Columbia, MD (United States)

2016-08-16

Now in its ninth edition, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL)’s Tracking the Sun report series is dedicated to summarizing trends in the installed price of grid-connected solar photovoltaic (PV) systems in the United States. The present report focuses on residential and non-residential systems installed through year-end 2015, with preliminary trends for the first half of 2016. An accompanying LBNL report, Utility-Scale Solar, addresses trends in the utility-scale sector. This year’s report incorporates a number of important changes and enhancements from prior editions. Among those changes, LBNL has made available a public data file containing all non-confidential project-level data underlying the analysis in this report. Installed pricing trends presented within this report derive primarily from project-level data reported to state agencies and utilities that administer PV incentive programs, solar renewable energy credit (SREC) registration systems, or interconnection processes. Refer to the text box to the right for several key notes about these data. In total, data were collected and cleaned for more than 820,000 individual PV systems, representing 85% of U.S. residential and non-residential PV systems installed cumulatively through 2015 and 82% of systems installed in 2015. The analysis in this report is based on a subset of this sample, consisting of roughly 450,000 systems with available installed price data.

Applying water cooled air conditioners in residential buildings in Hong Kong

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen Hua; Lee, W.L.; Yik, F.W.H.

2008-01-01

The objective of this study is to conduct a realistic prediction of the potential energy saving for using water cooled air conditioners in residential buildings in Hong Kong. A split type air conditioner with air cooled (AAC) and water cooled (WAC) options was set up for experimental study at different indoor and outdoor conditions. The cooling output, power consumption and coefficient of performance (COP) of the two options were measured and calculated for comparison. The experimental results showed that the COP of the WAC is, on average, 17.4% higher than that of the AAC. The results were used to validate the mathematical models formulated for predicting the performance of WACs and AACs at different operating conditions and load characteristics. While the development of the mathematical models for WACs was reported in an earlier paper, this paper focuses on the experimental works for the AAC. The mathematical models were further used to predict the potential energy saving for application of WACs in residential buildings in Hong Kong. The predictions were based on actual building developments and realistic operating characteristics. The overall energy savings were estimated to be around 8.7% of the total electricity consumption for residential buildings in Hong Kong. Wider use of WACs in subtropical cities is, therefore, recommended

Building America Case Study: Side-by-Side Testing of Water Heating Systems: Results from 2013-2014 Evaluation Final Report, Cocoa, FL

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rothgeb, Stacey K [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Colon, C. [BA-PIRC; Martin, E. [BA-PIRC

2017-08-24

The Florida Solar Energy Center (FSEC) has completed a fourth year-long evaluation on residential hot water heating systems in a laboratory environment (east central Florida, hot-humid climate). This report contains a summary of research activities regarding the evaluation of two residential electric heat pump water heaters (HPWHs), a solar thermal system utilizing a polymer glazed absorber and a high efficiency natural gas system.

Building America Case Study: Side-by-Side Testing of Water Heating Systems: Results from the 2013–2014 Evaluation Final Report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

C. Colon and E. Martin

2017-08-24

The Florida Solar Energy Center (FSEC) has completed a fourth year-long evaluation on residential hot water heating systems in a laboratory environment (east central Florida, hot-humid climate). This report contains a summary of research activities regarding the evaluation of two residential electric heat pump water heaters (HPWHs), a solar thermal system utilizing a polymer glazed absorber and a high efficiency natural gas system.

BC SEA Solar Hot Water Acceleration project

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Harris, N.C. [BC Sustainable Energy Association, Victoria, BC (Canada)

2005-07-01

Although solar hot water heating is an environmentally responsible technology that reduces fossil fuel consumption and helps mitigate global climate change, there are many barriers to its widespread use. Each year, domestic water heating contributes nearly 6 million tonnes of carbon dioxide towards Canada's greenhouse gas emissions. The installation of solar water heaters can eliminate up to 2 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions per household. The BC SEA Solar Hot Water Acceleration project was launched in an effort to demonstrate that the technology has the potential to be widely used in homes and businesses across British Columbia. One of the main barriers to the widespread use of solar hot water heating is the initial cost of the system. Lack of public awareness and understanding of the technology are other barriers. However, other jurisdictions around the world have demonstrated that the use of renewables are the product of conscious policy decisions, including low-cost financing and other subsidies that have created demand for these technologies. To this end, the BC SEA Solar Hot Water Acceleration project will test the potential for the rapid acceleration of solar water heating in pilot communities where barriers are removed. The objective of the project is to install 100 solar water systems in homes and 25 in businesses and institutions in communities in British Columbia by July 2007. The project will explore the financial barriers to the installation of solar hot water systems and produce an action plan to reduce these barriers. In addition to leading by example, the project will help the solar energy marketplace, mitigate climate change and improve energy efficiency.

Installation guidelines for Solar Heating System, single-family residence at New Castle, Pennsylvania

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1980-01-01

The Solar Heating System installer guidelines are provided for each subsystem and includes testing and filling the system. This single-family residential heating system is a solar-assisted, hydronic-to-warm-air system with solar-assisted domestic water heating. It is composed of the following major components: liquid cooled flat plate collectors; water storage tank; passive solar-fired domestic water preheater; electric hot water heater; heat pump with electric backup; solar hot water coil unit; tube-and-shell heat exchanger, three pumps, and associated pipes and valving in an energy transport module; control system; and air-cooled heat purge unit. Information is also provided on the operating procedures, controls, caution requirements, and routine and schedule maintenance. Information consists of written procedures, schematics, detail drawings, pictures and manufacturer's component data.

'Solurban' project - Solar utilisation potential of urban sites

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Robinson, D.; Scartezzini, J.-L.; Montavon, M. [Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL), Laboratoire d' Energie Solaire et de Physique du Batiment (LESO-PB), Lausanne (Switzerland); Compagnon, R. [Ecole d' ingenieurs et d' architectes de Fribourg (EIAF), University of Applied Sciences of Western Switzerland (HES-SO), Fribourg (Switzerland)

2005-07-01

This report for the Swiss Federal Office of Energy (SFOE) presents the results of a project that examined three urban locations in Switzerland with respect to their potentials for using solar energy and daylight to reduce energy demands in the lighting, heating and hot-water generation areas. The three urban areas examined included the Matthaeus district in Basle with its older residential apartment buildings, the Bellevaux residential district of Lausanne and the Meyrin district in Geneva - a nineteen-sixties satellite town. The calculation methodology and the three-dimensional digital models used are discussed. The results, including radiation availability and sky-access are discussed. Appropriate active and passive solar technologies are reviewed.

Huge opportunity for solar cooling

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rowe, Daniel

2014-01-01

In Europe more than 400 solar cooling systems have been installed. By contrast, only a small number of solar cooling installations exist in Australia - primarily adsorption and absorption systems for commercial and hospitals - although these systems are growing. As with other renewable energy technologies, cost is a challenge. However solar cooling is currently competitive with other technologies, with some suggesting that system costs have been decreasing by about 20% per annum in recent times. Australia is also leading efforts in the development of residential solar desiccant technology, currently commercialising Australian-developed technology. Commercial and industrial enterprises are increasingly aware of the impact of demand charges, the potential to install technology as a hedge against future energy price rises and opportunities associated with increased on-site generation and reduced reliance on the grid, often necessitating on-site demand reduction and management. They are also driven by environmental and corporate social responsibility objectives as well as the opportunity for energy independence and uninterruptible operation. Interestingly, many of these interests are mirrdred at residential level, inspiring CSIRO's commercialisation of a domestic scale solar air conditioner with Australian manufacturer Brevis Climate Systems. Australia and other countries are increasingly aware of solar cooling as technology which can reduce or replace grid-powered cooling, particularly in applications where large building thermal energy requirements exist. In these applications, heating, cooling and hot water are generated and used in large amounts and the relative amounts of each can be varied dynamically, depending on building requirements. Recent demonstrations of solar cooling technology in Australia include Hunter TAFE's Solar Desiccant Cooling System - which provides heating, cooling and hot water to commercial training kitchens and classrooms - GPT

Case study: Fixture water use and drinking water quality in a new residential green building.

Science.gov (United States)

Salehi, Maryam; Abouali, Mohammad; Wang, Mian; Zhou, Zhi; Nejadhashemi, Amir Pouyan; Mitchell, Jade; Caskey, Stephen; Whelton, Andrew J

2018-03-01

Residential plumbing is critical for the health and safety of populations worldwide. A case study was conducted to understand fixture water use, drinking water quality and their possible link, in a newly plumbed residential green building. Water use and water quality were monitored at four in-building locations from September 2015 through December 2015. Once the home was fully inhabited average water stagnation periods were shortest at the 2nd floor hot fixture (90 percentile of 0.6-1.2 h). The maximum water stagnation time was 72.0 h. Bacteria and organic carbon levels increased inside the plumbing system compared to the municipal tap water entering the building. A greater amount of bacteria was detected in hot water samples (6-74,002 gene copy number/mL) compared to cold water (2-597 gene copy number/mL). This suggested that hot water plumbing promoted greater microbial growth. The basement fixture brass needle valve may have caused maximum Zn (5.9 mg/L), Fe (4.1 mg/L), and Pb (23 μg/L) levels compared to other fixture water samples (Zn ≤ 2.1 mg/L, Fe ≤ 0.5 mg/L and Pb ≤ 8 μg/L). At the basement fixture, where the least amount of water use events occurred (cold: 60-105, hot: 21-69 event/month) compared to the other fixtures in the building (cold: 145-856, hot: 326-2230 event/month), greater organic carbon, bacteria, and heavy metal levels were detected. Different fixture use patterns resulted in disparate water quality within a single-family home. The greatest drinking water quality changes were detected at the least frequently used fixture. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Solar water lifter

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Khandurdyyev, A; Daykhanov, S; Itayev, K I; Kurbanov, N

1982-01-01

A water lifter is described which contains a diaphram pump with working cavity and inlet and outlet valves and solar energy collector filled with easily boiling fluid. In order to improve the degree of use of the solar energy and output, the water lifter additionally contains a bellows arranged in the working cavity of the pump and connected to it and the collector, and a cylinder made of magnetic-soft material with a magnetic valve arranged in it with a rod connected to the bellows, a seat for the valve on the upper end and contact plate interacting with the valve in its lower position.

Solar Water-Heater Design and Installation

Science.gov (United States)

Harlamert, P.; Kennard, J.; Ciriunas, J.

1982-01-01

Solar/Water heater system works as follows: Solar--heated air is pumped from collectors through rock bin from top to bottom. Air handler circulates heated air through an air-to-water heat exchanger, which transfers heat to incoming well water. In one application, it may reduce oil use by 40 percent.

The impact of city-level permitting processes on residential photovoltaic installation prices and development times: An empirical analysis of solar systems in California cities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dong, Changgui; Wiser, Ryan

2013-01-01

With “soft” costs accounting for well over 50% of the installed price of residential photovoltaic (PV) systems in the United States, this study evaluates the effect of city-level permitting processes on the installed price of residential PV systems and on the time required to develop those systems. The study uses a unique dataset from the U.S. Department of Energy's Rooftop Solar Challenge Program, which includes city-level permitting process “scores,” plus data from the California Solar Initiative and the U.S. Census. Econometric methods are used to quantify the price and development-time effects of city-level permitting processes on more than 3000 PV installations across 44 California cities in 2011. Results suggest that cities with the most favorable permitting practices can reduce average residential PV prices by $0.27–$0.77/W (4–12% of median PV prices in California) compared with cities with the most onerous permitting practices, depending on the regression model used. Though the empirical models for development times are less robust, results suggest that the most streamlined permitting practices may shorten development times by around 24 days on average (25% of the median development time). These findings illustrate the potential price and development-time benefits of streamlining local permitting procedures for PV systems. - Highlights: • The study uses a unique dataset from the U.S. DOE's Rooftop Solar Challenge Program. • We quantify the price and development-time effects of city-level permitting processes. • Most favorable permitting practices can reduce average residential PV prices by $0.27–$0.77/W

Outlook for solar water heaters in Taiwan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chang, Keh-Chin; Lee, Tsong-Sheng; Chung, Kung-Ming; Lin, Wei-Min

2008-01-01

The share of indigenous energy supply continuously decreases over the last two decades in Taiwan. The development and use of renewable energy sources and technologies are becoming vital for the management of energy supply and demand. For promotion of solar water heaters, the incentive programs were firstly initiated in the period of 1986-1991 and re-initiated from 2000 to the present. These programs create an economic incentive for the end users and have a drastic effect on the popularization of solar water heaters. To further promote solar water heaters during the current incentive program period, several key factors are addressed. In addition to the cost of solar water heaters and energy price index, the potential market of solar water heaters in Taiwan is associated with the climatic conditions, population structure, urbanization, building type of housing and status of new construction. (author)

Outlook for solar water heaters in Taiwan

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chang, Keh-Chin [Department of Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering, National Cheng Kung University, Kueijen, Tainan, Taiwan 711 (China); Lee, Tsong-Sheng; Chung, Kung-Ming [Aerospace Science and Technology Research Center, National Cheng Kung University, Kueijen, Tainan, Taiwan 711 (China); Lin, Wei-Min [Tainan University of Technology (China)

2008-01-15

The share of indigenous energy supply continuously decreases over the last two decades in Taiwan. The development and use of renewable energy sources and technologies are becoming vital for the management of energy supply and demand. For promotion of solar water heaters, the incentive programs were firstly initiated in the period of 1986-1991 and re-initiated from 2000 to the present. These programs create an economic incentive for the end users and have a drastic effect on the popularization of solar water heaters. To further promote solar water heaters during the current incentive program period, several key factors are addressed. In addition to the cost of solar water heaters and energy price index, the potential market of solar water heaters in Taiwan is associated with the climatic conditions, population structure, urbanization, building type of housing and status of new construction. (author)

SOLAR ENERGY AND ITS APPLICATIONS IN NIGERIA: Short ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

... make to our lives and economy, most especially during this time of erratic power supply by the National Electric Power Authority (NEPA). Some of the applications of solar energy in Nigeria are in Village electrification, residential / commercial building, water pumping and purification, agricultural utilization, heating sources, ...

Potential use of solar water heating systems in residential areas of the city of Piracicaba; Potencial da utilizacao de coletores solares no aquecimento de agua residencial na cidade de Piracicaba

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Oliveira, Rafel Deleo e; Vieira Junior, Jose Carlos de Melo [Universidade de Sao Paulo (EESC/USP), Sao Carlos, SP (Brazil). Escola de Engenharia], Emails: rafael.deleo.oliveira@usp.br, jcarlos@sc.usp.br

2010-10-15

Solar collector is a device that uses solar energy for heating fluid (both liquid and gaseous) which can then be used to generate energy. This study is based on the method of calculating the global solar radiation incident on the inclined plane using data from the city of Piracicaba, state of Sao Paulo. As a result of the study it can be seen that for the city of Piracicaba the collecting area of 4.62 M{sup 2} presents solar fraction varying between 87.27% and 97.79% for heating 300 liters of water and 200 liters of water daily, respectively. Based on the results one can conclude that the savings would be about 47.74 GWh, if a collection area of 360 thousand m{sup 2} (0.36 km{sup 2}) were fully exploited, which represents savings of approximately R$ 15.86 million per year for the municipality. (author)

Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Technologies in Residential Building Codes: June 15, 1998 to September 15, 1998

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wortman, D.; Echo-Hawk, L.

2005-02-01

This report is an attempt to describe the building code requirements and impediments to the application of EE and RE technologies in residential buildings. Several modern model building codes were reviewed. These are representative of the codes that will be adopted by most locations in the coming years. The codes reviewed for this report include: International Residential Code, First Draft, April 1998; International Energy Conservation Code, 1998; International Mechanical Code, 1998; International Plumbing Code, 1997; International Fuel Gas Code, 1997; National Electrical Code, 1996. These codes were reviewed as to their application to (1) PV systems in buildings and building-integrated PV systems and (2) active solar domestic hot water and space-heating systems. A discussion of general code issues that impact these technologies is also included. Examples of this are solar access and sustainability.

Performance evaluation of an integrated solar water heater as an option for building energy conservation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dharuman, C.; Arakeri, J.H.; Srinivasan, K. [Indian Inst. of Science, Bangalaore (India). Dept. of Mechanical Engineering

2006-03-15

Since a majority of residential and industrial building hot water needs are around 50 {sup o}C, an integrated solar water heater could provide a bulk source that blends collection and storage into one unit. This paper describes the design, construction and performance test results of one such water-heating device. The test unit has an absorber area of 1.3 m{sup 2} and can hold 170 l of water, of which extractable volume per day is 100 l. Its performance was evaluated under various typical operating conditions. Every morning at about 7:00 a.m., 100 l of hot water were drawn from the sump and replaced with cold water from the mains. Although, during most of the days, the peak temperatures of water obtained are between 50 and 60 {sup o}C, the next morning temperatures were lower at 45-50 {sup o}C. Daytime collection efficiencies of about 60% and overall efficiencies of about 40% were obtained. Tests were conducted with and without stratification. Night radiation losses were reduced by use of a screen insulation. (author)

Water solar distiller productivity enhancement using concentrating solar water heater and phase change material (PCM

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Miqdam T. Chaichan

2015-03-01

Full Text Available This paper investigates usage of thermal energy storage extracted from concentrating solar heater for water distillation. Paraffin wax selected as a suitable phase change material, and it was used for storing thermal energy in two different insulated treasurers. The paraffin wax is receiving hot water from concentrating solar dish. This solar energy stored in PCM as latent heat energy. Solar energy stored in a day time with a large quantity, and some heat retrieved for later use. Water’s temperature measured in a definite interval of time. Four cases were studied: using water as storage material with and without solar tracker. Also, PCM was as thermal storage material with and without solar tracker.The system working time was increased to about 5 h with sun tracker by concentrating dish and adding PCM to the system. The system concentrating efficiency, heating efficiency, and system productivity, has increased by about 64.07%, 112.87%, and 307.54%, respectively. The system working time increased to 3 h when PCM added without sun tracker. Also, the system concentrating efficiency increased by about 50.47%, and the system heating efficiency increased by about 41.63%. Moreover, the system productivity increased by about 180%.

Survey costs associated with the replacement of electric showers for solar heaters; Levantamento de custos associados a substituicao de chuveiros eletricos por aquecedores solares

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Belchior, Fernando Nunes [Universidade Federal de Itajuba (UFEI), MG (Brazil); Araujo, Jose Euripedes de

2010-07-01

This paper aims to explain the benefits of replacing electric shower for solar water heaters, and a consequent drop in peak demand for electric power generation and residential consumption in the economy. For this, will be shown the lifting of solar radiation per square meter in Brazil, studied in 250 locations, the most representative in terms of solar energy in this country. The costs presented are associated with replacement of 5 million, 10 million and 20 million electric showers. (author)

Solar Water-Heater Design Package

Science.gov (United States)

1982-01-01

Information on a solar domestic-hot water heater is contained in 146 page design package. System consists of solar collector, storage tanks, automatic control circuitry and auxiliary heater. Data-acquisition equipment at sites monitors day-by-day performance. Includes performance specifications, schematics, solar-collector drawings and drawings of control parts.

Solar Water Heating System for Biodiesel Production

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Syaifurrahman

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Nowadays, electricity become very expensive thing in some remote areas. Energy from solar panels give the solution as renewable energy that is environment friendly. West Borneo is located on the equator where the sun shines for almost 10-15 hours/day. Solar water heating system which is includes storage tank and solar collections becomes a cost-effective way to generate the energy. Solar panel heat water is delivered to water in storage tank. Hot water is used as hot fluid in biodiesel jacked reactor. The purposes of this research are to design Solar Water Heating System for Biodiesel Production and measure the rate of heat-transfer water in storage tank. This test has done for 6 days, every day from 8.30 am until 2.30 pm. Storage tank and collection are made from stainless steel and polystyrene a well-insulated. The results show that the heater can be reach at 50ºC for ±2.5 hours and the maximum temperature is 62ºC where the average of light intensity is 1280 lux.

Solar Water Heating System for Biodiesel Production

Science.gov (United States)

Syaifurrahman; Usman, A. Gani; Rinjani, Rakasiwi

2018-02-01

Nowadays, electricity become very expensive thing in some remote areas. Energy from solar panels give the solution as renewable energy that is environment friendly. West Borneo is located on the equator where the sun shines for almost 10-15 hours/day. Solar water heating system which is includes storage tank and solar collections becomes a cost-effective way to generate the energy. Solar panel heat water is delivered to water in storage tank. Hot water is used as hot fluid in biodiesel jacked reactor. The purposes of this research are to design Solar Water Heating System for Biodiesel Production and measure the rate of heat-transfer water in storage tank. This test has done for 6 days, every day from 8.30 am until 2.30 pm. Storage tank and collection are made from stainless steel and polystyrene a well-insulated. The results show that the heater can be reach at 50ºC for ±2.5 hours and the maximum temperature is 62ºC where the average of light intensity is 1280 lux.

Solar Energy Evolution and Diffusion Studies Webinars | Solar Research |

Science.gov (United States)

NREL Studies Webinars Solar Energy Evolution and Diffusion Studies Webinars These webinars . Department of Energy's Solar Energy Evolution and Diffusion Studies (SEEDS) program. SEEDS 2017-2019 Study Residential Solar July 20, 2017 Presenters: Kiran Lakkaraju, Sandia National Laboratories Yevgeniy Vorobeychik

Scenarios for solar thermal energy applications in Brazil

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Martins, F.R.; Abreu, S.L.; Pereira, E.B.

2012-01-01

The Solar and Wind Energy Resource Assessment (SWERA) database is used to prepare and discuss scenarios for solar thermal applications in Brazil. The paper discusses low temperature applications (small and large scale water heating) and solar power plants for electricity production (concentrated solar power plants and solar chimney plants) in Brazil. The results demonstrate the feasibility of large-scale application of solar energy for water heating and electricity generation in Brazil. Payback periods for water heating systems are typically below 4 years if they were used to replace residential electric showerheads in low-income families. Large-scale water heating systems also present high feasibility and many commercial companies are adopting this technology to reduce operational costs. The best sites to set up CSP plants are in the Brazilian semi-arid region where the annual energy achieves 2.2 MW h/m 2 and averages of daily solar irradiation are larger than 5.0 kW h/m 2 /day. The western area of Brazilian Northeastern region meets all technical requirements to exploit solar thermal energy for electricity generation based on solar chimney technology. Highlights: ► Scenarios for solar thermal applications are presented. ► Payback is typically below 4 years for small scale water heating systems. ► Large-scale water heating systems also present high feasibility. ► The Brazilian semi-arid region is the best sites for CSP and chimney tower plants.

Solar water heaters in China. A new day dawning

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Han, Jingyi; Mol, Arthur P.J.; Lu, Yonglong

2010-01-01

Solar thermal utilization, especially the application of solar water heater technology, has developed rapidly in China in recent decades. Manufacturing and marketing developments have been especially strong in provinces such as Zhejiang, Shandong and Jiangsu. This paper takes Zhejiang, a relatively affluent province, as a case study area to assess the performance of solar water heater utilization in China. The study will focus on institutional setting, economic and technological performance, energy performance, and environmental and social impact. Results show that China has greatly increased solar water heater utilization, which has brought China great economic, environmental and social benefits. However, China is confronted with malfeasant market competition, technical flaws in solar water heater products and social conflict concerning solar water heater installation. For further development of the solar water heater, China should clarify the compulsory installation policy and include solar water heaters into the current 'Home Appliances Going to the Countryside' project; most of the widely used vacuum tube products should be replaced by flat plate products, and the technology improvement should focus on anti-freezing and water saving; the resources of solar water heater market should be consolidated and most of the OEM manufacturers should evolve to ODM and OBM enterprises. (author)

Space Station solar water heater

Science.gov (United States)

Horan, D. C.; Somers, Richard E.; Haynes, R. D.

1990-01-01

The feasibility of directly converting solar energy for crew water heating on the Space Station Freedom (SSF) and other human-tended missions such as a geosynchronous space station, lunar base, or Mars spacecraft was investigated. Computer codes were developed to model the systems, and a proof-of-concept thermal vacuum test was conducted to evaluate system performance in an environment simulating the SSF. The results indicate that a solar water heater is feasible. It could provide up to 100 percent of the design heating load without a significant configuration change to the SSF or other missions. The solar heater system requires only 15 percent of the electricity that an all-electric system on the SSF would require. This allows a reduction in the solar array or a surplus of electricity for onboard experiments.

Basics of Solar Heating & Hot Water Systems.

Science.gov (United States)

American Inst. of Architects, Washington, DC.

In presenting the basics of solar heating and hot water systems, this publication is organized from the general to the specific. It begins by presenting functional and operational descriptions of solar heating and domestic hot water systems, outlining the basic concepts and terminology. This is followed by a description of solar energy utilization…

Thermal solar energy. Collective domestic hot water installations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Garnier, Cedric; Chauvet, Chrystele; Fourrier, Pascal

2016-01-01

This brochure, edited by ADEME, the French office for energy management and sustainable development, gives a basic outlook on the way to complete the installation of a collective domestic water solar heating system. After some recall of what is solar energy, the thermal solar technology and the energy savings it may induce, this document presents the main hydraulic configurations of a solar heating system with water storage, the dimensioning of a solar water heating system and its cost estimation, the installation and the commissioning of the system, the monitoring and maintenance operations

Performance Improvement of Solar Water Stills by Using Reflectors

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Humphrey Hamusonde Maambo

2016-09-01

Full Text Available The lack of safe and clean drinking water sources is one of the problems faced in most rural communities in Zambia. Water in these communities is mostly obtained from shallow wells and rivers. However, this water might be potentially contaminated with harmful substances such as pathogenic bacteria and therefore, unsafe for drinking. Solar water distillation represents an important alternative to palliate problems of fresh water shortages. Solar water stills can be used to eliminate harmful substances from contaminated water by treating it using free solar energy before it can be consumed. Therefore, there is a need to improve solar still performance to produce a greater quantity of safe drinking water. One possible method to improve performance is through adding reflectors to solar stills. Reflectors improve performance by increasing the quantity of distillate by about 22.3 % at a water depth of 15 mm and about 2 9% at a water depth of 10 mm when compared to the distillate produced from a still without reflectors. The water produced using solar stills with reflectors was tested and adhered to World Health Organization (WHO drinking water standards. This implies that solar distillation with reflectors could be adopted at a larger scale to produce safer drinking water at a reduced cost.

Tantalum-based semiconductors for solar water splitting.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Peng; Zhang, Jijie; Gong, Jinlong

2014-07-07

Solar energy utilization is one of the most promising solutions for the energy crises. Among all the possible means to make use of solar energy, solar water splitting is remarkable since it can accomplish the conversion of solar energy into chemical energy. The produced hydrogen is clean and sustainable which could be used in various areas. For the past decades, numerous efforts have been put into this research area with many important achievements. Improving the overall efficiency and stability of semiconductor photocatalysts are the research focuses for the solar water splitting. Tantalum-based semiconductors, including tantalum oxide, tantalate and tantalum (oxy)nitride, are among the most important photocatalysts. Tantalum oxide has the band gap energy that is suitable for the overall solar water splitting. The more negative conduction band minimum of tantalum oxide provides photogenerated electrons with higher potential for the hydrogen generation reaction. Tantalates, with tunable compositions, show high activities owning to their layered perovskite structure. (Oxy)nitrides, especially TaON and Ta3N5, have small band gaps to respond to visible-light, whereas they can still realize overall solar water splitting with the proper positions of conduction band minimum and valence band maximum. This review describes recent progress regarding the improvement of photocatalytic activities of tantalum-based semiconductors. Basic concepts and principles of solar water splitting will be discussed in the introduction section, followed by the three main categories regarding to the different types of tantalum-based semiconductors. In each category, synthetic methodologies, influencing factors on the photocatalytic activities, strategies to enhance the efficiencies of photocatalysts and morphology control of tantalum-based materials will be discussed in detail. Future directions to further explore the research area of tantalum-based semiconductors for solar water splitting

GridLAB-D Technical Support Document: Residential End-Use Module Version 1.0

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Taylor, Zachary T.; Gowri, Krishnan; Katipamula, Srinivas

2008-07-31

1.0 Introduction The residential module implements the following end uses and characteristics to simulate the power demand in a single family home: • Water heater • Lights • Dishwasher • Range • Microwave • Refrigerator • Internal gains (plug loads) • House (heating/cooling loads) The house model considers the following four major heat gains/losses that contribute to the building heating/cooling load: 1. Conduction through exterior walls, roof and fenestration (based on envelope UA) 2. Air infiltration (based on specified air change rate) 3. Solar radiation (based on CLTD model and using tmy data) 4. Internal gains from lighting, people, equipment and other end use objects. The Equivalent Thermal Parameter (ETP) approach is used to model the residential loads and energy consumption. The following sections describe the modeling assumptions for each of the above end uses and the details of power demand calculations in the residential module.

Study of an active wall solar heating system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kassem, Talal

2006-01-01

An active wall solar heating system was built and tested. In the same time a compatible computer program has been according to set the recommended dimensions for the solar collectors where (F-Chart) method used to set the ratio of monthly solar sharing average for the examined heating system. Some parameters, such as collectors' areas, its tilt angle and near earth reflecting were experimentally investigated, affecting the executed active solar heating system performance. The study explain the ability of using this system which is simple, Low coast and high performance in heating residential and public buildings and heating water with ratio of yearly solar sharing achieves the needed saving of using this system.(Author)

Effect of Installation of Solar Collector on Performance of Balcony Split Type Solar Water Heaters

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xu Ji

2015-01-01

Full Text Available The influences of surface orientation and slope of solar collectors on solar radiation collection of balcony split type solar water heaters for six cities in China were analyzed by employing software TRNSYS. The surface azimuth had greater effect on solar radiation collection in high latitude regions. For deviation of the surface slope angle within ±20° around the optimized angle, the variation of the total annual collecting solar radiation was less than 5%. However, with deviation of 70° to 90°, the variation was up to 20%. The effects of water cycle mode, reverse slope placement of solar collector, and water tank installation height on system efficiency were experimentally studied. The thermal efficiencies of solar water heater with single row horizontal arrangement all-glass evacuated tubular collector were higher than those with vertical arrangement at the fixed surface slope angle of 90°. Compared with solar water heaters with flat-plate collector under natural circulation, the system thermal efficiency was raised up to 63% under forced circulation. For collector at reverse slope placement, the temperature-based water stratification in water tank deteriorated, and thus the thermal efficiency became low. For improving the system efficiency, an appropriate installation height of the water tank was suggested.

Solar heating of the produced water of petroleum; Aquecimento solar da agua produzida de petroleo

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Santos, Rogerio Pitanga; Chiavone-Filho, Osvaldo; Bezerra, Magna A. Santos; Melo, Josette Lourdes Sousa de; Oliveira, Jackson Araujo de; Ramos, Rafael E. Moura [Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte (UFRN), Natal, RN (Brazil); Schuhli, Juliana Bregenski; Andrade, Vivian Tavares de [PETROBRAS S.A., Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil). Centro de Pesquisas (CENPES)

2008-07-01

In this work, experimental data of solar heating for common water and saline solution were measured. The solar heater is formed by a flat-plane collector and a thermal reservoir ('boiler'). The objective is to quantify the variation of fluids' temperature, and correlate it to environment variables, especially solar irradiation. Thereby, it is possible to estimate the solar heating of produced water of petroleum. The solar heater is part of a system of treatment of produced water, and its function is to pre-heat the fluid that enters into the solar distiller, increasing the productivity of distilled water. A saline solution that represents produced water was used in the experiments, using sodium chloride (1000 ppm). The experimental data demonstrates that the solar heater is capable to heat the fluid to temperatures close to 70 deg C, reaching temperatures close to 50 deg C even during cloudy days with low solar radiation. Furthermore, the solar collector energy system provides a higher rate of heating and trough of the thermal reservoir the temperature can remain longer. These are important aspects to the integration with solar distillation. (author)

Solar heating of the produced water of petroleum; Aquecimento solar da agua produzida de petroleo

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Santos, Rogerio Pitanga; Chiavone-Filho, Osvaldo; Bezerra, Magna A. Santos; Melo, Josette Lourdes Sousa de; Oliveira, Jackson Araujo de; Ramos, Rafael E. Moura [Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte (UFRN), Natal, RN (Brazil); Schuhli, Juliana Bregenski; Andrade, Vivian Tavares de [PETROBRAS S.A., Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil). Centro de Pesquisas (CENPES)

2008-07-01

In this work, experimental data of solar heating for common water and saline solution were measured. The solar heater is formed by a flat-plane collector and a thermal reservoir ('boiler'). The objective is to quantify the variation of fluids' temperature, and correlate it to environment variables, especially solar irradiation. Thereby, it is possible to estimate the solar heating of produced water of petroleum. The solar heater is part of a system of treatment of produced water, and its function is to pre-heat the fluid that enters into the solar distiller, increasing the productivity of distilled water. A saline solution that represents produced water was used in the experiments, using sodium chloride (1000 ppm). The experimental data demonstrates that the solar heater is capable to heat the fluid to temperatures close to 70 deg C, reaching temperatures close to 50 deg C even during cloudy days with low solar radiation. Furthermore, the solar collector energy system provides a higher rate of heating and trough of the thermal reservoir the temperature can remain longer. These are important aspects to the integration with solar distillation. (author)

Feasibility Study of Residential Grid-Connected Solar Photovoltaic Systems in the State of Indiana

Science.gov (United States)

Al-Odeh, Mahmoud

This study aims to measure the financial viability of installing and using a residential grid-connected PV system in the State of Indiana while predicting its performance in eighteen geographical locations within the state over the system's expected lifetime. The null hypothesis of the study is that installing a PV system for a single family residence in the State of Indiana will not pay for itself within 25 years. Using a systematic approach consisting of six steps, data regarding the use of renewable energy in the State of Indiana was collected from the website of the US Department of Energy to perform feasibility analysis of the installation and use of a standard-sized residential PV system. The researcher was not able to reject the null hypothesis that installing a PV system for a single family residence in the State of Indiana will not pay for itself within 25 years. This study found that the standard PV system does not produce a positive project balance and does not pay for itself within 25 years (the life time of the system) assuming the average cost of a system. The government incentive programs are not enough to offset the cost of installing the system against the cost of the electricity that would not be purchased from the utility company. It can be concluded that the cost of solar PV is higher than the market valuation of the power it produces; thus, solar PV did not compete on the cost basis with the traditional competitive energy sources. Reducing the capital cost will make the standard PV system economically viable in Indiana. The study found that the capital cost for the system should be reduced by 15% - 56%.

Collective solar hot water: best practices

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Beutin, Philippe; Grouzard, Patrice; Coroller, Francoise

2005-10-01

This brochure, edited by ADEME, the French office for energy management and sustainable development, gives a collection of good practices concerning the selection and installation of collective solar water heating systems in France. A first note presents the Garantie de Resultats solaires (GRS - Guarantee of Solar Results), a kind of certification that gives a long term guarantee of the annual solar energy produced quantity as a function of the hot water consumption. An overview of the collective solar market is given, followed by informations on the financial incentives for feasibility studies and installations, the technical design and optimization of a collective solar project, its economic assessment, etc. Numerous examples of collective of solar heating operations in collective buildings are presented, in various regions of France, in the east (Alsace), the center (Auvergne, Ile de France (Paris region)), and the south (Languedoc-Roussillon, Midi-Pyrennes, PACA), giving technical data, financing, partnerships, etc

Thermo-economic performance of inclined solar water distillation systems

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Agboola Phillips O.

2015-01-01

Full Text Available This study investigates the thermo-economic performance of different configurations of inclined solar water desalination for parameters such as daily production, efficiency, system cost and distilled water production cost. The four different configurations considered for this study are as follows; 1. Inclined solar water distillation with bare absorber plate (IISWD with daily production of 5.46 kg/m2 day and daily efficiency of 48.3%. 2. Inclined solar water distillation with wick on absorber plate (IISWDW with daily production of 6.41kg/m2 day and daily efficiency 50.3%. 3. Inclined solar water distillation with wire mesh on absorber plate (IISWDWM with daily production n of 3.03 kg/m2 day and daily efficiency 32.6%. 4. Inclined solar water distillation with bare absorber plate (ISWD. (Control System with daily production of 3.25 kg/m2 day and daily efficiency of 40.1%. The systems potable water cost price ranges from 0.03 $/L for IISWDW to 0.06$/L for IISWDWM System. All the systems are economically and technically feasible as a solar distillation system for potable water in Northern Cyprus. The price of potable water from water vendors/hawkers ranges from 0.11-0.16 $/L. It is more economically viable to have the rooftop inclined solar water desalination system than procuring potable water from vendors.`

Solar water lifter

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bazarov, B A; Gonchar, V I; Maymerdangulyyev, G; Orekhova, N P; Ryabikov, S V; Strevkov, D S; Tereshin, V D; Yurin, Ye M

1982-01-01

A water lifter is described which contains a pump, whose piston is kinematically connected to the drive element made of material with thermal-mechanical memory of the shape in the hot state, and a solar heater.

Geographic variation of solar water performance in Europe

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yohanis, Y. [University of Ulster (United Kingdom). Faculty of Engineering; Popel, O.; Frid, S. [Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow (Russian Federation). Institute for High Temperatures; Norton, B. [Dublin Institute of Technology (Ireland)

2006-07-01

Solar water heater (SWH) performance has been analysed using the 'number of days' method for 147 different sites in all European countries. The total number of days that the temperature of delivered solar heated water reaches or exceeds specified demand temperatures is correlated with solar radiation on a horizontal surface for summer, warm half-year, and whole year periods. Maps are presented and discussed showing the contours for the number of days that an illustrative SWH met different hot water demand temperatures. Correlations between number of days water is provided at a specified temperature and solar fractions for the same periods are determined. (author)

Nocturnal reverse flow in water-in-glass evacuated tube solar water heaters

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tang, Runsheng; Yang, Yuqin

2014-01-01

Highlights: • Performance of water-in-glass evacuated tube solar water heaters (SWH) at night was studied. • Experimental measurements showed that reverse flow occurred in SWHs at night. • Reverse flow in SWHs was very high but the heat loss due to reverse flow was very low. • Reverse flow seemed not sensitive to atmospheric clearness but sensitive to collector tilt-angle. - Abstract: In this work, the thermal performance of water-in-glass evacuated tube solar water heaters (SWH) at nights was experimentally investigated. Measurements at nights showed that the water temperature in solar tubes was always lower than that in the water tank but higher than the ambient air temperature and T exp , the temperature of water inside tubes predicted in the case of the water in tubes being naturally cooled without reverse flow. This signified that the reverse flow in the system occurred at nights, making the water in solar tubes higher than T exp . It is found that the reverse flow rate in the SWH, estimated based on temperature measurements of water in solar tubes, seemed not sensitive to the atmospheric clearness but sensitive to the collector tilt-angle, the larger the tilt-angle of the collector, the higher the reverse flow rate. Experimental results also showed that, the reverse flow in the SWH was much higher as compared to that in a thermosyphonic domestic solar water heater with flat-plate collectors, but the heat loss from collectors to the air due to reverse flow in SWHs was very small and only took about 8–10% of total heat loss of systems

Survey costs associated with the replacement of electric showers for solar heaters

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Belchior, Fernando Nunes; Araujo, Jose Euripedes de

2010-01-01

This paper aims to explain the benefits of replacing electric shower for solar water heaters, and a consequent drop in peak demand for electric power generation and residential consumption in the economy. For this, will be shown the lifting of solar radiation per square meter in Brazil, studied in 250 locations, the most representative in terms of solar energy in this country. The costs presented are associated with replacement of 5 million, 10 million and 20 million electric showers. (author)

Disinfection of contaminated water by using solar irradiation.

Science.gov (United States)

Caslake, Laurie F; Connolly, Daniel J; Menon, Vilas; Duncanson, Catriona M; Rojas, Ricardo; Tavakoli, Javad

2004-02-01

Contaminated water causes an estimated 6 to 60 billion cases of gastrointestinal illness annually. The majority of these cases occur in rural areas of developing nations where the water supply remains polluted and adequate sanitation is unavailable. A portable, low-cost, and low-maintenance solar unit to disinfect unpotable water has been designed and tested. The solar disinfection unit was tested with both river water and partially processed water from two wastewater treatment plants. In less than 30 min in midday sunlight, the unit eradicated more than 4 log10 U (99.99%) of bacteria contained in highly contaminated water samples. The solar disinfection unit has been field tested by Centro Panamericano de Ingenieria Sanitaria y Ciencias del Ambiente in Lima, Peru. At moderate light intensity, the solar disinfection unit was capable of reducing the bacterial load in a controlled contaminated water sample by 4 log10 U and disinfected approximately 1 liter of water in 30 min.

Solar photovoltaic water pumping for remote locations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Meah, Kala; Fletcher, Steven; Ula, Sadrul

2008-01-01

Many parts of the world as well as the western US are rural in nature and consequently do not have electrical distribution lines in many parts of villages, farms, and ranches. Distribution line extension costs can run from USD 10,000 to USD 16,000/km, thereby making availability of electricity to small water pumping projects economically unattractive. But, ground water and sunlight are available, which make solar photovoltaic (SPV) powered water pumping more cost effective in these areas' small scale applications. Many western states including Wyoming are passing through the sixth year of drought with the consequent shortages of water for many applications. The Wyoming State Climatologist is predicting a possible 5-10 years of drought. Drought impacts the surface water right away, while it takes much longer to impact the underground aquifers. To mitigate the effect on the livestock and wildlife, Wyoming Governor Dave Freudenthal initiated a solar water pumping initiative in cooperation with the University of Wyoming, County Conservation Districts, Rural Electric Cooperatives, and ranching organizations. Solar water pumping has several advantages over traditional systems; for example, diesel or propane engines require not only expensive fuels, they also create noise and air pollution in many remote pristine areas. Solar systems are environment friendly, low maintenance, and have no fuel cost. In this paper the design, installation, site selection, and performance monitoring of the solar system for small-scale remote water pumping will be presented. This paper also presents technical, environmental, and economic benefits of the SPV water pumping system compared to stand alone generator and electric utility. (author)

Critical analysis about solutions and models of solar shades in non-residential buildings from tropical regions.

Science.gov (United States)

Castañon, J A B; Caldeira, L F D; Gervásio, M F; Brum, F M

2012-01-01

Whereas the non-residential buildings consume a significant percentage of the total energy produced by the city, is important that these buildings have for such consumption is reduced or consumed in a conscious way. To do so, using concepts of energy efficiency, this work is to explain passive strategies with the use of flexible solar shades that help to get a favorable outcome with respect to the performance of the building right in the initial stages of planning and design. Once initial gains can be obtained and the architecture constants that value at the same time provide better working conditions and indoor comfort.

Life Cycle Multi-Criteria Analysis Of Alternative Energy Supply Systems For A Residential Building

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Artur Rogoža

2013-12-01

Full Text Available The article analyses energy supply alternatives for a partially renovated residential building. In addition to the existing district heating (base case alternative systems, gas boilers, heat pumps (air-water and ground-water, solar collectors, solar cells, and combinations of these systems have been examined. Actual heat consumption of the building and electricity demand determined by the statistical method are used for simulating the systems. The process of simulation is performed using EnergyPro software. In order to select an optimal energy supply option, the life cycle analysis of all systems has been carried out throughout a life span of the building, and the estimated results of energy, environmental and economic evaluation have been converted into non-dimensional variables (3E using multi–criteria analysis.Article in Lithuanian

Packaged solar water heating technology: twenty years of progress

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Morrison, Graham; Wood, Byard

2000-01-01

The world market for packaged solar water heaters is reviewed, and descriptions are given of the different types of solar domestic water heaters (SDWH), design concepts for packaged SDWH, thermosyphon SDWH, evacuated insulation and excavated tube collectors, seasonally biased solar collectors, heat pump water heaters, and photovoltaic water heaters. The consumer market value for SDWHs is explained, and the results of a survey of solar water heating are summarised covering advantages, perceived disadvantages, the relative importance of purchase decision factors, experience with system components, and the most frequent maintenance problems. The durability, reliability, and performance of SDWHs are discussed

Analysis of potential energy, economic and environmental savings in residential buildings: Solar collectors combined with microturbines

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Suárez, I.; Prieto, M.M.; Fernández, F.J.

2013-01-01

Highlights: ► Centralization of energy systems for a group of buildings improves profitability. ► Thermal solar systems are economically interesting even in low radiation locations. ► Regulations currently in force determine the feasibility of high efficiency energy systems. - Abstract: This paper presents an analysis of a combined solar-cogeneration installation for providing energy services in a set of four residential buildings. Different configurations as regards the number of collectors and their orientation, the number of buildings grouped together, the type of microturbines used in the cogeneration system and their daily and annual operating period are studied from the legal, economic and environmental perspectives. The installation that fulfils the minimum requirements of the solar system coverage and the cogeneration system efficiency currently in force, and simultaneously leads to the highest energy, economic and environmental savings is the one that integrates both technologies and centralises the installation for the four buildings together. A payback period lower than 8 years is obtained that makes this investment recommendable, but it is also concluded that maintaining the existing subsidies for these technologies and lowering the costs of the equipment, are essential factors to ensure the feasibility of this type of installations

A pilot solar water disinfecting system: performance analysis and testing

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Saitoh, T.S.; El-Ghetany, H.H. [Tohoku University, Sendai (Japan). Dept. of Aeronautics and Space Engineering

2002-07-01

In most countries, contaminated water is the major cause of most water-borne diseases. Disinfection of water may be accomplished by a number of different physical-chemical treatments including direct application of thermal energy, chemical and filtration techniques. Solar energy also can be used effectively in this field because inactivation of microorganisms is done either by heating water to a disinfecting temperature or by exposing it to ultraviolet solar radiation. A pilot solar system for disinfecting contaminated water is designed, constructed and tested. Investigations are carried out to evaluate the performance of a wooden hot box solar facility as a solar disinfectant. Experimental data show that solar energy is viable for the disinfection process. A solar radiation model is presented and compared with the experimental data. A mathematical model of the solar disinfectant is also presented. The governing equations are solved numerically via the fourth-order Runge-Kutta method. The effects of environmental conditions (ambient temperature, wind speed, solar radiation, etc.) on the performance of the solar disinfectant are examined. Results showed that the system is affected by ambient temperature, wind speed, ultraviolet solar radiation intensity, the turbidity of the water, the quantity of water exposed, the contact area between the transparent water container in the solar disinfectant and the absorber plate as well as the geometrical parameters of the system. It is pointed out that for partially cloudy conditions with a low ambient temperature and high wind speeds, the thermal efficiency of the solar disinfectant is at a minimum. The use of solar energy for the disinfection process will increase the productivity of the system while completely eliminating the coliform group bacteria at the same time. (author)

Water purification using solar radiation in Nigeria

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Udounwa, A.E.; Osuji, R.U.

2005-12-01

In developing countries, lack of safe and reliable drinking water constitutes a major problem. Contaminated water is the major cause of most water borne diseases like diarrhoea. Disinfection of water is accomplished by a number of different physical - chemical treatments including boiling, application of chlorine and filtration techniques. Solar energy, which is universally available, can also be used effectively in this process, that is, to deactivate the micro-organisms present in this contaminated water thereby improving its microbiological quality. This treatment process is called solar water disinfection. This paper therefore appraises the extent to which research work has been done as regards purification of water using solar radiation in Nigeria vis-a-vis outside the country. It is hoped that it will serve as a wake-up-call for Nigerians especially those in remote areas with no treated pipe borne water supply. The problems and prospects of this technology as well as the policy implications are presented. (author)

Solar photocatalytic cleaning of polluted water

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bockelmann, D.

1994-01-01

Alternatively to biological, physical and chemical methods of waste water cleaning, photocatalysis can be employed. In this residue-free method, titanium dioxide particles are brought into contact with polluted water as photocatalysts. Under UV irradiation at wave-lengths below 400 nm, change carriers are generated in the semiconductor particles that act so intensely oxidizing as to completely degrade almost all organic pollutants in waste water. In this process, the ultra-violet part of the solar spectrum can be harnessed to generate oxidation equivalents. Thus, solar photocatalytic waste water cleaning is excellently suited for developing countries. (BWI) [de

A mathematical procedure to estimate solar absorptance of shallow water ponds

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wu Hongbo; Tang Runsheng; Li Zhimin; Zhong Hao

2009-01-01

In this article, a mathematical procedure is developed for estimating solar absorption of shallow water ponds with different pond floor based on the fact that the solar radiation trapped inside the water layer undergoes multiplicative reflection and absorption and on that the solar absorption of water is selective. Theoretical model indicates that the solar absorption of a water pond is related to the reflectivity of the pond floor, the solar spectrum and the water depth. To validate the mathematical model, a concrete water pond measuring 3 x 3 x 0.24 m was constructed. Experimental results indicate that solar reflectivity calculated based on the mathematical model proposed in this work were in good agreement with those measured. For water ponds with a water-permeable floor, such as concrete floor, theoretical calculations of the solar absorptance of a water pond should be done based on the reflectivity of full wet floor, whereas for water ponds with a non-water-permeable floor, theoretical calculations should be done based on the fact that solar reflection on the floor is neither perfect specular reflection nor prefect isotropic diffuse reflection. Results of numerical calculation show that theoretical calculations of solar absorption of a water pond by dividing solar spectrum into six bands were pretty agreement with those by dividing solar spectrum into 20 bands.

The SmartH2O project: a platform supporting residential water management through smart meters and data intensive modeling

Science.gov (United States)

Cominola, A.; Nanda, R.; Giuliani, M.; Piga, D.; Castelletti, A.; Rizzoli, A. E.; Maziotis, A.; Garrone, P.; Harou, J. J.

2014-12-01

Designing effective urban water demand management strategies at the household level does require a deep understanding of the determinants of users' consumption. Low resolution data on residential water consumption, as traditionally metered, can only be used to model consumers' behavior at an aggregate level whereas end uses breakdown and the motivations and individual attitudes of consumers are hidden. The recent advent of smart meters allows gathering high frequency consumption data that can be used both to provide instantaneous information to water utilities on the state of the network and continuously inform the users on their consumption and savings. Smart metered data also allow for the characterization of water end uses: this information, coupled with users' psychographic variables, constitutes the knowledge basis for developing individual and multi users models, through which water utilities can test the impact of different management strategies. SmartH2O is an EU funded project which aims at creating an ICT platform able to (i) capture and store quasi real time, high resolution residential water usage data measured with smart meters, (ii) infer the main determinants of residential water end uses and build customers' behavioral models and (iii) predict how the customer behavior can be influenced by various water demand management strategies, spanning from dynamic water pricing schemes to social awareness campaigns. The project exploits a social computing approach for raising users' awareness about water consumption and pursuing water savings in the residential sector. In this work, we first present the SmartH2O platform and data collection, storage and analysis components. We then introduce some preliminary models and results on total water consumption disaggregation into end uses and single user behaviors using innovative fully automated algorithms and overcoming the need of invasive metering campaigns at the fixture level.

Consumer impacts on dividends from solar water heating

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hill, F.; Levermore, G. [University of Manchester, Manchester (United Kingdom); Lynch, H. [Centre for Alternative Technology, Machynlleth, University of East London, London (United Kingdom)

2011-01-15

Common domestic solar water heating system usage patterns were investigated by a survey of 55 installations. These usage patterns were modelled by simulation based on the actual occupants' use of boiler or other auxiliary heating control strategies. These strategies were not optimal, as often assumed. The effectiveness of the technology was found to be highly sensitive to the time settings used for auxiliary water heating, and the 65% of solar householders using their boilers in the mornings were found to be forgoing 75% of their potential savings. Additionally, 92% of consumers were found to be small households, whose potential savings were only 23% of those of larger households, which use more hot water. Overall the majority (at least 60%) of the systems surveyed were found to be achieving no more than 6% of their potential savings. Incorporating consideration of Legionella issues, results indicate that if solar thermal technology is to deliver its potential to CO2 reduction targets: solar householders must avoid any use of their auxiliary water heating systems before the end of the main warmth of the day, grants for solar technology should be focused on households with higher hot water demands, and particularly on those that are dependent on electricity for water heating, health and safety requirements for hot water storage must be reviewed and, if possible, required temperatures should be set at a lower level, so that carbon savings from solar water heating may be optimized.

Study of the Thermal Behaviour of Water for Residential Use in Tanks of Concrete and Polyethylene in Humid Subtropical Climate

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Diego-Ayala Ulises

2015-09-01

Full Text Available This article presents a comparative study of the thermal behavior of residential water tanks of polyethylene and concrete exposed to the sun over a year in the state of Yucatan. The energy for radiation and their corresponding temperatures in each system were measured. Daily patterns of elevation and reduction of temperature were identified and the amount of energy acquired during the day as well as the heat dissipated overnight were determined, aiming to determine the possibility of using residential water tanks as a source of hot water in residential homes in the Yucatan region. Based on this study it has been found that the periods of the day with hot water temperature for showering with comfort is limited and that, interestingly, both systems show similar temperatures at the bottom of the tanks throughout the year.

Solar heating and hot water system installed at office building, One Solar Place, Dallas, Texas

Science.gov (United States)

1980-01-01

A solar heating on cooling system is described which is designed to provide 87 percent of the space heating needs, 100 percent of the potable hot water needs and is sized for future absorption cooling. The collection subsystem consists of 28 solargenics, series 76, flat plate collectors with a total area of 1,596 square feet. The solar loop circulates an ethylene glyco water solution through the collectors into a hot water system exchanger. The water storage subsystem consists of a heat exchanger, two 2,300 gallon concrete hot water storage tanks with built in heat exchangers and a back-up electric boiler. The domestic hot water subsystem sends hot water to the 10,200 square feet floor area office building hot water water fixtures. The building cold water system provides make up to the solar loop, the heating loop, and the hot water concrete storage tanks. The design, construction, cost analysis, operation and maintenance of the solar system are described.

Experimental study on a new solar boiling water system with holistic track solar funnel concentrator

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Xiaodi, Xue; Hongfei, Zheng; Kaiyan, He; Zhili, Chen; Tao, Tao; Guo, Xie

2010-01-01

A new solar boiling water system with conventional vacuum-tube solar collector as primary heater and the holistic solar funnel concentrator as secondary heater had been designed. In this paper, the system was measured out door and its performance was analyzed. The configuration and operation principle of the system are described. Variations of the boiled water yield, the temperature of the stove and the solar irradiance with local time have been measured. Main factors affecting the system performance have been analyzed. The experimental results indicate that the system produced large amount of boiled water. And the performance of the system has been found closely related to the solar radiance. When the solar radiance is above 600 W/m 2 , the boiled water yield rate of the system has reached 20 kg/h and its total energy efficiency has exceeded 40%.

Novel configurations of solar distillation system for potable water production

Science.gov (United States)

Riahi, A.; Yusof, K. W.; Sapari, N.; Singh, B. S.; Hashim, A. M.

2013-06-01

More and more surface water are polluted with toxic chemicals. Alternatively brackish and saline water are used as feed water to water treatment plants. Expensive desalination process via reverse osmosis or distillation is used in the plants. Thus, this conventional desalination is not suitable for low and medium income countries. A cheaper method is by solar distillation. However the rate of water production by this method is generally considered low. This research attempts to enhance water production of solar distillation by optimizing solar capture, evaporation and condensation processes. Solar radiation data was captured in several days in Perak, Malaysia. Three kinds of experiments were done by fabricating triangular solar distillation systems. First type was conventional solar still, second type was combined with 50 Watt solar photovoltaic panel and 40 Watt Dc heater, while third type was integrated with 12 Volt Solar battery and 40 Watt Dc heater. The present investigation showed that the productivity of second and third systems were 150% and 480% of the conventional still type, respectively. The finding of this research can be expected to have wide application in water supply particularly in areas where fresh surface water is limited.

Novel configurations of solar distillation system for potable water production

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Riahi, A; Yusof, K W; Sapari, N; Hashim, A M; Singh, B S

2013-01-01

More and more surface water are polluted with toxic chemicals. Alternatively brackish and saline water are used as feed water to water treatment plants. Expensive desalination process via reverse osmosis or distillation is used in the plants. Thus, this conventional desalination is not suitable for low and medium income countries. A cheaper method is by solar distillation. However the rate of water production by this method is generally considered low. This research attempts to enhance water production of solar distillation by optimizing solar capture, evaporation and condensation processes. Solar radiation data was captured in several days in Perak, Malaysia. Three kinds of experiments were done by fabricating triangular solar distillation systems. First type was conventional solar still, second type was combined with 50 Watt solar photovoltaic panel and 40 Watt Dc heater, while third type was integrated with 12 Volt Solar battery and 40 Watt Dc heater. The present investigation showed that the productivity of second and third systems were 150% and 480% of the conventional still type, respectively. The finding of this research can be expected to have wide application in water supply particularly in areas where fresh surface water is limited.

A hybrid desalination system using humidification-dehumidification and solar stills integrated with evacuated solar water heater

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sharshir, S.W.; Peng, Guilong; Yang, Nuo; Eltawil, Mohamed A.; Ali, Mohamed Kamal Ahmed; Kabeel, A.E.

2016-01-01

Highlights: • Evacuated solar water heater integrated with humidification-dehumidification system. • Reuse of warm water drained from humidification-dehumidification to feed solar stills. • The thermal performance of hybrid system is increased by 50% and maximum yield is 63.3 kg/day. • The estimated price of the freshwater produced from the hybrid system is $0.034/L. - Abstract: This paper offers a hybrid solar desalination system comprising a humidification-dehumidification and four solar stills. The developed hybrid desalination system reuses the drain warm water from humidification-dehumidification to feed solar stills to stop the massive warm water loss during desalination. Reusing the drain warm water increases the gain output ratio of the system by 50% and also increased the efficiency of single solar still to about 90%. Furthermore, the production of a single solar still as a part of the hybrid system was more than that of the conventional one by approximately 200%. The daily water production of the conventional one, single solar still, four solar still, humidification- dehumidification and hybrid system were 3.2, 10.5, 42, 24.3 and 66.3 kg/day, respectively. Furthermore, the cost per unit liter of distillate from conventional one, humidification- dehumidification and hybrid system were around $0.049, $0.058 and $0.034, respectively.

Economical investigation of solar water distillation in Egypt

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sakr, I A; Khalil, M A; Delyannis, A; Delyannis, E [eds.

1976-01-01

Many ways of solar water distillation have been suggested but most of them are either too expensive or only a practical solution to different processes under investigation. Solar heat distillation has a bright future because the greatest potential needs appear to be in those sections where the availability of solar energy is high and the availability of potable water is low as in our Egyptian deserts where the solar intensity has a yearly mean value of about 6000 kcal/(m/sup 2/day). The solar distillation method has a number of economic characteristics which are different from other sea water conversion methods, including: The processing equipment is very simple and results in low equipment costs. No special skills are required for both erection and operation. It can be used with saline water of wide range of salt concentration. The still design is essentially modular, and can be made to meet any desired capacity. Scale formation and corrosion are minor problems as compared with other methods. Power requirements are negligible. The cost of unit construction is not markedly influenced by the size of the still. The lack of quantitative and operative data of solar water distillation techniques with respect to their cost needs in investigation from the economical standpoint of view in Egypt. The subject of this work is to find the order of magnitude of the fresh water cost by solar distillation.

Heat Pump Water Heater Technology: Experiences of Residential Consumers and Utilities

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ashdown, BG

2004-08-04

This paper presents a case study of the residential heat pump water heater (HPWH) market. Its principal purpose is to evaluate the extent to which the HPWH will penetrate the residential market sector, given current market trends, producer and consumer attributes, and technical parameters. The report's secondary purpose is to gather background information leading to a generic framework for conducting market analyses of technologies. This framework can be used to compare readiness and to factor attributes of market demand back into product design. This study is a rapid prototype analysis rather than a detailed case analysis. For this reason, primary data collection was limited and reliance on secondary sources was extensive. Despite having met its technical goals and having been on the market for twenty years, the HPWH has had virtually no impact on contributing to the nation's water heating. In some cases, HPWH reliability and quality control are well below market expectations, and early units developed a reputation for unreliability, especially when measured against conventional water heaters. In addition to reliability problems, first costs of HPWH units can be three to five times higher than conventional units. Without a solid, well-managed business plan, most consumers will not be drawn to this product. This is unfortunate. Despite its higher first costs, efficiency of an HPWH is double that of a conventional water heater. The HPWH also offers an attractive payback period of two to five years, depending on hot water usage. On a strict life-cycle basis it supplies hot water very cost effectively. Water heating accounts for 17% of the nation's residential consumption of electricity (see chart at left)--water heating is second only to space heating in total residential energy use. Simple arithmetic suggests that this figure could be reduced to the extent HPWH technology displaces conventional water heating. In addition, the HPWH offers other

A comparison of fuel savings in the residential and commercial sectors generated by the installation of solar heating and cooling systems under three tax credit scenarios

Science.gov (United States)

Moden, R.

An analysis of expected energy savings between 1977 and 1980 under three different solar tax credit scenarios is presented. The results were obtained through the solar heating and cooling of buildings (SHACOB) commercialization model. This simulation provides projected savings of conventional fuels through the installation of solar heating and cooling systems on buildings in the residential and commercial sectors. The three scenarios analyzed considered the tax credits contained in the Windfall Profits Tax of April 1980, the National Tax Act of November 1978, and a case where no tax credit is in effect.

Solar heating and hot water system installed at office building, One Solar Place, Dallas, Texas. Final report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1980-06-01

This document is the Final Report of the Solar Energy System Installed at the First Solar Heated Office Building, One Solar Place, Dallas, Texas. The Solar System was designed to provide 87 percent of the space heating needs, 100 percent of the potable hot water needs and is sized for future absorption cooling. The collection subsystem consists of 28 Solargenics, series 76, flat plate collectors with a total area of 1596 square feet. The solar loop circulates an ethylene glycol-water solution through the collectors into a hot water system heat exchanger. The hot water storage subsystem consists of a heat exchanger, two 2300 gallon concrete hot water storage tanks with built in heat exchangers and a back-up electric boiler. The domestic hot water subsystem sends hot water to the 10,200 square feet floor area office building hot water fixtures. The building cold water system provides make-up to the solar loop, the heating loop, and the hot water concrete storage tanks. The design, construction, cost analysis, operation and maintenance of the solar system are described. The system became operational July 11, 1979.

Survey of active solar thermal collectors, industry and markets in Canada : final report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2005-08-01

A survey of the solar thermal industry in Canada was presented. The aim of the survey was to determine the size of the Canadian solar thermal industry and market. Data were used to derive thermal energy output as well as avoided greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from solar thermal systems. The questionnaire was distributed to 268 representatives. Results revealed annual sales of 24.2, 26.4 and 37.5 MW TH in 2002, 2003, and 2004 respectively, which represented over 50 per cent growth in the operating base during the 3 year survey period. Sales of all collector types grew substantially during the 3 year period, and survey respondents anticipated 20 per cent growth in both 2005 and 2006. Approximately 10 per cent of all sales were exported during 2002-2004. Unglazed liquid collectors constituted the majority of collector types sold in Canada, almost all of which were sold into the residential sector for swimming pool heating. The majority of air collectors were sold into the industrial/commercial and institutional (I/CI) sectors for use in space heating. Sales of liquid glazed and evacuated tube collectors were split between the residential and I/CI sectors. Residential sales were primarily for domestic water heating. In 2004, 23 per cent of sales in the residential sector were for combination domestic hot water and space heating applications, an indication of strong growth. Results of the survey indicated that the solar thermal market in Quebec differed from other regions, with more than double the annual per capita revenue of any other region as a result of greater market penetration of unglazed air collectors. Calculations of the GHG emissions avoided due to active solar thermal systems were made based on historical estimates of solar thermal installations. A model was developed to calculate an operating base by collector type from 1979 to the present. The model showed that many of the systems installed during the 1980s were decommissioned during the 1990s, and that

Solar Water Splitting Using Semiconductor Photocatalyst Powders

KAUST Repository

Takanabe, Kazuhiro

2015-01-01

Solar energy conversion is essential to address the gap between energy production and increasing demand. Large scale energy generation from solar energy can only be achieved through equally large scale collection of the solar spectrum. Overall water

Solar heating and cooling system design and development

Science.gov (United States)

1978-01-01

Application surveys and performance studies were conducted to determine a solar heating and hot water configuration that could be used in a variety of applications, and to identify subsystem modules that could be utilized in a building block fashion to adapt hardware items to single and multi-family residential and commercial systems. Topics discussed include: subsystem development for the solar collectors, controls, other components, energy management module, and the heating system configuration test. Operational tests conducted at an Illinois farmhouse, and a YWCA in Spokane, Washington are discussed.

Solar Mosaic Inc. Mosaic Home Solar Loan SunShot 9 Final Report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Walsh, Colin James [Solar Mosaic Inc., Oakland, CA (United States)

2017-02-09

The 6686 Mosaic SunShot award has helped Solar Mosaic Inc to progress from an early stage startup focused on commercial crowdfunding to a leading multi-state residential solar lender. The software platform is now used by the majority of the nation's top solar installers and offers a variety of simple home solar loans. Mosaic is has originated approximately $1Bil in solar loans to date to put solar on over 35k rooftops. The company now lends to homeowners with a wide range of credit scores across multiple states and mitigates boundaries preventing them from profiting from ownership of a home solar system. The project included milestones in 5 main categories: 1. Lending to homeowners outside of CA 2. Lending to homeowners with FICO scores under 700 3. Packaging O&M with the home solar loan 4. Allowing residential installers to process home solar loans via API 5. Lowering customer acquisition costs below $1500 This report includes a detailed review of the final results achieved and key findings.

MINERGIE modules: heat pump - heat pump/solar - wood - wood/solar; Minergie-Module Waermepumpe - Waermepumpe/Solar - Holz - Holz/Solar

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gallati, J. [Seecon GmbH, Lucerne (Switzerland); Portmann, M. [Buero Markus Portmann, Kriens (Switzerland); Zurfluh, B. [Zurfluh Lottenbach, Lucerne (Switzerland)

2005-07-01

This research report for the Swiss Federal Office of Energy (SFOE) presents the results of a project that examined the feasibility of setting up 'MINERGIE' low-energy-consumption module standards for the production of heat in small residential buildings. The aims of the standards and the basic idea behind the MINERGIE-modules are discussed. The concepts of the modules for heat pumps and wood-fired heating systems and their combination with solar installations are examined, as are their areas of application. The requirements placed on the modules are listed. System concepts, including simple schematics for typical installations, are presented for wood-log, wood-chippings and pellets-fired systems as well as for ground-loop and air-water heat pump systems as well as their solar-aided counterparts. The results of cost-benefit analyses are presented and questions regarding system guarantee and liability are examined.

Experimental Evaluation of a Flat Plate Solar Collector Under Hail City Climate

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

N. Ben Khedher

2018-04-01

Full Text Available Flat plate solar water heaters are widely used for water heating in low-temperature residential applications. In this paper the thermal performance of a solar flat plate water heater under Hail weather conditions (latitude 27°52΄N longitude ‎41°69΄E was experimentally investigated. Fluid was circulated through the imbedded copper tubes in the flat plate collector and inlet and outlet temperatures of the fluid were noted at five minute intervals. The experimental-time was between 9:00AM-15:00PM. A study was carried out experimentally to present the efficiency curves of a flat plate solar collector at different flow rates. ASHRAE standard 93-2003 was followed for calculation of instantaneous efficiency of solar collector. Result shows that the flow rate of the circulating fluid highly influence the thermal efficiency of the solar collector. Optimum flow rate of 2.5L/min leads to maximum collector efficiency.

Effect of Ducted HPWH on Space-Conditioning and Water Heating Energy Use -- Central Florida Lab Home

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Colon, Carlos [Building America Partnership for Improved Residential Construction, Cocoa, FL (United States); Martin, Eric [Building America Partnership for Improved Residential Construction, Cocoa, FL (United States); Parker, Danny [Building America Partnership for Improved Residential Construction, Cocoa, FL (United States)

2016-11-01

The purpose of this research is to investigate the impact of ducted heat pump water heaters (HPWHs) on space conditioning and water heating energy use in residential applications. Two identical HPWHs, each of 60 gallon capacity were tested side by side at the Flexible Residential Test facility (FRTF) laboratories of the Florida Solar Energy Center (FSEC) campus in Cocoa, Florida. The water heating experiments were run in each test house from July 2014 until February 2015.

A Model of Clean Water Supply and Improvement of Enviromental Sanitary Conditions in Residential Clusters in The Mekong Delta, Vietnam

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chi Nguyen Thuy Lan

2015-12-01

Full Text Available In accordance with Decision 99/TTg dated 9/2/1996 and Decision 173/TTg dated 6/11/2001 of the Prime Minister regarding the construction program of residential clusters (residential flood free areas, these residential areas as constructed would be fully equipped with critical infrastructures and services such as water supply and drainage works, toilets with sanitary appropriateness, etc. to ensure environmental sanitary conditions in the residential clusters. However, the actual surveys done in residential clusters in the Mekong Delta show that many arising problems must be addressed to enable the local communities to have better living conditions and ensure the sanitary conditions and environmental safety.

The use of solar energy for residential buildings in the capital city

Science.gov (United States)

Velkin, V.; Shcheklein, S.; Danilov, V.

2017-06-01

Taking into account the conditions of sharply continental climate of Russia the implementation of the project of heating for an apartment house can be structured on the basis of solar vacuum collectors. A diagram of the operation of the vacuum solar collectors can be considered for heating and hot water. The calculations of effective angle of solar collectors also vary for stationary use in winter and summer. Consumption of centralized heat in the spring and autumn is reduced by 30 % due to the use of solar collectors. In summer the main problem of application of solar collectors is to protect the tubes from overheating. In winter, the use of solar heating is able to provide not more than 25 % of the needs regarding the utility and the results of experimental exploitation. It is shown that the main problem of using solar energy in Russia relies not in technology, but in the legislative field. The use of a vacuum manifold in Russia will be widely implemented in areas with a cold climate and in the modern houses after solving the issues of legislative support from the state and municipal authorities.

Solar thermal energy utilization in Brazil: a perspective; Utilizacao da energia solar termica no Brasil: uma perspectiva

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Miller, Francisco Mateus [PETROBRAS, Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil)

2004-07-01

Although Brazil has a large insolation potential, utilization of solar thermal energy is still limited to few applications, like residential and commercial water heating and drying of grains. However, there are in other countries more intensive applications, like electricity generation, industrial heat and fresh water production. The present work describes which are the other ways of using solar thermal energy that have been developed in the world, approaches the main technical aspects that affect its utilization, the perspective of increasing it in Brazil and its possible barriers and, finally, PETROBRAS' studies in this area, positioning itself as an Energy Company. The main solar thermal technologies currently used in the world are evacuated collectors, that work efficiently at temperatures up to 130 deg C, and concentrating solar technologies, that can reach the temperature of 1200 deg C. Among the latter, solar trough is the technology that is already considered mature, and near to become economically viable. Brazil, at the moment, has two technological challenges: development of national technology to manufacture high performance solar collectors, like evacuated collectors and solar troughs, and the development of thermal equipment to operate at temperatures under 120 deg C, like adsorption and absorption chillers and desalination towers, that can be economically competitive. (author)

Solar photocatalysis - a possible step in drinking water treatment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ljubas, Davor

2005-01-01

Possibility of the use of solar radiation for reduction of Natural Organic Matter (NOM) content in natural lake water, as a source for drinking water preparation, was the topic of this research. Solar radiation alone does not have enough energy for sufficient degradation of NOM, but in combination with heterogeneous photocatalyst-titanium dioxide (TiO 2 ), with or without other chemicals, the degradation potential could increase. In specific geographical conditions in Republic of Croatia, e.g. Adriatic islands or Dalmatia, solar radiation could be used for photocatalytic degradation of natural organic matter (NOM) in surface waters and therewith lighten the process of preparing them to the potable water. Specific quality of the geographical locality appears in fact that it is a very attractive tourist destination, especially in period June-September. In this period the drinking water demand is the biggest and, fortunately, the intensity of the solar radiation, too. So, there is a proportion between the drinking water demand and solar radiation available for the use in drinking water treatment. A number of tests with lake water exposed to solar radiation in non-concentrating reactors were performed and photodegradation of NOM for various combinations of doses and crystal forms of TiO 2 with H 2 O 2 was studied. Irradiation intensity was estimated from global solar radiation measurements. The best performance for the NOM degradation had combination of 1 g/L TiO 2 both anatase and rutile+solar radiation+H 2 O 2 , but - economically - it was not the best combination. An estimation of the biodegradation potential of dissolved organic matter after the photocatalytic step is given, too

Application of solar energy; Proceedings of the First Southeastern Conference, Huntsville, Ala., March 24-26, 1975

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, S. T.; Christensen, D. L.; Head, R. R.; Whitacre, W. E.

1975-01-01

Topics related to architectural and institutional considerations are discussed along with studies of components and subsystems. Subjects in the area of system design and analysis are also explored. Residential and commercial applications are considered, taking into account hot-water usage in a typical single-family residence, solar heating and cooling of mobile homes, aspects of design and performance in the case of a solar heating system using a reflective pyramid optical condenser, solar heating in a Boston school, a performance analysis of solar service hot water systems, comparative performance analyses of three solar heated and cooled buildings, and the use of solar energy in a soybeam processing operation. Applications related to power generation are also examined, giving attention to solar thermal electric power systems and photovoltaic research. Individual items are announced in this issue.

Solar water heating: The making of a simple, standard appliance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Block, D.L.

1993-01-01

Within the solar community we have carried on never-ending discussions about the performance of solar water heaters. As a long-time solar advocate and researcher, I am continually asked, open-quotes When will solar usage become widespread?close quotes We who are in the solar business all face this question, and we must respond. Our answers usually take the form of some discussion on efficiency improvements, life-cycle costs, level playing field or environmental factors. But the only real way to answer this question is: Use of solar will be widewspread when a solar water heater is considered to be just another standard appliance. Increased installations is the key, and the solar technology with the greatest near-term potential for increased installation is solar water heating

Canadian solar export market study. Export policy recommendations

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1983-11-01

This report outlines policies and recommendations on the export of Canadian solar equipment and technology, with a view toward stimulating the domestic solar industry. The current picture is of an industry which is relatively small, operates in a competitive domestic market with low profit margins, and needs assistance in order to break into the world market. A number of recommendations are therefore made on the main thrust of industry and government solar export development activities. An export development program is described which includes a strategy of concentrating on a limited number of product lines, namely: low-temperature solar heating systems for recreational applications, integrated residential water heating systems, prepackaged commercial water heating systems, and industrial pre-heat systems. It is also recommended that this strategy be directed only at a limited number of target countries where the market justifies such activity. Market research, international cooperation agreements, promotional services, and proper export organization are also needed.

Development of an innovative solar absorber

Science.gov (United States)

Goodchild, Gavin

Solar thermal systems have great potential to replace or reduce the dependence of conventional fossil fuel based heating technologies required for space and water heating. Specifically solar domestic hot water systems can contribute 50-75% of the annual thermal load. To date residential users have been slow to purchase and install systems, primarily due to the large monetary investment required to purchase and install a system. Recent innovations in materials design and manufacturing techniques, offer opportunities for the development of absorber plate designs that have the potential to reduce cost, increase efficiency and reduce payback periods. Consequently, this design study was conducted in conjunction with industrial partners to develop an improved absorber based on roll bond manufacturing that can be produced at reduced cost with comparable or greater thermal efficiency.

Solar Market Research and Analysis Publications | Solar Research | NREL

Science.gov (United States)

Market Research and Analysis Publications Solar Market Research and Analysis Publications NREL researchers and analysts publish a variety of documents related to solar market research and analysis achieving the SETO 2030 residential PV cost target of $0.05 /kWh by identifying and quantifying cost

Forced-circulation solar water heater using a solar battery; Taiyo denchi wo mochiita kyosei junkanshiki taiyonetsu onsuiki

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Asai, S; Mizuno, T [Yazaki Resources Co. Ltd., Shizuoka (Japan)

1996-10-27

For the purpose of satisfying demands for qualitative improvement on tapwater temperature and pressure, an indirect-type solar water heater using solar cells, in which a closed type hot water storage tank connected directly to the water supply is integrated with a solar collector, was examined for its characteristics and performance. The heat collecting medium is a water solution of polypropylene glycol, which circulates through the solar collector pump, cistern, solar collector, and heat exchanger (hot water storage tank). The results of the test are summarized below. When comparison is made between the two solar collector pump control methods, the solar cells direct connection method and the differential thermo method utilizing temperature difference between the solar collector and the hot water storage tank, they are alike in collecting heat on clear days, but on cloudy days the latter collects 5% more than the former. In winter, when the heat exchanger heat transfer area is 0.4m{sup 2} large, a further increase in the area improves but a little the heat collecting efficiency. An increase in the medium flow rate and temperature, or in the Reynolds number, enhances the heat collecting efficiency. 13 figs., 6 tabs.

Solar water disinfecting system using compound parabolic concentrating collector

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

El-Ghetany, H.H.; Saitoh, T.S. [Tohoku Univ., Sendai (Japan)

2000-05-31

Solar water disinfection is an alternative technology using solar radiation and thermal treatment to inactivate and destroy pathogenic microorganisms present in water. The Compound Parabolic Concentrating, (CPC) collector can be used as an efficient key component for solar disinfectanting system. Two types of the CPC collectors are studied, namely the transparent-tube and the Copper-tube CPC collector. It is found that after 30 minutes of exposing the water sample to solar radiation or heating it up to 65 degree C for a few minuets all the coliform bacterial present in the contaminated water sample were completely eliminated. In this article, the effect of water temperature on the disinfecting process was presented. Thermal and micro-biological measurements were also made to evaluate the system performance. (author)

Solar Energy for Space Heating & Hot Water.

Science.gov (United States)

Energy Research and Development Administration, Washington, DC. Div. of Solar Energy.

This pamphlet reviews the direct transfer of solar energy into heat, particularly for the purpose of providing space and hot water heating needs. Owners of buildings and homes are provided with a basic understanding of solar heating and hot water systems: what they are, how they perform, the energy savings possible, and the cost factors involved.…

A completely passive continuous flow solar water purification system

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Duff, William S.; Hodgson, David A. [Dept. of Mechanical Enginnering, Colorado State Univ., Fort Collins, CO (United States)

2008-07-01

Water-borne pathogens in developing countries cause several billion cases of disease and up to 10 million deaths each year, at least half of which are children. Solar water pasteurization is a potentially cost-effective, robust and reliable solution to these problems. A completely passively controlled solar water pasteurization system with a total collector area of 0.45 m{sup 2} has been constructed. The system most recently tested produced 337 litres per m{sup 2} of collector area of treated water on a sunny day. We developed our completely passive density-driven solar water pasteurization system over a five year span so that it now achieves reliable control for all possible variations in solar conditions. We have also substantially increased its daily pure water production efficiency over the same period. We will discuss the performance of our water purification system and provide an analyses that demonstrates that the system insures safe purified water production at all times. (orig.)

Residential Solar Photovoltaics: Comparison of Financing Benefits, Innovations, and Options

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Speer, B.

2012-10-01

This report examines relatively new, innovative financing methods for residential photovoltaics (PV) and compares them to traditional self-financing. It provides policymakers with an overview of the residential PV financing mechanisms, describes relative advantages and challenges, and analyzes differences between them where data is available. Because these innovative financing mechanisms have only been implemented in a few locations, this report can inform their wider adoption.

Application of solar roof shallow pool at individual residental buildings

OpenAIRE

Gavrilović Dragan J.

2011-01-01

The paper discusses the possibility of applying shallow roof pools of water on the basis of passive solar water capture functioning as thermal batteries and thermal "regulators" in a "hot - cold" mode with individual residential buildings. With this application, the utilization of the existing functionality of the building roof area would improve and open up the possibility of achieving better overall bio-climate individual object. By using this system, a flat roof impassable "terrace" ...

Solar photocatalytic cleaning of polluted water. Solare Reinigung verschmutzter Waesser mittels Photokatalyse

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bockelmann, D

1994-01-01

Alternatively to biological, physical and chemical methods of waste water cleaning, photocatalysis can be employed. In this residue-free method, titanium dioxide particles are brought into contact with polluted water as photocatalysts. Under UV irradiation at wave-lengths below 400 nm, change carriers are generated in the semiconductor particles that act so intensely oxidizing as to completely degrade almost all organic pollutants in waste water. In this process, the ultra-violet part of the solar spectrum can be harnessed to generate oxidation equivalents. Thus, solar photocatalytic waste water cleaning is excellently suited for developing countries. (BWI)

Smart solar tanks for small solar domestic hot water systems

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Furbo, Simon; Andersen, Elsa; Knudsen, Søren

2005-01-01

Investigation of small SDHW systems based on smart solar tanks are presented. The domestic water in a smart solar tank can be heated both by solar collectors and by means of an auxiliary energy supply system. The auxiliary energy supply system – in this study electric heating elements – heats up...... systems, based on differently designed smart solar tanks and a traditional SDHW system were investigated by means of laboratory experiments and theoretical calculations. The investigations showed that the yearly thermal performance of SDHW systems with smart solar tanks is 5-35% higher than the thermal...... performance of traditional SDHW systems. Estimates indicate that the performance/cost ratio can be improved by up to 25% by using a smart solar tank instead of a traditional tank when the backup energy system is electric heating elements. Further, smart solar tanks are suitable for unknown, variable, large...

The performance of residential micro-cogeneration coupled with thermal and electrical storage

Science.gov (United States)

Kopf, John

Over 80% of residential secondary energy consumption in Canada and Ontario is used for space and water heating. The peak electricity demands resulting from residential energy consumption increase the reliance on fossil-fuel generation stations. Distributed energy resources can help to decrease the reliance on central generation stations. Presently, distributed energy resources such as solar photovoltaic, wind and bio-mass generation are subsidized in Ontario. Micro-cogeneration is an emerging technology that can be implemented as a distributed energy resource within residential or commercial buildings. Micro-cogeneration has the potential to reduce a building's energy consumption by simultaneously generating thermal and electrical power on-site. The coupling of a micro-cogeneration device with electrical storage can improve the system's ability to reduce peak electricity demands. The performance potential of micro-cogeneration devices has yet to be fully realized. This research addresses the performance of a residential micro-cogeneration device and it's ability to meet peak occupant electrical loads when coupled with electrical storage. An integrated building energy model was developed of a residential micro-cogeneration system: the house, the micro-cogeneration device, all balance of plant and space heating components, a thermal storage device, an electrical storage device, as well as the occupant electrical and hot water demands. This model simulated the performance of a micro-cogeneration device coupled to an electrical storage system within a Canadian household. A customized controller was created in ESP-r to examine the impact of various system control strategies. The economic performance of the system was assessed from the perspective of a local energy distribution company and an end-user under hypothetical electricity export purchase price scenarios. It was found that with certain control strategies the micro-cogeneration system was able to improve the

Effect of Ducted HPWH on Space-Conditioning and Water Heating Energy Use -- Central Florida Lab Home

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Colon, Carlos [Florida Solar Energy Center, Cocoa, FL (United States); Martin, Eric [Florida Solar Energy Center, Cocoa, FL (United States); Parker, Danny [Florida Solar Energy Center, Cocoa, FL (United States)

2016-11-01

The purpose of this research is to investigate the impact of ducted heat pump water heaters (HPWH's) on space conditioning and water heating energy use in residential applications. Two identical HPWH's, each of 60 gallon capacity were tested side by side at the Flexible Residential Test facility (FRTF) laboratories of the Florida Solar Energy Center (FSEC) campus in Cocoa, Florida. The water heating experiments were run in each test house from July 2014 until February 2015.

The development of a solar residential heating and cooling system

Science.gov (United States)

1975-01-01

The MSFC solar heating and cooling facility was assembled to demonstrate the engineering feasibility of utilizing solar energy for heating and cooling buildings, to provide an engineering evaluation of the total system and the key subsystems, and to investigate areas of possible improvement in design and efficiency. The basic solar heating and cooling system utilizes a flat plate solar energy collector, a large water tank for thermal energy storage, heat exchangers for space heating, and an absorption cycle air conditioner for space cooling. A complete description of all systems is given. Development activities for this test system included assembly, checkout, operation, modification, and data analysis, all of which are discussed. Selected data analyses for the first 15 weeks of testing are included, findings associated with energy storage and the energy storage system are outlined, and conclusions resulting from test findings are provided. An evaluation of the data for summer operation indicates that the current system is capable of supplying an average of 50 percent of the thermal energy required to drive the air conditioner. Preliminary evaluation of data collected for operation in the heating mode during the winter indicates that nearly 100 percent of the thermal energy required for heating can be supplied by the system.

Research and Development Needs for Building-Integrated Solar Technologies

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

none,

2014-01-01

The Building Technologies Office (BTO) has identified Building Integrated Solar Technologies (BIST) as a potentially valuable piece of the comprehensive pathway to help achieve its goal of reducing energy consumption in residential and commercial buildings by 50% by the year 2030. This report helps to identify the key research and development (R&D) needs that will be required for BIST to make a substantial contribution toward that goal. BIST include technologies for space heating and cooling, water heating, hybrid photovoltaic-thermal systems (PV/T), active solar lighting, and building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV).

Solar Stimulus: Perceptions of banks and credit unions towards solar loans in Massachusetts

Science.gov (United States)

Bahirwani, Suveer

Access to finance for residential solar photovoltaic systems (PV) is an essential element of the clean energy economy. Perceptions about solar PV and solar loans among lenders at banks and credit unions shape the availability of lending products for residential solar PV. In March 2015, interviews were carried out among select informants and subsequently, between April and May 2015, a survey was conducted to gauge the perceptions of lenders in Massachusetts. Lenders have a range of concerns with the market and the provision of solar loans. These concerns can be grouped around risk, market size or viability and policy uncertainty. In summary, lending for this segment is not a priority for banks and credit unions in Massachusetts at this time. Recommendations are offered for the lending community and policymakers to improve adoption. Questions for further research are also presented.

Economic feasibility of solar water and space heating.

Science.gov (United States)

Bezdek, R H; Hirshberg, A S; Babcock, W H

1979-03-23

The economic feasibility in 1977 and 1978 of solar water and combined water and space heating is analyzed for single-family detached residences and multi-family apartment buildings in four representative U.S. cities: Boston, Massachusetts; Washington, D.C.; Grand Junction, Colorado; and Los Angeles, California. Three economic decision criteria are utilized: payback period, years to recovery of down payment, and years to net positive cash flow. The cost competitiveness of the solar systems compared to heating systems based on electricity, fuel oil, and natural gas is then discussed for each city, and the impact of the federal tax credit for solar energy systems is assessed. It is found that even without federal incentives some solar water and space heating systems are competitive. Enactment of the solar tax credit, however, greatly enhances their competitiveness. The implications of these findings for government tax and energy pricing policies are discussed.

South Africa. Fertile ground for solar water heaters

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Oirere, Shem

2012-07-01

The national solar water heating plan, launched by South Africa's state power utility Eskom, seems to be making good progress with the power generator saying at least 215,000 solar water heater (SWH) systems had been installed by February this year. (orig.)

Heat exchanger for solar water heaters

Science.gov (United States)

Cash, M.; Krupnick, A. C.

1977-01-01

Proposed efficient double-walled heat exchanger prevents contamination of domestic water supply lines and indicates leakage automatically in solar as well as nonsolar heat sources using water as heat transfer medium.

Energy efficiency of a solar domestic hot water system

Science.gov (United States)

Zukowski, Miroslaw

2017-11-01

The solar domestic hot water (SDHW) system located on the campus of Bialystok University of Technology is the object of the research described in the current paper. The solar thermal system is composed of 35 flat plate collectors, 21 evacuated tube collectors and eight hot water tanks with the capacity of 1 m3 of each. Solar facility is equipped with hardware for automatic data collection. Additionally, the weather station located on the roof of the building provides measurements of basic parameters of ambient air and solar radiation. The main objective of Regional Operational Program was the assessment of the effectiveness of this solar energy technology in the climatic conditions of the north-eastern Poland. Energy efficiency of SDHW system was defined in this research as the ratio between the useful heat energy supplied to the domestic hot water system and solar energy incident on the surface of solar panels. Heat loss from water storage tanks, and from the pipe network to the surrounding air, as well as the electrical energy consumed by the pumps have been included in the calculations. The paper presents the detailed results and conclusions obtained from this energy analysis.

An overview of the development of solar water heater industry in China

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Runqing, Hu; Peijun, Sun; Zhongying, Wang

2012-01-01

This article introduce the development of China solar water heater industry .Gives an overview of stages, market, manufacturing, application and testing about China solar water heater industry. Show the market data from 1998 to 2009. Analyze the experiences and features about the industry. The article also introduces the policy for solar hot water industry in China. These policies have accelerated the development of industry in which the main two incentive policies have the greatest influence on solar water heater industry. First one is the policy of mandatory installation of solar water heater implemented since 2007 by some local governments at provincial and municipal levels. Second is the subsidy policy for solar water heaters in the household appliances going to the countryside scheme implemented since 2009. At last the article gives the reason why China solar water heater industry have so rapid growth. From technology research, industrialization, prices and policy environment gives analysis. - Highlights: ► We compared International and China market about solar thermal products. ► The reason for rapid development of China solar water heater is explained. ► The experience of China solar water heater industry would give reference to other develop country. ► “Meet the demands of customer” is the main driver for the solar water heater industry development. ► The policy framework about China solar thermal industry was introduced. The industry achieved commercial operation without subsidy.

Analysis of a solar water thermosyphon system; Analise do aquecimento solar de agua por sistema a termosifao

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cardenas, Abner Barzola

1992-07-01

A design methodology and to perform the simulation of flat plate solar collectors coupled with a water storage tank and operating by natural convection circulation is presented. For a given site the incident solar radiation on a tilted and previously oriented surface is determined from solar astronomy and the dally average of the monthly data of the horizontal total solar radiation. Huancayo situated in Peru (at 12.05 deg S, long. 76.18 deg W, altitude 3,312 m), is chosen as the site to be installed the solar water system, as a mean to improve the peasant's standard of life. An optimum tilt angle for a north oriented collector surface is obtained in order to have a maximum solar capture during the water. The theoretical methodology use here is based upon the ONG's paper (1976), and in attrition is considered the hot water drainage due to the dally consumption. For the sake of comparison, the calculated flowrate values are confronted with the experimental data obtained by FERNANDEZ, for a same site location (Rio de Janeiro) and are used identical dimensions for the water thermosyphon heater. Finally, the economic feasibility of the solar water system is demonstrated when it is compared with the usual immersion electric resistance boiler. For the Peruvian conditions the more adequate solar water system for a rural or domestic usage is a 1.4 m{sup 2} area solar collector (6 parallel, 15,875 mm copper tubes), 100 l capacity for the water storage tank, 33.5 mm for the connecting tubes, being of 300 mm. The height between the collector top and the bottom of the tank. (author)

Analysis of a solar water thermosyphon system; Analise do aquecimento solar de agua por sistema a termosifao

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cardenas, Abner Barzola

1992-07-01

A design methodology and to perform the simulation of flat plate solar collectors coupled with a water storage tank and operating by natural convection circulation is presented. For a given site the incident solar radiation on a tilted and previously oriented surface is determined from solar astronomy and the dally average of the monthly data of the horizontal total solar radiation. Huancayo situated in Peru (at 12.05 deg S, long. 76.18 deg W, altitude 3,312 m), is chosen as the site to be installed the solar water system, as a mean to improve the peasant's standard of life. An optimum tilt angle for a north oriented collector surface is obtained in order to have a maximum solar capture during the water. The theoretical methodology use here is based upon the ONG's paper (1976), and in attrition is considered the hot water drainage due to the dally consumption. For the sake of comparison, the calculated flowrate values are confronted with the experimental data obtained by FERNANDEZ, for a same site location (Rio de Janeiro) and are used identical dimensions for the water thermosyphon heater. Finally, the economic feasibility of the solar water system is demonstrated when it is compared with the usual immersion electric resistance boiler. For the Peruvian conditions the more adequate solar water system for a rural or domestic usage is a 1.4 m{sup 2} area solar collector (6 parallel, 15,875 mm copper tubes), 100 l capacity for the water storage tank, 33.5 mm for the connecting tubes, being of 300 mm. The height between the collector top and the bottom of the tank. (author)

Survey of active solar thermal collectors, industry and markets in Canada : final report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2005-08-01

A survey of the solar thermal industry in Canada was presented. The aim of the survey was to determine the size of the Canadian solar thermal industry and market. Data were used to derive thermal energy output as well as avoided greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from solar thermal systems. The questionnaire was distributed to 268 representatives. Results revealed annual sales of 24.2, 26.4 and 37.5 MW{sub TH} in 2002, 2003, and 2004 respectively, which represented over 50 per cent growth in the operating base during the 3 year survey period. Sales of all collector types grew substantially during the 3 year period, and survey respondents anticipated 20 per cent growth in both 2005 and 2006. Approximately 10 per cent of all sales were exported during 2002-2004. Unglazed liquid collectors constituted the majority of collector types sold in Canada, almost all of which were sold into the residential sector for swimming pool heating. The majority of air collectors were sold into the industrial/commercial and institutional (I/CI) sectors for use in space heating. Sales of liquid glazed and evacuated tube collectors were split between the residential and I/CI sectors. Residential sales were primarily for domestic water heating. In 2004, 23 per cent of sales in the residential sector were for combination domestic hot water and space heating applications, an indication of strong growth. Results of the survey indicated that the solar thermal market in Quebec differed from other regions, with more than double the annual per capita revenue of any other region as a result of greater market penetration of unglazed air collectors. Calculations of the GHG emissions avoided due to active solar thermal systems were made based on historical estimates of solar thermal installations. A model was developed to calculate an operating base by collector type from 1979 to the present. The model showed that many of the systems installed during the 1980s were decommissioned during the 1990s, and

Solar water splitting by photovoltaic-electrolysis with a solar-to-hydrogen efficiency over 30%

Science.gov (United States)

Jia, Jieyang; Seitz, Linsey C.; Benck, Jesse D.; Huo, Yijie; Chen, Yusi; Ng, Jia Wei Desmond; Bilir, Taner; Harris, James S.; Jaramillo, Thomas F.

2016-01-01

Hydrogen production via electrochemical water splitting is a promising approach for storing solar energy. For this technology to be economically competitive, it is critical to develop water splitting systems with high solar-to-hydrogen (STH) efficiencies. Here we report a photovoltaic-electrolysis system with the highest STH efficiency for any water splitting technology to date, to the best of our knowledge. Our system consists of two polymer electrolyte membrane electrolysers in series with one InGaP/GaAs/GaInNAsSb triple-junction solar cell, which produces a large-enough voltage to drive both electrolysers with no additional energy input. The solar concentration is adjusted such that the maximum power point of the photovoltaic is well matched to the operating capacity of the electrolysers to optimize the system efficiency. The system achieves a 48-h average STH efficiency of 30%. These results demonstrate the potential of photovoltaic-electrolysis systems for cost-effective solar energy storage. PMID:27796309

76 FR 63211 - Energy Efficiency Program: Test Procedures for Residential Water Heaters, Direct Heating...

Science.gov (United States)

2011-10-12

... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY 10 CFR Part 430 [Docket Number EERE-2011-BT-TP-0042] RIN 1904-AC53 Energy Efficiency Program: Test Procedures for Residential Water Heaters, Direct Heating Equipment, and Pool Heaters AGENCY: Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Department of Energy. ACTION: Request for...

Towards Highly Efficient Bias-Free Solar Water Splitting

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Abdi, F.F.

2013-01-01

Solar water splitting has attracted significant attention due to its potential of converting solar to chemical energy. It uses semiconductor to convert sunlight into electron-hole pairs, which then split water into hydrogen and oxygen. The hydrogen can be used as a renewable fuel, or it can serve as

Solar power water distillation unit

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hameed, Kamran; Khan, Muhammad Muzammil; Ateeq, Ijlal Shahrukh; Omair, Syed Muhammad; Ahmer, Muhammad; Wajid, Abdul

2013-01-01

Clean drinking water is the basic necessity for every human being, but about 1.1 billion people in the world lacked proper drinking water. There are many different types of water purification processes such as filtration, reverse osmosis, ultraviolet radiation, carbon absorption, but the most reliable processes are distillation and boiling. Water purification, such as distillation, is especially important in regions where water resources or tap water is not suitable for ingesting without boiling or chemical treatment. In design project It treats the water by combining different methods such as Filtration, Distillation and a technique called concentrated solar power (CSP). Distillation is literally the method seen in nature, whereby: the sun heats the water on the earth's surface, the water is turned into a vapor (evaporation) and rises, leaving contaminants behind, to form clouds. As the upper atmosphere drops in temperature the vapors cool and convert back to water to form water. In this project distillation is achieved by using a parabolic mirror which boils water at high temperature. Filtration is done by sand filter and carbon filter. First sand filter catches the sand particles and the carbon filter which has granules of active carbon is used to remove odor dissolved gases from water. This is the Pre-treatment of water. The filtered water is then collected in a water container at a focus of parabolic mirror where distillation process is done. Another important feature of designed project is the solar tracking of a parabolic mirror which increases the efficiency of a parabolic mirror [1],[2].

Green Residential Demolitions: Case Study of Vacant Land Reuse in Storm Water Management in Cleveland

Science.gov (United States)

The demolition process impacts how vacant land might be reused for storm water management. For five residential demolition sites (Cleveland, Ohio), an enhanced green demolition process was observed in 2012, and soil physical and hydrologic characteristics were measured predemolit...

Solar photovoltaic power for water desalination

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wood, J. R.; Crutcher, J. L.; Norbedo, A. J.; Cummings, A. B.

1980-07-01

There is a considerable global need for systems which can meet the drinking water requirements of small communities (7000 people or less) from brackish water or from seawater. Solar photovoltaic panels are an ideal source of power for the purpose, primarily because they produce electricity, which can be used to power a membrane type desalting unit, i.e., either a reverse osmosis plant or an electrodialysis unit. In addition, electricity is most convenient for feedwater pumping. This paper addresses considerations which arise in the design and construction of a complete solar powered water desalination system which requires no supply of fuel nor any form of backup power (grid connection or engine generator).

Pasteurization of naturally contaminated water with solar energy.

OpenAIRE

Ciochetti, D A; Metcalf, R H

1984-01-01

A solar box cooker (SBC) was constructed with a cooking area deep enough to hold several 3.7-liter jugs of water, and this was used to investigate the potential of using solar energy to pasteurize naturally contaminated water. When river water was heated either in the SBC or on a hot plate, coliform bacteria were inactivated at temperatures of 60 degrees C or greater. Heating water in an SBC to at least 65 degrees C ensures that the water will be above the milk pasteurization temperature of 6...

Installation package for a sunspot cascade solar water heating system

Science.gov (United States)

1980-01-01

Solar water heating systems installed at Tempe, Arizona and San Diego, California are described. The systems consist of the following: collector, collector-tank water loop, solar tank, conventional tank, and controls. General guidelines which may be utilized in development of detailed installation plans and specifications are provided along with instruction on operation, maintenance, and installation of solar hot water systems.

Experimental Analysis of Cool Traditional Solar Shading Systems for Residential Buildings

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anna Laura Pisello

2015-03-01

Full Text Available In recent years there has been a growing interest in the development and thermal-energy analysis of passive solutions for reducing building cooling needs and thus improving indoor thermal comfort conditions. In this view, several studies were carried out about cool roofs and cool coatings, producing acknowledged mitigation effects on urban heat island phenomenon. The purpose of this work is to investigate the thermal-energy performance of cool louvers of shutters, usually installed in residential buildings, compared to dark color traditional shading systems. To this aim, two full-scale prototype buildings were continuously monitored under summer conditions and the role of the cool shutter in reducing the overheating of the shading system and the energy requirements for cooling was analyzed. After an in-lab optical analysis of the cool coating, showing a huge solar reflectance increase with respect to the traditional configuration, i.e., by about 75%, field monitoring results showed that the cool shutter is able to decrease the indoor air temperature up to 2 °C under free floating conditions. The corresponding energy saving was about 25%, with even much higher peaks during very hot summer conditions.

Solar water heater design package

Science.gov (United States)

1981-01-01

Package describes commercial domestic-hot-water heater with roof or rack mounted solar collectors. System is adjustable to pre-existing gas or electric hot-water house units. Design package includes drawings, description of automatic control logic, evaluation measurements, possible design variations, list of materials and installation tools, and trouble-shooting guide and manual.

75 FR 21981 - Energy Conservation Program: Energy Conservation Standards for Residential Water Heaters, Direct...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-27

... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY 10 CFR Part 430 [Docket Number EE-2006-BT-STD-0129] RIN 1904-AA90 Energy Conservation Program: Energy Conservation Standards for Residential Water Heaters, Direct Heating Equipment, and Pool Heaters Correction In rule document 2010-7611 beginning on page 20112 in the issue of Friday...

Solar thermal

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jones, J.

2006-01-01

While wind power is widely acknowledged as the most developed of the 'new' renewables, the number two technology, in terms of installed capacity functioning worldwide, is solar heating, or solar thermal. The author has investigated recent industry reports on how these markets are developing. The authors of an International Energy Agency (IEA) survey studied 41 countries in depth at the end of 2004, revealing that 141 million m 3 - corresponding to an installed capacity of 98.4 GWth - were installed in the sample countries (these nations represent 3.74 billion people, about 57% of the world's population). The installed capacity within the areas studied represents approximately 85%-90% of the solar thermal market worldwide. The use of solar heating varies greatly between countries - even close neighbours - and between economic regions. Its uptake often has more to do with policy than solar resource. There is also different uptake of technology. In China, Europe and Japan, plants with flat-plate and evacuated tube collectors are used, mainly to heat water and for space heating. Unglazed plastic collectors, used mainly for swimming pool heating, meanwhile, dominate the North American markets. Though the majority of solar heating installations today are installed on domestic rooftops, the larger-scale installations should not be overlooked. One important part of the market is the hotel sector - in particular hotels in locations that serve the seasonal summer holiday market, where solar is extremely effective. Likewise hospitals and residential homes, multi-family apartment blocks and sports centres are all good examples of places where solar thermal can deliver results. There are also a growing number of industrial applications, where solar thermal can meet the hot water needs (and possibly more) of a range of industries, such as food processing and agriculture. The ability of solar to provide a heat source for cooling is expected to become increasingly important as

Solar thermal

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jones, J.

2006-07-15

While wind power is widely acknowledged as the most developed of the 'new' renewables, the number two technology, in terms of installed capacity functioning worldwide, is solar heating, or solar thermal. The author has investigated recent industry reports on how these markets are developing. The authors of an International Energy Agency (IEA) survey studied 41 countries in depth at the end of 2004, revealing that 141 million m{sup 3} - corresponding to an installed capacity of 98.4 GWth - were installed in the sample countries (these nations represent 3.74 billion people, about 57% of the world's population). The installed capacity within the areas studied represents approximately 85%-90% of the solar thermal market worldwide. The use of solar heating varies greatly between countries - even close neighbours - and between economic regions. Its uptake often has more to do with policy than solar resource. There is also different uptake of technology. In China, Europe and Japan, plants with flat-plate and evacuated tube collectors are used, mainly to heat water and for space heating. Unglazed plastic collectors, used mainly for swimming pool heating, meanwhile, dominate the North American markets. Though the majority of solar heating installations today are installed on domestic rooftops, the larger-scale installations should not be overlooked. One important part of the market is the hotel sector - in particular hotels in locations that serve the seasonal summer holiday market, where solar is extremely effective. Likewise hospitals and residential homes, multi-family apartment blocks and sports centres are all good examples of places where solar thermal can deliver results. There are also a growing number of industrial applications, where solar thermal can meet the hot water needs (and possibly more) of a range of industries, such as food processing and agriculture. The ability of solar to provide a heat source for cooling is expected to become

Thermal study of a residential water solar heating system with two different absorbing surface configurations; Estudo termico de um sistema solar de aquecimento de agua residencial para duas configuracoes de superficie absorvedora

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Abreu, Rivaldo Ferreira

2009-10-15

A solar collector to be used in a system for heating water for bathing, whose main characteristics are its low cost and easy manufacturing and assembly is presented. The absorbing surface of the collector is formed by an aluminum plate with eight flaps where they lodge PVC pipes. The catchment area of solar radiation corresponds to 1.3 meters. The collector box was made of wood, it is covered by transparent glass and thermal insulation of tire chips and expanded polystyrene (EPS). Absorber tubes were connected in parallel through the use of PVC fittings and fixed to the plate by the use of metal poles and rivets. The entire absorber received paint fiat black for better absorption of sunlight. The system worked on a thermosyphon assembly and absorber of the collector has been tested in two configurations: with the tubes facing up, directly exposed to the impact of sunlight and facing down, exchanging heat with the plate by conduction. The most efficient configuration for the connect purpose was determined. The solar collector was connected to a thermal reservoir, also alternative, low-cost forming the system of solar water heating. We evaluated thermal parameters that proved the viability of the heating system studied. (author)

The origin of inner Solar System water.

Science.gov (United States)

Alexander, Conel M O'D

2017-05-28

Of the potential volatile sources for the terrestrial planets, the CI and CM carbonaceous chondrites are closest to the planets' bulk H and N isotopic compositions. For the Earth, the addition of approximately 2-4 wt% of CI/CM material to a volatile-depleted proto-Earth can explain the abundances of many of the most volatile elements, although some solar-like material is also required. Two dynamical models of terrestrial planet formation predict that the carbonaceous chondrites formed either in the asteroid belt ('classical' model) or in the outer Solar System (5-15 AU in the Grand Tack model). To test these models, at present the H isotopes of water are the most promising indicators of formation location because they should have become increasingly D-rich with distance from the Sun. The estimated initial H isotopic compositions of water accreted by the CI, CM, CR and Tagish Lake carbonaceous chondrites were much more D-poor than measured outer Solar System objects. A similar pattern is seen for N isotopes. The D-poor compositions reflect incomplete re-equilibration with H 2 in the inner Solar System, which is also consistent with the O isotopes of chondritic water. On balance, it seems that the carbonaceous chondrites and their water did not form very far out in the disc, almost certainly not beyond the orbit of Saturn when its moons formed (approx. 3-7 AU in the Grand Tack model) and possibly close to where they are found today.This article is part of the themed issue 'The origin, history and role of water in the evolution of the inner Solar System'. © 2017 The Author(s).

Synergistic effect of solar radiation and solar heating to disinfect drinking water sources.

Science.gov (United States)

Rijal, G K; Fujioka, R S

2001-01-01

Waterborne diseases are still common in developing countries as drinking water sources are contaminated and feasible means to reliably treat and disinfect these waters are not available. Many of these developing countries are in the tropical regions of the world where sunlight is plentiful. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of combining solar radiation and solar heating to disinfect contaminated water using a modified Family Sol*Saver System (FSP). The non-UV transmittable cover sheet of the former FSP system was replaced with an UV transmittable plastic cover sheet to enable more wavelengths of sunlight to treat the water. Disinfection efficiency of both systems was evaluated based on reduction of the natural populations of faecal coliform, E. coli, enterococci, C. perfringens, total heterotrophic bacteria, hydrogen sulphide producing bacteria and FRNA virus. The results showed that under sunny and partly sunny conditions, water was heated to critical temperature (60 degrees C) in both the FSP systems inactivating more than 3 log (99.9%) of the concentrations of faecal coliform and E. coli to undetectable levels of heat worked synergistically to enhance the inactivation of faecal indicator bacteria. The relative log removal of indicator microorganism in the FSP treated water was total heterotrophic bacteria heat and radiation effects of sunlight were important in disinfecting water by solar units. The data indicated that direct radiation of sunlight worked synergistically with solar heating of the water to disinfect the water. Thus, effective disinfection was observed even when the water temperature did not reach 60 degrees C. Finally, the hydrogen sulphide test is a simple and reliable test that householders can use to determine whether their water had been sufficiently disinfected.

Análise de um sistema de aquecimento de água para residências rurais, utilizando energia solar A water heating system analysis for rural residences, using solar energy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Luiz H. Basso

2010-02-01

Full Text Available A conscientização da importância do meio ambiente tem incentivado o estudo de novas fontes energéticas renováveis e menos poluentes. Dentre essas fontes, a energia solar destaca-se por ser perene e limpa. A utilização da energia solar em sistemas de aquecimento de água residencial rural pode colaborar com a economia de energia elétrica, base da matriz energética brasileira. Conhecer os fatores que influenciam na operação de um sistema de aquecimento de água por energia solar é importante na determinação de sua viabilidade técnica, visando a sua difusão em residências rurais. Para tanto, construiu-se um protótipo, no câmpus da Faculdade Assis Gurgacz, em Cascavel - PR, com características similares a um equipamento utilizado em residências para dois habitantes, para funcionar com circulação natural ou termossifão e sem auxílio de sistema de aquecimento complementar. O equipamento mostrou-se viável tecnicamente, alcançando a temperatura mínima para banho de 35 °C, sempre que a radiação solar foi superior a 3.500 Wh m-2, o que aconteceu para a maioria dos dias estudados.The awareness of the importance of the environment has stimulated the study of new renewed energy sources and less pollutant. Amongst these sources, solar energy stands alone for being perennial and clean. The use of solar energy in systems of agricultural residential water heating, can complement the economy of electric energy, base of the Brazilian energy matrix. Knowing the factors that influence the operation of a system of water heating by solar energy is important in determining their technical viabilities targeting their distribution in agricultural residences. To evaluate equipment of water heating for solar energy, a prototype was constructed in the campus of Assis Gurgacz College, in Cascavel,State of Paraná, Brazil, with similar characteristics to equipment used in residences for two inhabitants, to function with natural circulation or

Ground-water levels in aquifers used for residential supply, Campton Township, Kane County, Illinois

Science.gov (United States)

Kay, Robert T.; Kraske, Kurt A.

1996-01-01

The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Campton Township Board of Trustees, measured water levels in the aquifers used for residential supply in Campton Township, Kane County, Illinois. Aquifers used for residential supply are the shallow and deep aquifers in the glacial drift, composed of unconsolidated sand and gravels; the Alexandrian-Maquoketa aquifer, composed of dolomite and shale of the Alexandrian Series and the Maquoketa Group; the Galena-Platteville aquifer, composed of dolomite of the Platteville and Galena Groups; and the Ancell aquifer, composed of sandstones of the Glenwood Formation and the St. Peter Sanstone. Water-level altitudes in the shallow drift aquifers generally follow surface topography. Analysis of water-level data does not clearly indicate overutilization of these aquifers. Water-level altitudes in the deep drift aquifers decrease from west to east. Comparison of historical depth to water measurements with current (1995) measurements indicates large decreases in water levels in some areas. The deep drift aquifers may be overutilized at these locations. Water-level altitudes in the Alexandrian-Maquoketa aquifer generally decrease from west to east. The potentiometric surface of the aquifer follows the bedrock-surface topography in some locations. Localized low water-level altitudes and large decreases in water levels indicate the Alexandrian-Maquoketa aquifer is overutilized in several areas. Water-level altitudes in the wells finished in the Galena- Platteville aquifer vary by more than 300 feet. Large decreases in water levels in wells finished in the Galena-Platteville aquifer indicate the Galena-Platteville and Alexandrian-Maquoketa aquifers are overutilized in the northern part of the township. Water-level altitudes in the wells finished in the Ancell aquifer are also highly variable. There is no indication that the Ancell aquifer is overutilized.

Assessing Receiving Water Quality Impacts due to Flow Path Alteration in Residential Catchments, using the Stormwater and Wastewater Management Model

Science.gov (United States)

Wolosoff, S. E.; Duncan, J.; Endreny, T.

2001-05-01

The Croton water supply system, responsible for supplying approximately 10% of New York City's water, provides an opportunity for exploration into the impacts of significant terrestrial flow path alteration upon receiving water quality. Natural flow paths are altered during residential development in order to allow for construction at a given location, reductions in water table elevation in low lying areas and to provide drainage of increased overland flow volumes. Runoff conducted through an artificial drainage system, is prevented from being attenuated by the natural environment, thus the pollutant removal capacity inherent in most natural catchments is often limited to areas where flow paths are not altered by development. By contrasting the impacts of flow path alterations in two small catchments in the Croton system, with different densities of residential development, we can begin to identify appropriate limits to the re-routing of runoff in catchments draining into surface water supplies. The Stormwater and Wastewater Management Model (SWMM) will be used as a tool to predict the runoff quantity and quality generated from two small residential catchments and to simulate the potential benefits of changes to the existing drainage system design, which may improve water quality due to longer residence times.

Using Solar Hot Water to Address Piping Heat Losses in Multifamily Buildings

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Springer, David [Alliance for Residential Building Innovation, Davis, CA (United States); Seitzler, Matt [Alliance for Residential Building Innovation, Davis, CA (United States); Backman, Christine [Alliance for Residential Building Innovation, Davis, CA (United States); Weitzel, Elizabeth [Alliance for Residential Building Innovation, Davis, CA (United States)

2015-10-01

Solar thermal water heating is most cost effective when applied to multifamily buildings and some states offer incentives or other inducements to install them. However, typical solar water heating designs do not allow the solar generated heat to be applied to recirculation losses, only to reduce the amount of gas or electric energy needed for hot water that is delivered to the fixtures. For good reasons, hot water that is recirculated through the building is returned to the water heater, not to the solar storage tank. The project described in this report investigated the effectiveness of using automatic valves to divert water that is normally returned through the recirculation piping to the gas or electric water heater instead to the solar storage tank. The valves can be controlled so that the flow is only diverted when the returning water is cooler than the water in the solar storage tank.

The UK solar water heating industry: a period of development and growth

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Blower, John

2001-01-01

This 2001 edition of the guide to UK renewable energy companies examines the solar water heating sector in the UK and presents an illustration of the layout of a typical solar water heating system. The rising demand for solar water heating and growth in sales especially in the export market are noted. Developments within the UK solar water heating manufacturing industry are considered, and details are given of design and development in innovative policy infrastructure, and the SHINE 21 project supported by the EU's ADAPT programme and the UK Department of Trade and Industry involving collaboration between the solar water heating and plumbing industries. Developments in the new build sectors including in-roof solar collector products and the increasing number of solar water heating systems installed in UK houses are discussed along with the promising future for the market

Solar Water Heating with Low-Cost Plastic Systems (Brochure)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

2012-01-01

Newly developed solar water heating technology can help Federal agencies cost effectively meet the EISA requirements for solar water heating in new construction and major renovations. This document provides design considerations, application, economics, and maintenance information and resources.

A novel solar-assisted heat pump driven by photovoltaic/thermal collectors: Dynamic simulation and thermoeconomic optimization

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Calise, Francesco; Dentice d'Accadia, Massimo; Figaj, Rafal Damian; Vanoli, Laura

2016-01-01

This paper presents a dynamic simulation model and a thermo-economic analysis of a novel polygeneration system based on a solar-assisted heat pump and an adsorption chiller, both driven by PVT (photovoltaic/thermal) collectors. The aim of this work is to design and dynamically simulate a novel ultra-high efficient solar heating and cooling system. The overall plant layout is designed to supply electricity, space heating and cooling and domestic hot water for a small residential building. The system combines solar cooling, solar-assisted heat pump and photovoltaic/thermal collector technologies in a novel solar polygeneration system. In fact, the polygeneration system is based on a PVT solar field, coupled with a water-to-water electric heat pump or to an adsorption chiller. PVT collectors simultaneously produce electricity and thermal energy. During the winter, hot water produced by PVT collectors primarily supplies the evaporator of the heat pump, whereas in summer, solar energy supplies an adsorption chiller providing the required space cooling. All year long, solar thermal energy in excess is converted into DHW (domestic hot water). The system model was developed in TRNSYS environment. 1-year dynamic simulations are performed for different case studies in various weather conditions. The results are analysed on different time bases presenting energetic, environmental and economic performance data. Finally, a sensitivity analysis and a thermoeconomic optimization were performed, in order to determine the set of system design/control parameters that minimize the simple pay-back period. The results showed a total energy efficiency of the PVT of 49%, a heat pump yearly coefficient of performance for heating mode above 4 and a coefficient of performance of the adsorption chiller of 0.55. Finally, it is also concluded that system performance is highly sensitive to the PVT field area. The system is profitable when a capital investment subsidy of 50% is considered

Economic Investigation of Different Configurations of Inclined Solar Water Desalination Systems

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

O. Phillips Agboola

2014-02-01

Full Text Available This study empirically investigated the performance of four configurations of inclined solar water desalination (ISWD system for parameters such as daily production, efficiency, system cost, and distilled water production cost. The empirical findings show that in terms of daily productivity improved inclined solar water desalination (IISWD performed best with 6.41 kg/m2/day while improved inclined solar water desalination with wire mesh (IISWDWM produced the least with 3.0 kg/m2/day. In terms of cost price of the systems, the control system inclined solar water desalination (ISWD is the cheapest while IISWDWM is the most expensive system. Distilled water cost price ranges from 0.059 TL/kg, for IISWDW, to 0.134 TL/kg, for IISWDWM system. All the systems are economically and technically feasible as a solar desalination system for potable water in northern Cyprus. Potable water from vendors/hawkers ranges from 0.2 to 0.3 TL/kg.

Washington, D.C. | Midmarket Solar Policies in the United States | Solar

Science.gov (United States)

development have kept SREC prices high. Recent DC solar initiatives (e.g., the Solar Advantage Plus Program ) have targeted low-income residents. Small businesses may be able to leverage resources from the DC residential and commercial customer-generators with systems powered by renewable-energy sources. DC's net

Federal technology alert. Parabolic-trough solar water heating

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1998-04-01

Parabolic-trough solar water heating is a well-proven renewable energy technology with considerable potential for application at Federal facilities. For the US, parabolic-trough water-heating systems are most cost effective in the Southwest where direct solar radiation is high. Jails, hospitals, barracks, and other facilities that consistently use large volumes of hot water are particularly good candidates, as are facilities with central plants for district heating. As with any renewable energy or energy efficiency technology requiring significant initial capital investment, the primary condition that will make a parabolic-trough system economically viable is if it is replacing expensive conventional water heating. In combination with absorption cooling systems, parabolic-trough collectors can also be used for air-conditioning. Industrial Solar Technology (IST) of Golden, Colorado, is the sole current manufacturer of parabolic-trough solar water heating systems. IST has an Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract with the Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP) of the US Department of Energy (DOE) to finance and install parabolic-trough solar water heating on an Energy Savings Performance Contract (ESPC) basis for any Federal facility that requests it and for which it proves viable. For an ESPC project, the facility does not pay for design, capital equipment, or installation. Instead, it pays only for guaranteed energy savings. Preparing and implementing delivery or task orders against the IDIQ is much simpler than the standard procurement process. This Federal Technology Alert (FTA) of the New Technology Demonstration Program is one of a series of guides to renewable energy and new energy-efficient technologies.

Experimental Analysis of Desalination Unit Coupled with Solar Water Lens Concentrator

Science.gov (United States)

Chaithanya, K. K.; Rajesh, V. R.; Suresh, Rahul

2016-09-01

The main problem that the world faces in this scenario is shortage of potable water. Hence this research work rivets to increase the yield of desalination system in an economical way. The integration of solar concentrator and desalination unit can project the desired yield, but the commercially available concentrated solar power technologies (CSP) are not economically viable. So this study proposes a novel method to concentrate ample amount of solar radiation in a cost effective way. Water acting as lens is a highlighted technology initiated in this work, which can be a substitute for CSP systems. And water lens can accelerate the desalination process so as to increase the yield economically. The solar irradiance passing through the water will be concentrated at a focal point, and the concentration depends on curvature of water lens. The experimental analysis of water lens makes use of transparent thin sheet, supported on a metallic structure. The Plano convex shape of water lens is developed by varying the volume of water that is being poured on the transparent thin sheet. From the experimental analysis it is inferred that, as the curvature of water lens increases, solar irradiance can be focused more accurately on to the focus and a higher water temperature is obtained inside the solar still.

Experimental investigation of a Hybrid Solar Drier and Water Heater System

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mohajer, Alireza; Nematollahi, Omid; Joybari, Mahmood Mastani; Hashemi, Seyed Ahmad; Assari, Mohammad Reza

2013-01-01

Highlights: • A Hybrid Solar Drier and Water Heater System experimentally investigated. • Using collected data, GIS maps were plotted for solar energy of Khuzestan Province. • System is presented which facilitates a dual-purpose solar collector. • The system includes a 100 l water storage tank, a solar dryer with 5 trays. • Experiments were carried out to dry vegetables (parsley, dill and coriander). - Abstract: Drying process is of great importance in food industries. One of the best methods of food drying is using solar dryers. For initial estimation of solar energy, calculations were made for statistical information measured by Renewable Energy Organization of Iran. Using collected data, GIS maps were plotted for solar energy of Khuzestan Province, Iran. In this study, a new hybrid system is presented which facilitates a dual-purpose solar collector to simultaneously support a dryer system and provide consumptive hot water. The system includes a 100 l water storage tank, a solar dryer with 5 trays, and a dual-purpose collector. Experiments were carried out to dry a mixture of vegetables (parsley, dill and coriander) at constant air and water flow rates. Besides, an electrical heater has been used as an auxiliary source for heating. The results indicated that the system optimally dried the vegetables and simultaneously provided the consumptive hot water

DC Linked Hybrid Generation System with an Energy Storage Device including a Photo-Voltaic Generation and a Gas Engine Cogeneration for Residential Houses

Science.gov (United States)

Lung, Chienru; Miyake, Shota; Kakigano, Hiroaki; Miura, Yushi; Ise, Toshifumi; Momose, Toshinari; Hayakawa, Hideki

For the past few years, a hybrid generation system including solar panel and gas cogeneration is being used for residential houses. Solar panels can generate electronic power at daytime; meanwhile, it cannot generate electronic power at night time. But the power consumption of residential houses usually peaks in the evening. The gas engine cogeneration system can generate electronic power without such a restriction, and it also can generate heat power to warm up house or to produce hot water. In this paper, we propose the solar panel and gas engine co-generation hybrid system with an energy storage device that is combined by dc bus. If a black out occurs, the system still can supply electronic power for special house loads. We propose the control scheme for the system which are related with the charging level of the energy storage device, the voltage of the utility grid which can be applied both grid connected and stand alone operation. Finally, we carried out some experiments to demonstrate the system operation and calculation for loss estimation.

Solar 92: The 1992 American Solar Energy Society annual conference

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Burley, S.; Arden, M.E.

1992-01-01

The purpose of this symposium is to document the lessons learned from federal and state policies and programs in the late 1970's and 1980's aimed at promoting consumer use of solar energy. During this period the primary emphasis was on solar thermal technologies and passive solar design that could be used at the residential level, though there was also some information on stand-alone photovoltaic systems as well

Preheating Water In The Covers Of Solar Water Heaters

Science.gov (United States)

Bhandari, Pradeep

1995-01-01

Solar water heaters that include glass covers over absorber plates redesigned to increase efficiencies according to proposal. Redesign includes modification of single-layer glass cover into double-layer glass cover and addition of plumbing so cool water to be heated made to flow between layers of cover before entering absorber plate.

Progressing Deployment of Solar Photovoltaic Installations in the United States

Science.gov (United States)

Kwan, Calvin Lee

2011-07-01

This dissertation evaluates the likelihood of solar PV playing a larger role in national and state level renewable energy portfolios. I examine the feasibility of large-scale solar PV arrays on college campuses, the financials associated with large-scale solar PV arrays and finally, the influence of environmental, economic, social and political variables on the distribution of residential solar PV arrays in the United States. Chapter two investigates the challenges and feasibility of college campuses adopting a net-zero energy policy. Using energy consumption data, local solar insolation data and projected campus growth, I present a method to identify the minimum sized solar PV array that is required for the City College campus of the Los Angeles Community College District to achieve net-zero energy status. I document how current energy demand can be reduced using strategic demand side management, with remaining energy demand being met using a solar PV array. Chapter three focuses on the financial feasibility of large-scale solar PV arrays, using the proposed City College campus array as an example. I document that even after demand side energy management initiatives and financial incentives, large-scale solar PV arrays continue to have ROIs greater than 25 years. I find that traditional financial evaluation methods are not suitable for environmental projects such as solar PV installations as externalities are not taken into account and therefore calls for development of alternative financial valuation methods. Chapter four investigates the influence of environmental, social, economic and political variables on the distribution of residential solar PV arrays across the United States using ZIP code level data from the 2000 US Census. Using data from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory's Open PV project, I document where residential solar PVs are currently located. A zero-inflated negative binomial model was run to evaluate the influence of selected variables

Solar Water Splitting Using Semiconductor Photocatalyst Powders

KAUST Repository

Takanabe, Kazuhiro

2015-07-01

Solar energy conversion is essential to address the gap between energy production and increasing demand. Large scale energy generation from solar energy can only be achieved through equally large scale collection of the solar spectrum. Overall water splitting using heterogeneous photocatalysts with a single semiconductor enables the direct generation of H from photoreactors and is one of the most economical technologies for large-scale production of solar fuels. Efficient photocatalyst materials are essential to make this process feasible for future technologies. To achieve efficient photocatalysis for overall water splitting, all of the parameters involved at different time scales should be improved because the overall efficiency is obtained by the multiplication of all these fundamental efficiencies. Accumulation of knowledge ranging from solid-state physics to electrochemistry and a multidisciplinary approach to conduct various measurements are inevitable to be able to understand photocatalysis fully and to improve its efficiency.

Studi Kinerja Solar Water Heater Dengan Aliran Zig-zag Beralur Balok

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. Rizki Ikhsan

2017-05-01

Full Text Available Solar energy can be used for water heating by using solar water heater application. Therefore, its still needs some modification due to its low efficiency. This modification can be done by replacing the conventional plate of solar collectors into a double plate with a zig-zag pattern. The results shown that along with the decreasing of water flow rates could significantly increase the useful energy (Qu. Initial temperature of water inlet could affect the generated maximum temperature. The highest mean efficiencies of double plate solar water heater with a zig-zag grooved beams pattern of 49.11% was gained in the flow rate of 700 mL / min.

Summary of reports on 1979 result of Sunshine Project. Solar energy; 1979 nendo sunshine keikaku seika hokokusho gaiyoshu. Taiyo energy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1980-04-01

This report is a compilation of all outlines of the results concerning 'solar energy' for which R and D was carried out as a part of Sunshine Project in fiscal 1979. The research subjects (items of the studies) are written below. 1. Solar energy system (measurement of spectral irradiance, utilization system, and meteorological investigation); 2. Solar thermal power generation system; 3. Photovoltaic power generation system (basic research on solar cells, silicon vertical ribbon crystal, silicon horizontal ribbon crystal, particle non-acceleration growth type thin film silicon crystal, particle acceleration growth type thin film silicon crystal, new type solar cells, secondary to quaternary compound semiconductor solar cells, and photovoltaic power generation system); 4. Solar cooling, heating and hot water supply system (evaluation system, newly-built private residential system, existing private residential system, multiple dwelling system, large building system, synthetic resin materials, glass based materials, and metallic materials); 5. Solar energy new utilization method (new power generation system and materials); 6. R and D on solar thermal power generation plant (R and D on pilot plant, experimental research for developing plant on curved surface converging method, and experimental research for developing plant on tower converging method). (NEDO)

Cost-Reduction Roadmap for Residential Solar Photovoltaics (PV),

Science.gov (United States)

Office (SETO) residential 2030 photovoltaics (PV) cost target of $0.05 per kilowatt-hour by identifying could influence system costs in key market segments. This report examines two key market segments that demonstrate significant opportunities for cost savings and market growth: installing PV at the time of roof

Carbon-Electrode-Tailored All-Inorganic Perovskite Solar Cells To Harvest Solar and Water-Vapor Energy.

Science.gov (United States)

Duan, Jialong; Hu, Tianyu; Zhao, Yuanyuan; He, Benlin; Tang, Qunwei

2018-05-14

Moisture is the worst enemy for state-of-the-art perovskite solar cells (PSCs). However, the flowing water vapor within nanoporous carbonaceous materials can create potentials. Therefore, it is a challenge to integrate water vapor and solar energies into a single PSC device. We demonstrate herein all-inorganic cesium lead bromide (CsPbBr 3 ) solar cells tailored with carbon electrodes to simultaneously harvest solar and water-vapor energy. Upon interfacial modification and plasma treatment, the bifunctional PSCs yield a maximum power conversion efficiency up to 9.43 % under one sun irradiation according to photoelectric conversion principle and a power output of 0.158 μW with voltage of 0.35 V and current of 0.45 μA in 80 % relative humidity through the flowing potentials at the carbon/water interface. The initial efficiency is only reduced by 2 % on exposing the inorganic PSC with 80 % humidity over 40 days. The successful realization of physical proof-of-concept multi-energy integrated solar cells provides new opportunities of maximizing overall power output. © 2018 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Strontium Concentrations in Corrosion Products from Residential Drinking Water Distribution Systems

Science.gov (United States)

2013-04-22

compounds are Sr2+SO4 (celestite) and Sr 2+ CO3 (strontianite). Naturally occurring Sr2+ compounds are highly soluble in water; consequently, Sr2+ is readily...and one from Utility C (UC) were collected from single 30 cm long sections of 15 cm id unlined cast iron residential mains. Two iron corrosion...in top-up mode at 7 GeV and a ring current of 101 mA. A 0.5 mm premonochromator slit width and a Si(111) double crystal monochromator detuned by 10

Role of solar ultraviolet radiation in 'natural' water purification

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Calkins, J; Buckles, J D; Moeller, J R [Kentucky Univ., Lexington (USA)

1976-07-01

The concentration of Eschericia coli in the input and output of a tertiary wastewater system (4 lagoons) has been monitored over an 11 month period. The integrated flux of biologically active solar ultraviolet (UV) radiation was measured during this period. By also determining (1) the effective temperature in the system, (2) the growth rate of E.coli at the effective temperature, (3) the penetration of the solar UV into the lagoons, (4) the dose-response relation for killing of E.coli by UV and (5) the retention time of water in the system, it is possible to compare the 'die off' expected from solar UV exposure to the actual 'die off' observed for different batches of water. The observed killing of E.coli was quite close to the values calculated, considering the numerous factors involved. Solar UV light would thus seem to be a very important factor in the natural purification of water. Because each successful species must possess characteristics (physiological or behavioral) which provide adequate resistance to solar UV, the ecological role of solar UV radiation has not been widely appreciated.

Use of solar energy for disinfection of polluted water

OpenAIRE

Y. Jamil; M.R. Ahmad; K. Ali; A. Habeeb; M. Hassan

2009-01-01

Polluted water is causing serious health problems especially in the rural areas of Pakistan. People have limited access to safe water supply and many diseases like diarrhea and gastrointestinal diseases are transmitted by consumption of polluted water. We have investigated the potential of using solar energy to pasteurize water. Low cost indigenously available materials have been utilized to design and fabricate a solar box type pasteurizer having a capacity of three liters. The p...

Prototype solar heating and hot water system

Science.gov (United States)

1977-01-01

Progress is reported in the development of a solar heating and hot water system which uses a pyramidal optics solar concentrator for heating, and consists of the following subsystems: collector, control, transport, and site data acquisition. Improvements made in the components and subsystems are discussed.

Solar system for domestic hot water and space heating

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Weiss, W. [Arbeitsgemeinschaf Erneubare Energie, Gleisdorf (Austria)

1997-12-31

The solar thermal markets, different types of solar systems for hot water and space heating, the dimensioning and the components of solar heating systems, the properties of the systems are reviewed in this presentation

Solar system for domestic hot water and space heating

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Weiss, W [Arbeitsgemeinschaf Erneubare Energie, Gleisdorf (Austria)

1998-12-31

The solar thermal markets, different types of solar systems for hot water and space heating, the dimensioning and the components of solar heating systems, the properties of the systems are reviewed in this presentation

A simple high efficiency solar water purification system

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Duff, W.S.; Hodgson, D.A. [Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO (United States). Dept. of Mechanical Engineering

2005-07-01

A new passive solar water pasteurization system based on density difference flow principles has been designed, built and tested. The system contains no valves and regulates flow based on the density difference between two columns of water. The new system eliminates boiling problems encountered in previous designs. Boiling is undesirable because it may contaminate treated water. The system with a total absorber area of 0.45 m2 has achieved a peak flow rate of 19.3 kg/h of treated water. Experiments with the prototype systems presented in this paper show that density driven systems are an attractive option to existing solar water pasteurization approaches. (author)

The ancient heritage of water ice in the solar system.

Science.gov (United States)

Cleeves, L Ilsedore; Bergin, Edwin A; Alexander, Conel M O'D; Du, Fujun; Graninger, Dawn; Öberg, Karin I; Harries, Tim J

2014-09-26

Identifying the source of Earth's water is central to understanding the origins of life-fostering environments and to assessing the prevalence of such environments in space. Water throughout the solar system exhibits deuterium-to-hydrogen enrichments, a fossil relic of low-temperature, ion-derived chemistry within either (i) the parent molecular cloud or (ii) the solar nebula protoplanetary disk. Using a comprehensive treatment of disk ionization, we find that ion-driven deuterium pathways are inefficient, which curtails the disk's deuterated water formation and its viability as the sole source for the solar system's water. This finding implies that, if the solar system's formation was typical, abundant interstellar ices are available to all nascent planetary systems. Copyright © 2014, American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Solar buildings program contract summary, calendar year 1999

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2000-06-07

The mission of the US Department of Energy's Solar Buildings Program is to advance the development and widespread deployment of competitive solar thermal technologies for use in buildings. The long-term goal of the Program is to combine solar energy technologies with energy-efficient construction techniques and create cost-effective buildings that have a zero net need for fossil fuel energy on an annual basis. The Solar Buildings Program conducts research and development on solar technologies that can deliver heat, light, and hot water to residential and commercial buildings. By working closely with manufacturers in both the buildings and solar energy industries and by supporting research at universities and national laboratories, the Solar Buildings Program brings together the diverse players developing reliable and affordable solar technologies for building applications. The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in Golden, Colorado, and Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) in Albuquerque, New Mexico, jointly participate in the Solar Buildings Program. These two national laboratories work closely with industry researching new concepts, developing technology improvements, reducing manufacturing costs, monitoring system performance, promoting quality assurance, and identifying potential new markets. In calendar year 1999, the Solar Buildings Program focused primarily on solar hot water system research and development (R and D), US industry manufacturing assistance, and US market assistance. The Program also completed a number of other projects that were begun in earlier years. This Contract Summary describes the Program's contracted activities that were active during 1999.

Factor 4 working group: preparing future is urgent. Energy saving certificates. The tax credit boosts the solar water heater and heat pump sales. Climatic change and energy: the Californian example

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Laverne, R.; Rabany, B.; Leclercq, M.; Lorec, Ph.; Schweitzer, J.Ph.

2007-01-01

This issue of 'Energies et Matieres Premieres' newsletter comprises 4 articles dealing with: the concluding report of the 'Factor 4' working group which expresses 28 recommendations in the form of energy policy proposals necessary to be implemented as soon as possible in order for France to start a society and economy transition and to reach the 2050 goal of dividing the present day greenhouse gas emissions by a factor 4; the energy saving certificates implemented with the July 13, 2005 law of energy policy choices, which targets the diffuse energy saving sources in the residential and tertiary sectors; the success of the tax credit for the use of solar thermal water heaters, wood-fuel space heating appliances and air/water and geothermal heat pumps, in particular in the residential sector; the problem of the links between climatic change and energy and the lessons learnt from the example of the 'new sustainable economy' of California (USA). (J.S.)

Graphene-Based Standalone Solar Energy Converter for Water Desalination and Purification.

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Yang; Zhao, Ruiqi; Zhang, Tengfei; Zhao, Kai; Xiao, Peishuang; Ma, Yanfeng; Ajayan, Pulickel M; Shi, Gaoquan; Chen, Yongsheng

2018-01-23

Harvesting solar energy for desalination and sewage treatment has been considered as a promising solution to produce clean water. However, state-of-the-art technologies often require optical concentrators and complicated systems with multiple components, leading to poor efficiency and high cost. Here, we demonstrate an extremely simple and standalone solar energy converter consisting of only an as-prepared 3D cross-linked honeycomb graphene foam material without any other supporting components. This simple all-in-one material can act as an ideal solar thermal converter capable of capturing and converting sunlight into heat, which in turn can distill water from various water sources into steam and produce purified water under ambient conditions and low solar flux with very high efficiency. High specific water production rate of 2.6 kg h -1 m -2 g -1 was achieved with near ∼87% under 1 sun intensity and >80% efficiency even under ambient sunlight (solar thermal water purification system for a variety of environmental conditions.

Integrated collector-storage solar water heater with extended storage unit

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kumar, Rakesh; Rosen, Marc A.

2011-01-01

The integrated collector-storage solar water heater (ICSSWH) is one of the simplest designs of solar water heater. In ICSSWH systems the conversion of solar energy into useful heat is often simple, efficient and cost effective. To broaden the usefulness of ICSSWH systems, especially for overnight applications, numerous design modifications have been proposed and analyzed in the past. In the present investigation the storage tank of an ICSSWH is coupled with an extended storage section. The total volume of the modified ICSSWH has two sections. Section A is exposed to incoming solar radiation, while section B is insulated on all sides. An expression is developed for the natural convection flow rate in section A. The inter-related energy balances are written for each section and solved to ascertain the impact of the extended storage unit on the water temperature and the water heater efficiency. The volumes of water in the two sections are optimized to achieve a maximum water temperature at a reasonably high efficiency. The influence is investigated of inclination angle of section A on the temperature of water heater and the angle is optimized. It is determined that a volume ratio of 7/3 between sections A and B yields the maximum water temperature and efficiency in the modified solar water heater. The performance of the modified water heater is also compared with a conventional ICSSWH system under similar conditions.

Water jacket for solid particle solar receiver

Science.gov (United States)

Wasyluk, David T.

2018-03-20

A solar receiver includes: water jacket panels each having a light-receiving side and a back side with a watertight sealed plenum defined in-between; light apertures passing through the watertight sealed plenums to receive light from the light-receiving sides of the water jacket panels; a heat transfer medium gap defined between the back sides of the water jacket panels and a cylindrical back plate; and light channeling tubes optically coupled with the light apertures and extending into the heat transfer medium gap. In some embodiments ends of the light apertures at the light receiving side of the water jacket panel are welded together to define at least a portion of the light-receiving side. A cylindrical solar receiver may be constructed using a plurality of such water jacket panels arranged with their light-receiving sides facing outward.

Building America Case Study: Effect of Ducted HPWH on Space Conditioning and Water Heating Energy Use - Central Florida Lab Home, Cocoa, Florida

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

C. Colon, E. Martin, and D. Parker

2017-04-01

The purpose of this research is to investigate the impact of ducted heat pump water heaters (HPWH's) on space conditioning and water heating energy use in residential applications. Two identical HPWH's, each of 60 gallon capacity were tested side by side at the Flexible Residential Test facility (FRTF) laboratories of the Florida Solar Energy Center (FSEC) campus in Cocoa, Florida. The water heating experiments were run in each test house from July 2014 until February 2015.

Use of reflectors to enhance the synergistic effects of solar heating and solar wavelengths to disinfect drinking water sources.

Science.gov (United States)

Rijal, G K; Fujioka, R S

2003-01-01

Aluminum reflectors were added to solar units designed to inactivate faecal microorganisms (faecal coliform, E. coli, enterococci, FRNA coliphage, C. perfringens) in stream water and diluted sewage by the two mechanisms (solar heat, solar UV) known to inactivate microorganisms. During sunny conditions, solar units with and without reflectors inactivated E. coli to water standards. Solar units with reflectors disinfected the water sooner by increasing the water temperature by 8-10 degrees C to 64-75 degrees C. However, FRNA coliphages were still detected in these samples, indicating that this treatment may not inactivate pathogenic human enteric viruses. During cloudy conditions, reflectors only increased the water temperature by 3-4 degrees C to a maximum of 43-49 degrees C and E. coli was not completely inactivated. Under sunny and cloudy conditions, the UV wavelengths of sunlight worked synergistically with increasing water temperatures and were able to disinfect microorganisms at temperatures (45-56 degrees C), which were not effective in inactivating microorganisms. Relative resistance to the solar disinfecting effects were C. perfringens > FRNA coliphages > enterococci > E. coli > faecal coliform.

The solar energy in Israel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bocquet, L.

2004-05-01

The solar energy is an important characteristic of Israel, listed in its history and its development. This document presents the solar energy applications in the country in many domains: the solar energy for residential houses, the applications in the agricultural and industrial sectors and the research and development programs. (A.L.B.)

Pasteurization of naturally contaminated water with solar energy.

Science.gov (United States)

Ciochetti, D A; Metcalf, R H

1984-02-01

A solar box cooker (SBC) was constructed with a cooking area deep enough to hold several 3.7-liter jugs of water, and this was used to investigate the potential of using solar energy to pasteurize naturally contaminated water. When river water was heated either in the SBC or on a hot plate, coliform bacteria were inactivated at temperatures of 60 degrees C or greater. Heating water in an SBC to at least 65 degrees C ensures that the water will be above the milk pasteurization temperature of 62.8 degrees C for at least an hour, which appears sufficient to pasteurize contaminated water. On clear or partly cloudy days, with the SBC facing magnetic south in Sacramento, bottom water temperatures of at least 65 degrees C could be obtained in 11.1 liters of water during the 6 weeks on either side of the summer solstice, in 7.4 liters of water from mid-March through mid-September, and in 3.7 liters of water an additional 2 to 3 weeks at the beginning and end of the solar season. Periodic repositioning of the SBC towards the sun, adjusting the back reflective lid, and preheating water in a simple reflective device increased final water temperatures. Simultaneous cooking and heating water to pasteurizing temperatures was possible. Additional uses of the SBC to pasteurize soil and to decontaminate hospital materials before disposal in remote areas are suggested.

Studi Kinerja Solar Water Heater Dengan Aliran Zig-zag Beralur Balok

OpenAIRE

Ikhsan, M. Rizki; Soeparman, Sudjito; Sasongko, Mega Nur

2017-01-01

Solar energy can be used for water heating by using solar water heater application. Therefore, its still needs some modification due to its low efficiency. This modification can be done by replacing the conventional plate of solar collectors into a double plate with a zig-zag pattern. The results shown that along with the decreasing of water flow rates could significantly increase the useful energy (Qu). Initial temperature of water inlet could affect the generated maximum temperature. The hi...

Integrated collector storage solar water heater: Temperature stratification

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Garnier, C.; Currie, J.; Muneer, T.

2009-01-01

An analysis of the temperature stratification inside an Integrated Collector Storage Solar Water Heater (ICS-SWH) was carried out. The system takes the form of a rectangular-shaped box incorporating the solar collector and storage tank into a single unit and was optimised for simulation in Scottish weather conditions. A 3-month experimental study on the ICS-SWH was undertaken in order to provide empirical data for comparison with the computed results. Using a previously developed macro model; a number of improvements were made. The initial macro model was able to generate corresponding water bulk temperature in the collector with a given hourly incident solar radiation, ambient temperature and inlet water temperature and therefore able to predict ICS-SWH performance. The new model was able to compute the bulk water temperature variation in different SWH collectors for a given aspect ratio and the water temperature along the height of the collector (temperature stratification). Computed longitudinal temperature stratification results obtained were found to be in close agreement with the experimental data.

Building America Best Practices Series, Volume 6: High-Performance Home Technologies: Solar Thermal & Photovoltaic Systems

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Baechler, Michael C.; Gilbride, Theresa L.; Ruiz, Kathleen A.; Steward, Heidi E.; Love, Pat M.

2007-06-04

This guide is was written by PNNL for the US Department of Energy's Building America program to provide information for residential production builders interested in building near zero energy homes. The guide provides indepth descriptions of various roof-top photovoltaic power generating systems for homes. The guide also provides extensive information on various designs of solar thermal water heating systems for homes. The guide also provides construction company owners and managers with an understanding of how solar technologies can be added to their homes in a way that is cost effective, practical, and marketable. Twelve case studies provide examples of production builders across the United States who are building energy-efficient homes with photovoltaic or solar water heating systems.

Solar heating and hot water system installed at Arlington Raquetball Club, Arlington, Virginia

Science.gov (United States)

1981-01-01

A solar space and water heating system is described. The solar energy system consists of 2,520 sq. ft. of flat plate solar collectors and a 4,000 gallon solar storage tank. The transfer medium in the forced closed loop is a nontoxic antifreeze solution (50 percent water, 50 percent propylene glycol). The service hot water system consists of a preheat coil (60 ft. of 1 1/4 in copper tubing) located in the upper third of the solar storage tank and a recirculation loop between the preheat coil and the existing electric water heaters. The space heating system consists of two separate water to air heat exchangers located in the ducts of the existing space heating/cooling systems. The heating water is supplied from the solar storage tank. Extracts from site files, specification references for solar modifications to existing building heating and hot water systems, and installation, operation and maintenance instructions are included.

Water recovery in a concentrated solar power plant

Science.gov (United States)

Raza, Aikifa; Higgo, Alex R.; Alobaidli, Abdulaziz; Zhang, TieJun

2016-05-01

For CSP plants, water consumption is undergoing increasing scrutiny particularly in dry and arid regions with water scarcity conditions. Significant amount of water has to be used for parabolic trough mirror cleaning to maintain high mirror reflectance and optical efficiency in sandy environment. For this specific purpose, solar collectors are washed once or twice every week at Shams 1, one of the largest CSP plant in the Middle East, and about 5 million gallons of demineralized water is utilized every year without further recovery. The produced waste water from a CSP plant contains the soiling i.e. accumulated dust and some amount of organic contaminants, as indicated by our analysis of waste water samples from the solar field. We thus need to develop a membrane based system to filter fine dust particulates and to degrade organic contaminant simultaneously. Membrane filtration technology is considered to be cost-effective way to address the emerging problem of a clean water shortage, and to reuse the filtered water after cleaning solar collectors. But there are some major technical barriers to improve the robustness and energy efficiency of filtration membranes especially when dealing with the removal of ultra-small particles and oil traces. Herein, we proposed a robust and scalable nanostructured inorganic microporous filtration copper mesh. The inorganic membrane surface wettability is tailored to enhance the water permeability and filtration flux by creating nanostructures. These nanostructured membranes were successfully employed to recover water collected after cleaning the reflectors of solar field of Shams 1. Another achievement was to remove the traces of heat transfer fluid (HTF) from run-off water which was collected after accidental leakage in some of the heat exchangers during the commissioning of the Shams 1 for safe disposal into the main stream. We hope, by controlling the water recovery factor and membrane reusability performance, the membrane

Performance test for a solar water heater

Science.gov (United States)

1979-01-01

Two reports describe procedures and results of performance tests on domestic solar powered hot water system. Performance tests determine amount of energy collected by system, amount of energy delivered to solar source, power required to operate system and maintain proper tank temperature, overall system efficiency, and temperature distribution in tank.

Two different sources of water for the early solar nebula.

Science.gov (United States)

Kupper, Stefan; Tornow, Carmen; Gast, Philipp

2012-06-01

Water is essential for life. This is a trivial fact but has profound implications since the forming of life on the early Earth required water. The sources of water and the related amount of delivery depend not only on the conditions on the early Earth itself but also on the evolutionary history of the solar system. Thus we ask where and when water formed in the solar nebula-the precursor of the solar system. In this paper we explore the chemical mechanics for water formation and its expected abundance. This is achieved by studying the parental cloud core of the solar nebula and its gravitational collapse. We have identified two different sources of water for the region of Earth's accretion. The first being the sublimation of the icy mantles of dust grains formed in the parental cloud. The second source is located in the inner region of the collapsing cloud core - the so-called hot corino with a temperature of several hundred Kelvin. There, water is produced efficiently in the gas phase by reactions between neutral molecules. Additionally, we analyse the dependence of the production of water on the initial abundance ratio between carbon and oxygen.

Hybrid bio-photo-electro-chemical cells for solar water splitting.

Science.gov (United States)

Pinhassi, Roy I; Kallmann, Dan; Saper, Gadiel; Dotan, Hen; Linkov, Artyom; Kay, Asaf; Liveanu, Varda; Schuster, Gadi; Adir, Noam; Rothschild, Avner

2016-08-23

Photoelectrochemical water splitting uses solar power to decompose water to hydrogen and oxygen. Here we show how the photocatalytic activity of thylakoid membranes leads to overall water splitting in a bio-photo-electro-chemical (BPEC) cell via a simple process. Thylakoids extracted from spinach are introduced into a BPEC cell containing buffer solution with ferricyanide. Upon solar-simulated illumination, water oxidation takes place and electrons are shuttled by the ferri/ferrocyanide redox couple from the thylakoids to a transparent electrode serving as the anode, yielding a photocurrent density of 0.5 mA cm(-2). Hydrogen evolution occurs at the cathode at a bias as low as 0.8 V. A tandem cell comprising the BPEC cell and a Si photovoltaic module achieves overall water splitting with solar to hydrogen efficiency of 0.3%. These results demonstrate the promise of combining natural photosynthetic membranes and man-made photovoltaic cells in order to convert solar power into hydrogen fuel.

The Utilisation of Solar System in Combined Heating System of Water

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ján Jobbágy

2017-01-01

Full Text Available The paper assessed the topicality and returns of solar system utilization to heating of water. Practical measurements were conducted after reconstruction of the family house. (in Nesvady, Slovak republic, on which the solar system were assembled. The system consists of the gas heater, solar panels, distributions and circulation pump. The solar system was assembled due to decreasing of operation costs and connected with conventional already used gas heating system by boiler Quantum (V = 115 L. The conventional system was used for 21 days to gather basic values for evaluation. At this point it was observed that 11.93 m3 of gas is needed to heat up 1 m3 of water. Used water in this case was heated from initial 16.14 °C to 52.04 °C of output temperature. Stand by regime of boiler was characterized by 0.012 m3.h-1 consumption of gas. The rest of the measurements represent the annual (from 03/2013 to 02/2014 operation process of boiler Tatramat VTS 200L (trivalent with 200 litres of volume (as a part of Thermosolar solar system. The solar collectors TS 300 are also part of the solar system. An input and output temperatures of heating water we observed along with water and gas consumption, intensity of solar radiation and actual weather conditions. The amount of heat produced by solar system was then calculated. Total investment on solar system were 2,187.7 € (1,475.7 € with subsidy. Therefore, return on investment for the construction of the solar system was set at 23 years even with subsidy.

Smart Control System to Optimize Time of Use in a Solar-Assisted Air-Conditioning by Ejector for Residential Sector

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Giovanna Avedian-González

2018-02-01

Full Text Available The present work provides a series of theoretical improvements of a control strategy in order to optimize the time of use of solar air-conditioning by an ejector distributed in multiple solar collectors of vacuum tubes for the residential sector, which will allow us to reduce carbon-dioxide emissions, costs and electrical energy consumption. In a solar ejector cooling system, the instability of the solar source of energy causes an operational conflict between the solar thermal system and ejector cooling cycle. A fuzzy control structure for the supervisory ejector cycle and multi-collector control system is developed: the first control is applied to control the mass flow of the generator and the evaporator for different cooling capacities (3, 3.5, 4, 4.5 and 5 kW and set a temperature reference according to the operating conditions; the second is applied to keep a constant temperature power source that feeds the low-grade ejector cooling cycle using R134aas refrigerant. For the present work, the temperature of the generator oscillates between 65 °C and 90 °C, a condenser temperature of 30 °C and an evaporator temperature of 10 °C. For the purpose of optimization, there are different levels of performance for time of use: the Mode 0 (economic gives a performance of 17.55 h, Mode 5 (maximum cooling power 14.86 h and variable mode (variable mode of capacities 16.25 h, on average. Simulations are done in MATLAB-Simulink applying fuzzy logic for a mathematical model of the thermal balance. They are compared with two different types of solar radiation: real radiation and disturbed radiation.

Performance evaluation of a solar adsorption chiller under different climatic conditions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Alahmer, Ali; Wang, Xiaolin; Al-Rbaihat, Raed; Amanul Alam, K.C.; Saha, B.B.

2016-01-01

Highlights: • A solar adsorption cooling system was studied at different climatic conditions. • Effect of hot water temperature and flow rate on system performance was evaluated. • Solar collector area and tilting angle largely affected the system performance. • Economics of the solar adsorption cooling was analysed at real weather conditions. • Adsorption cooling could be potentially applied in cities with good solar radiation. - Abstract: Performance of an adsorption cooling system driven by solar thermal energy was studied under different climatic conditions. The effects of solar collector area, collector slope, hot water temperature and flow rate on the system performance were investigated using the real-time weather data of two cities: Perth, Australia (a representative city in the southern hemisphere) and Amman, Jordan (a representative city in the northern hemisphere). The simulation results showed that the two cities had similar solar radiation during the summer period and that the solar adsorption chiller could reliably provide cooling at a reasonably high system COP. For residential cooling with a total CPC (Compound Parabolic Collector) solar collector area of 36.22 m"2, the average system COP was 0.491 for Perth weather conditions and 0.467 for Amman weather conditions, respectively while the cooling capacity was 10.3 kW for Perth and 8.46 kW for Amman, respectively at peak times. Optimum performance occurred when the system run with the CPC collector slope of around 30°, the solar water storage tank volume of 1.4 m"3, inlet hot water temperature of 80 °C, and a hot water flow rate of 0.33 kg/s. An economic analysis was further investigated and the results showed that the solar driven adsorption cooling system could reduce the electricity consumption for Perth and Amman cities by 34% and 28%, respectively in comparison to a conventional vapour compression cooling system.

Ground-water quality beneath an urban residential and commercial area, Montgomery, Alabama, 1999-2000

Science.gov (United States)

Robinson, James L.

2002-01-01

The Black Warrior River aquifer, which is composed of the Coker, Gordo, and Eutaw Formations, supplies more than 50 percent of the ground water used for public water supply in the Mobile River Basin. The city of Montgomery, Alabama, is partially built upon a recharge area for the Black Warrior River aquifer, and is one of many major population centers that depend on the Black Warrior River aquifer for public water supply. To represent the baseline ground-water quality in the Black Warrior River aquifer, water samples were collected from 30 wells located in a low-density residential or rural setting; 9 wells were completed in the Coker Formation, 9 wells in the Gordo Formation, and 12 wells in the Eutaw Formation. To describe the ground-water quality beneath Montgomery, Alabama, water samples also were collected from 30 wells located in residential and commercial areas of Montgomery, Alabama; 16 wells were completed in the Eutaw Formation, 8 wells in alluvial deposits, and 6 wells in terrace deposits. The alluvial and terrace deposits directly overlie the Eutaw Formation with little or no hydraulic separation. Ground-water samples collected from both the rural and urban wells were analyzed for physical properties, major ions, nutrients, metals, volatile organic compounds, and pesticides. Samples from the urban wells also were analyzed for bacteria, chlorofluorocarbons, dissolved gases, and sulfur hexafluoride. Ground-water quality beneath the urban area was compared to baseline water quality in the Black Warrior River aquifer.Compared to the rural wells, ground-water samples from urban wells contained greater concentrations or more frequent detections of chloride and nitrate, and the trace metals aluminium, chromium, cobalt, copper, nickel, and zinc. Pesticides and volatile organic compounds were detected more frequently and in greater concentrations in ground-water samples collected from urban wells than in ground-water samples from rural wells.The Spearman rho

Performance of commercially available solar and heat pump water heaters

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lloyd, C.R.; Kerr, A.S.D.

2008-01-01

Many countries are using policy incentives to encourage the adoption of energy-efficient hot water heating as a means of reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Such policies rely heavily on assumed performance factors for such systems. In-situ performance data for solar and heat pump hot water systems, however, are not copious in the literature. Otago University has been testing some systems available in New Zealand for a number of years. The results obtained are compared to international studies of in-situ performance of solar hot water systems and heat pump hot water systems, by converting the results from the international studies into a single index suitable for both solar and heat pump systems (COP). Variability in the international data is investigated as well as comparisons to model results. The conclusions suggest that there is not too much difference in performance between solar systems that have a permanently connected electric boost backup and heat pump systems over a wide range of environmental temperatures. The energy payback time was also calculated for electric boost solar flat plate systems as a function of both COP and hot water usage for a given value of embodied energy. The calculations generally bode well for solar systems but ensuring adequate system performance is paramount. In addition, such systems generally favour high usage rates to obtain good energy payback times

Development of a solar-powered residential air conditioner: System optimization preliminary specification

Science.gov (United States)

Rousseau, J.; Hwang, K. C.

1975-01-01

Investigations aimed at the optimization of a baseline Rankine cycle solar powered air conditioner and the development of a preliminary system specification were conducted. Efforts encompassed the following: (1) investigations of the use of recuperators/regenerators to enhance the performance of the baseline system, (2) development of an off-design computer program for system performance prediction, (3) optimization of the turbocompressor design to cover a broad range of conditions and permit operation at low heat source water temperatures, (4) generation of parametric data describing system performance (COP and capacity), (5) development and evaluation of candidate system augmentation concepts and selection of the optimum approach, (6) generation of auxiliary power requirement data, (7) development of a complete solar collector-thermal storage-air conditioner computer program, (8) evaluation of the baseline Rankine air conditioner over a five day period simulating the NASA solar house operation, and (9) evaluation of the air conditioner as a heat pump.

Use of reflectors to enhance the synergistic effects of solar heating and solar wavelengths to disinfect drinking water sources

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rijal, G.K. [Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago, Cicero, Illinois (United States); Fujioka, R.S. [University of Hawaii, Honolulu (United States). Water Resources Research Center

2004-07-01

Aluminum reflectors were added to solar units designed to inactivate faecal microorganisms (faecal coliform, E. coli, enterococci, FRNA coliphage, C. perfringens) in stream water and diluted sewage by the two mechanisms (solar heat, solar UV) known to inactivate microorganisms. During sunny conditions, solar units with and without reflectors inactivated E. coli to <1 CFU/100 ml to meet drinking water standards. Solar units with reflectors disinfected to the water sooner by increasing the water temperature by 8-10{sup o}C to 64-75{sup o}C. However, FRNA coliphages were still detected in these samples, indicating that this treatment may not inactivate pathogenic human enteric viruses. During cloudy conditions, reflectors only increased the water temperature by 3-4{sup o}C to a maximum of 43-49{sup o}C and E. coli was not completely inactivated. Under sunny and cloudy conditions, the UV wavelengths of sunlight worked synergistically with increasing water temperatures and were able to disinfect microorganisms at temperatures (45-56{sup o}C), which were not effective in inactivating microorganisms. Relative resistance to the solar disinfecting effects were C perfringens > FRNA coliphages > enterococci >E. coli > faecal coliform. (author)

Comparison of Advanced Residential Water Heating Technologies in the United States

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Maguire, J.; Fang, X.; Wilson, E.

2013-05-01

Gas storage, gas tankless, condensing, electric storage, heat pump, and solar water heaters were simulated in several different climates across the US installed in both conditioned and unconditioned space and subjected to several different draw profiles. While many preexisting models were used, new models of condensing and heat pump water heaters were created specifically for this work.

Effects of solar collecting area and water flow rate on the performance of a sand bed solar collector

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Maganhar, A.L.; Memon, A.H.; Panhwar, M.I.

2005-01-01

The often discussed renewable sources of energy have been great interest to energy researchers and planners for quite some time. The primary of renewing all sources of energy is the sun. There have been two main problems not yet fully resolved. One is the large scale production of energy and other is the cost factor. In the present study, the cost factor is under consideration. In this regard a non-conventional solar collector using indigenous material (pit sand) as solar absorber is designed and manufactured. This paper presents the results of an investigation of the effect of solar collecting area and water flow rate on the performance of a pit sand bed solar collector especially in terms of rise in water temperature. Three pit sand solar collectors of area 1m/sup 2/ each were connected in series to enhance the collecting area and the system was tested for different flow rates. Experimental results proved that there was increase in water temperature with increase in solar collecting area an decreases in water temperature with increase in flow rate. (author)

Enhancement of Solar Water Pasteurization with Reflectors

OpenAIRE

Safapour, Negar; Metcalf, Robert H.

1999-01-01

A simple and reliable method that could be used in developing countries to pasteurize milk and water with solar energy is described. A cardboard reflector directs sunshine onto a black jar, heating water to pasteurizing temperatures in several hours. A reusable water pasteurization indicator verifies that pasteurization temperatures have been reached.

Enhancement of solar water pasteurization with reflectors.

Science.gov (United States)

Safapour, N; Metcalf, R H

1999-02-01

A simple and reliable method that could be used in developing countries to pasteurize milk and water with solar energy is described. A cardboard reflector directs sunshine onto a black jar, heating water to pasteurizing temperatures in several hours. A reusable water pasteurization indicator verifies that pasteurization temperatures have been reached.

Potential application of solar thermal systems for hot water production in Hong Kong

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li Hong; Yang Hongxing

2009-01-01

This paper presents the evaluation results of conventional solar water heater (SWH) systems and solar assisted heat pump (SAHP) systems for hot water production in Hong Kong. An economic comparison and global warming impact analysis are conducted among the two kinds of solar thermal systems and traditional water heating systems (i.e. electric water heaters and towngas water heaters). The economic comparison results show that solar thermal systems have greater economic benefits than traditional water heating systems. In addition, conventional SWH systems are comparable with the SAHP systems when solar fractions are above 50%. Besides, analysis on the sensitivity of the total equivalent warming impact (TEWI) indicates that the towngas boosted SWH system has the greatest potential in greenhouse gas emission reduction with various solar collector areas and the electricity boosted SWH system has the comparative TEWI with the SAHP systems if its solar fraction is above 50%. As for SAHP systems, the solar assisted air source heat pump (SA-ASHP) system has the least global warming impact. Based on all investigation results, suggestions are given on the selection of solar thermal systems for applications in Hong Kong

Design data brochure: Solar hot water system

Science.gov (United States)

1978-01-01

A design calculation is detailed for a single-family residence housing a family of four in a nonspecific geographical area. The solar water heater system is designed to provide 80 gallons of 140 F hot water per day.

Feasibility study of a solar photovoltaic water pumping system for rural Ethiopia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Misrak Girma

2015-06-01

Full Text Available Solar Photovoltaic (SPV water pumping system is one of the best technologies that utilize the solar energy to pump water from deep well underground water sources and to provide clean drinking water worldwide. The availability of abundant solar radiation and enough underground water sources in Ethiopia can be combined together to make clean drinking water available to rural communities. The software PVsyst 5.56 was used to study the feasibility of solar photovoltaic water pumping system in the selected sites. The designed system is capable of providing a daily average of 10.5, 7 and 6.5 m3/day for 700, 467 and 433 people in Siadberand Wayu, Wolmera and Enderta sites respectively, with average daily water consumption of 15 liters per day per person and the costs of water without any subsidy, are approximately 0.1, 0.14 and 0.16 $/m3for each site respectively. If diesel generator is used instead of solar photovoltaic water pumping system, to provide the same average daily water for the selected community, the costs of water without any subsidy are approximately 0.2, 0.23 and 0.27 $/m3 for each site respectively. A life cycle cost analysis method was also carried out for economic comparison between solar PV and the diesel pumping system. The results of this study are encouraging the use of the PV system for drinking water supply in the remote areas of the country.

Solar water heater for NASA's Space Station

Science.gov (United States)

Somers, Richard E.; Haynes, R. Daniel

1988-01-01

The feasibility of using a solar water heater for NASA's Space Station is investigated using computer codes developed to model the Space Station configuration, orbit, and heating systems. Numerous orbit variations, system options, and geometries for the collector were analyzed. Results show that a solar water heater, which would provide 100 percent of the design heating load and would not impose a significant impact on the Space Station overall design is feasible. A heat pipe or pumped fluid radial plate collector of about 10-sq m, placed on top of the habitat module was found to be well suited for satisfying water demand of the Space Station. Due to the relatively small area required by a radial plate, a concentrator is unnecessary. The system would use only 7 to 10 percent as much electricity as an electric water-heating system.

Weather-power station. Solar energy, wind energy, water energy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Schatta, M

1975-10-02

A combined power station is described, which enables one to convert solar energy and wind energy into other forms of energy. The plant consists of a water-filled boiler, in which solar energy heats the water by concentration, solar cells, and finally wind rotors, which transform wind energy into electrical energy. The transformed energy is partly available as steam heat, partly as mechanical or electrical energy. The plant can be used for supplying heating systems or electrolysis equipment. Finally, by incorporating suitable motors, a mobile version of the system can be produced.

Environmental aspects of the use of materials for solar water heaters

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Van der Leun, C.J.; De Jager, D.

1994-10-01

The study on the title subject has been carried out in order to apply the results in new designs and to improve the production of solar water heating systems. Attention is paid to solar water heaters that are under development and solar water heaters that are commercially available in the Netherlands. Use has been made of a IVAM-developed product analysis method. For seven solar water heater concepts, that were on the market or under development in the Netherlands in 1992, the applied amounts of materials have been inventorized. Data on the environmental effects of the production of these materials are outlined and aggregated on the level of the components and the systems. Based on those data, environmental profiles are drafted, comprising 'effect scores' on 9 environmental criteria. However, the environmental 'effect scores' are not reliable enough to determine the most important factors in order to identify options to reduce the negative environmental effects. Data on the energy consumption of the production of relevant materials are available and reliable. The solar water heaters, considered in this report, do not show large differences for that matter. It appears that the amounts of air pollution, water pollution and waste flow from the production of materials for solar water heaters are no reasons to further reduce environmental effects of the production. It is recommended to focus on the reduction of material quantities and to increase the quantity of recycled material. Also it is recommended that manufacturers of solar boilers set up a take-back system. 43 tabs., 1 appendix, 56 refs

Performance of Thermosyphon Solar Water Heaters in Series

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tsong-Sheng Lee

2012-08-01

Full Text Available More than a single thermosyphon solar water heater may be employed in applications when considerable hot water consumption is required. In this experimental investigation, eight typical Taiwanese solar water heaters were connected in series. Degree of temperature stratification and thermosyphon flow rate in a horizontal tank were evaluated. The system was tested under no-load, intermittent and continuous load conditions. Results showed that there was stratification in tanks under the no-load condition. Temperature stratification also redeveloped after the draw-off. Analysis of thermal performance of the system was conducted for each condition.

Preheating of tap water with solar collectors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Granum, H; Raaen, H

1992-05-05

In 1991 SINTEF Architecture and Building Technology won the second prize in 'The Nordic Competition for Low Energy Buildings' with a project proposal named 'LOWe'. The paper gives a description of the energy-saving features of this project, particularly the use of a solar collector for preheating of tap water. Compared with the economic profitability of other saving efforts in the project, such as good thermal insulation and efficient heat recovering system, the system for solar preheating of tap water does not seem very attractive for the time being. Loose estimates indicate a cost of close of NOK 1.00 per kWh for the produced energy in the solar collector, while the present price for electricity in Norway is about NOK 0.50 per kWh. Compared with a heat pump solution however the energy cost is not unreasonable.

Preliminary investigation into the use of solar PV systems for residential application in Bandar Sri Iskandar, Malaysia

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dimas, F.A.; Gillani, S.I.; Ans, M.S. [Universiti Teknologi Petronas, Tronoh, Perak (Malaysia). Dept. of Mechanical Engineering

2011-07-01

In the near future, Malaysia is expected to be a net importer of oil, and the nation will have to face issues related to the security of supply and economic consequences. It is also anticipated that the energy demand for the country will increase with the increase in population and GDP. Realizing the situation, it is important that further emphasis is given into the diversification of energy resources. One method is the exploitation of renewable energy to minimize the effects of global warming. Photovoltaic technology is widely used around the world in locations with scarce power generation options. It is used for various applications and Building Integrated Photovoltaic (BIPV) system is one of them. However, photovoltaic is still expensive compared to conventional methods of generating electricity. So a careful design of the system is required to ensure economic viability. This study describes a preliminary investigation of a solar PV system for residential applications in Bandar Sri Iskandar. Sizing procedures based on the peak sun hour concept is described for a Malaysian typical terraced house. Current and voltage measurements of the solar panel were carried out to predict the output under actual conditions at the site.

Enhancement of Solar Water Pasteurization with Reflectors

Science.gov (United States)

Safapour, Negar; Metcalf, Robert H.

1999-01-01

A simple and reliable method that could be used in developing countries to pasteurize milk and water with solar energy is described. A cardboard reflector directs sunshine onto a black jar, heating water to pasteurizing temperatures in several hours. A reusable water pasteurization indicator verifies that pasteurization temperatures have been reached. PMID:9925631

Domestic hot water and solar energy in Ireland

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hand, F; Asare, B; Haslett, J

1977-01-01

Two systems are discussed which involve the use of solar energy to supply domestic hot-water requirements and their usefulness in Ireland is examined. The systems are evaluated for thermal performance and cost-effectiveness by the use of a computer simulation model of a system involving a typical commercially available solar panel. It is shown that such systems may be economically justified when compared with electricity, but only if the water supply is directly heated by solar panels and only if the installed cost of such panels is low. Further, it appears that the system performance is relatively insensitive to the panel orientation and consequently that retro-fit installations on existing houses are unlikely to cause difficulties.

Solar heating and hot water system installed at Saint Louis, Missouri

Science.gov (United States)

1980-01-01

The solar heating and hot water system installed at the William Tao & Associates, Inc., office building in St. Louis, Missouri is described, including maintenance and construction problems, final drawings, system requirements, and manufacturer's component data. The solar system was designed to provide 50 percent of the hot water requirements and 45 percent of the space heating needs for a 900 sq ft office space and drafting room. The solar facility has 252 sq ft of glass tube concentrator collectors and a 1000 gallon steel storage tank buried below a concrete slab floor. Freeze protection is provided by a propylene glycol/water mixture in the collector loop. The collectors are roof mounted on a variable tilt array which is adjusted seasonally and is connected to the solar thermal storage tank by a tube-in-shell heat exchanger. Incoming city water is preheated through the solar energy thermal storage tank.

The role of solar ultraviolet radiation in 'natural' water purification

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Calkins, J.; Buckles, J.D.; Moeller, J.R.

1976-01-01

The concentration of Eschericia coli in the input and output of a tertiary wastewater system (4 lagoons) has been monitored over an 11 month period. The integrated flux of biologically active solar ultraviolet (UV) radiation was measured during this period. By also determining (1) the effective temperature in the system, (2) the growth rate of E.coli at the effective temperature, (3) the penetration of the solar UV into the lagoons, (4) the dose-response relation for killing of E.coli by UV and (5) the retention time of water in the system, it is possible to compare the 'die off' expected from solar UV exposure to the actual 'die off' observed for different batches of water. The observed killing of E.coli was quite close to the values calculated, considering the numerous factors involved. Solar UV light would thus seem to be a very important factor in the natural purification of water. Because each successful species must possess characteristics (physiological or behavioral) which provide adequate resistance to solar UV, the ecological role of solar UV radiation has not been widely appreciated. (author)

Installation package for a solar heating and hot water system

Science.gov (United States)

1978-01-01

Development and installation of two commercial solar heating and hot water systems are reported. The systems consist of the following subsystems: collector, storage, transport, hot water, auxiliary energy and controls. General guidelines are provided which may be utilized in development of detailed installation plans and specifications. In addition, operation, maintenance and repair of a solar heating and hot water system instructions are included.

M&R Holdings, LLC d/b/a Brandon’s Reserve Residential Development - Clean Water Act Public Notice

Science.gov (United States)

The EPA is providing notice of an Administrative Penalty Assessment in the form of an Expedited Storm Water Settlement Agreement against M&R Holdings, LLC d/b/a Brandon’s Reserve Residential Development, a business located at 15602 Wilden Drive, Urbandale,

Hybrid bio-photo-electro-chemical cells for solar water splitting

OpenAIRE

Pinhassi, Roy I.; Kallmann, Dan; Saper, Gadiel; Dotan, Hen; Linkov, Artyom; Kay, Asaf; Liveanu, Varda; Schuster, Gadi; Adir, Noam; Rothschild, Avner

2016-01-01

Photoelectrochemical water splitting uses solar power to decompose water to hydrogen and oxygen. Here we show how the photocatalytic activity of thylakoid membranes leads to overall water splitting in a bio-photo-electro-chemical (BPEC) cell via a simple process. Thylakoids extracted from spinach are introduced into a BPEC cell containing buffer solution with ferricyanide. Upon solar-simulated illumination, water oxidation takes place and electrons are shuttled by the ferri/ferrocyanide redox...

Dimensioning of a solar water heater made from PET bottles; Dimensionamento de um aquecedor solar de agua feito com garrafas PET

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bertoleti, Pedro Henrique Fonseca; Souza, Teofilo Miguel de [Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP), Guaratingueta, SP (Brazil). Centro de Energias Renovaveis

2008-07-01

This document show the solar water heater made of PET bottles, a simple-construction solar water heater that try to give us two important solutions, water heating using solar energy and reutilization of the PET bottles left in the nature. Also, it will be showed how to do the dimensioning of it. Based on the showed dimensioning a application / software is developed and after that simulations are made using the application to provide how is the economy if it's used this kind of solar water heater and their environmental contribution by reutilization of the PET bottles abandoned in the nature. For example, in a common home the economy is about 45% of the electricity bill considering that the warmed water is used just to take a shower. So, the conclusion is: the solar water heater made by PET bottles is a very relevant equipment to the use of the solar energy, to useful applications and environmental contribution. (author)

Possible schemes for solar-powered air-conditioning in 2-storey terrace houses

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chu, C.M.; Bono, A.; Prabhakar, A.

2006-01-01

Space cooling is required all year round in the tropics, and probably accounts for a considerable proportion of the cost of electricity. Solar radiation can be channeled into cooling by photovoltaic powered systems and through the relatively new adsorption cycle technology. Two-storey terrace housing appear to have the greatest potential of introducing solar-powered cooling to residential homes. There are two schemes to cool a two-storey terrace housing: 1) By spraying water down the roof a tank, circulated by a pump powered by PV panels on the roof or 2) By replacing the roof with solar hot water collectors and use adsorption cooling chillers to produce air-conditioning for the entire block of terrace houses. In scheme number 1, a preliminary, rough technical evaluation showed that it is possible to pump water to the roof to flow down as a thin film and cool the roof by evaporation to about 40 degree C from about 70 degree C if without water evaporation at the highest insolation rate of the day. Scheme number 2, which uses adsorption chilling technology, requires communal sharing of the air-conditioning facility. The effect of collecting solar heat using the roof is two fold: to absorb solar energy for producing hot water and reducing excess heat input to the house. Preliminary costing demonstrates that solar-powered air-conditioning is within reach of commercialisation, bearing in mind that bulk purchases will dramatically lower the price of a product

Numerical Simulation of a Solar Domestic Hot Water System

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mongibello, L; Graditi, G; Bianco, N; Di Somma, M; Naso, V

2014-01-01

An innovative transient numerical model is presented for the simulation of a solar Domestic Hot Water (DHW) system. The solar collectors have been simulated by using a zerodimensional analytical model. The temperature distributions in the heat transfer fluid and in the water inside the tank have been evaluated by one-dimensional models. The reversion elimination algorithm has been used to include the effects of natural convection among the water layers at different heights in the tank on the thermal stratification. A finite difference implicit scheme has been implemented to solve the energy conservation equation in the coil heat exchanger, and the energy conservation equation in the tank has been solved by using the finite difference Euler implicit scheme. Energy conservation equations for the solar DHW components models have been coupled by means of a home-made implicit algorithm. Results of the simulation performed using as input data the experimental values of the ambient temperature and the solar irradiance in a summer day are presented and discussed

Solar water heating for aquaculture : optimizing design for sustainability

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

McDonald, M.; Thwaites, J. [Taylor Munro Energy Systems Inc., Delta, BC (Canada)

2003-08-01

This paper presents the results of a solar water heating project at Redfish Ranch, the first Tilapia tropical fish farm in British Columbia. The fish are raised in land-based tanks, eliminating the risk of contamination of local ecosystems. As a tropical species, they requires warm water. Natural gas or propane boilers are typically used to maintain tank temperatures at 26 to 28 degrees C. Redfish Ranch uses solar energy to add heat to the fish tanks, thereby reducing fossil-fuel combustion and greenhouse gas emissions. This unique building-integrated solar system is improving the environmental status of of this progressive industrial operation by offsetting fossil-fuel consumption. The system was relatively low cost, although substantial changes had to be made to the roof of the main building. The building-integrated design of the solar water heating system has reduced operating costs, generated local employment, and shows promise of future activity. As such, it satisfies the main criteria for sustainability. 7 refs.

Numerical Simulation of a Solar Domestic Hot Water System

Science.gov (United States)

Mongibello, L.; Bianco, N.; Di Somma, M.; Graditi, G.; Naso, V.

2014-11-01

An innovative transient numerical model is presented for the simulation of a solar Domestic Hot Water (DHW) system. The solar collectors have been simulated by using a zerodimensional analytical model. The temperature distributions in the heat transfer fluid and in the water inside the tank have been evaluated by one-dimensional models. The reversion elimination algorithm has been used to include the effects of natural convection among the water layers at different heights in the tank on the thermal stratification. A finite difference implicit scheme has been implemented to solve the energy conservation equation in the coil heat exchanger, and the energy conservation equation in the tank has been solved by using the finite difference Euler implicit scheme. Energy conservation equations for the solar DHW components models have been coupled by means of a home-made implicit algorithm. Results of the simulation performed using as input data the experimental values of the ambient temperature and the solar irradiance in a summer day are presented and discussed.

Study Design And Realization Of Solar Water Heater

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lounis, M.; Boudjemaa, F.; Akil, S. Kouider

2011-01-01

Solar is one of the most easily exploitable energy, it is moreover inexhaustible. His applications are many and are varied. The heating of the domestic water is one of the most immediate, simplest and also of most widespread exploitation of the solar energy. Algeria, from its geographical situation, it deposits one of the largest high sun surface expositions in the world. The exposition duration of the almost territory exceeds 2000 hours annually and can reach the 3900 hours (high plateaus and Sahara). By knowing the daily energy received by 1 m 2 of a horizontal surface of the solar thermal panel is nearly around 1700 KWh/m 2 a year in the north and 2263 KWh/m 2 a year in the south of the country, we release the most important and strategic place of the solar technologies in the present and in the future for Algeria. This work consists to study, conceive and manufacture solar water heating with the available local materials so, this type of the energy will be profitable for all, particularly the poor countries. If we consider the illumination duration of the panel around 6 hours a day, the water heat panel manufactured in our laboratory produce an equivalent energy of 11.615 KWh a day so, 4239 KWh a year. These values of energy can be easily increased with performing the panel manufacture.

FY 1995 report on the results of the investigational study on the technology development for the commercialization of solar systems for industrial use, etc. - Investigational study on the solar system. Investigational study on a solar heat utilization system; 1995 nendo sangyoyonado solar system jitsuyoka gijutsu kaihatsu seika hokokusho. Solar system no chosa kenkyu (taiyonetsu riyo system ni kansuru chosa kenkyu)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1996-03-01

This survey clarifies the present situation of the solar heat utilization technology mostly for industrial use, makes a concrete concept of solar heat utilization clear, and extracts items of the technology development and evaluates sociality, economical efficiency, etc. It aims at working out a program for the future technology development. The following proposals were made: 1) technology development program; 2) simulation soft development program; 3) experimental field of the solar heat utilization technology. In 1), concepts of technology development are 'medical use boiling pasteurization,' 'temperature increase in the metal surface treatment process,' 'water purification using photo-catalyst,' 'distributed small power system,' and 'waste water treatment using bio-technology.' In 2), cost reduction is needed for commercialization/merchandising of technology, and therefore, the development of simulation software is studied. In 3), as the experimental field from commercial/residential use system to industrial use system, an large-scale and systematical experimental field is proposed where all that can be substituted for by solar energy among the energies required for the urban function are used. By this, the solar heat utilization system gets accustomed to the people, increases the reliability, and clearly leads to the course to the next stage of the R and D. (NEDO)

FY 1995 report on the results of the investigational study on the technology development for the commercialization of solar systems for industrial use, etc. - Investigational study on the solar system. Investigational study on a solar heat utilization system; 1995 nendo sangyoyonado solar system jitsuyoka gijutsu kaihatsu seika hokokusho. Solar system no chosa kenkyu (taiyonetsu riyo system ni kansuru chosa kenkyu)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1996-03-01

This survey clarifies the present situation of the solar heat utilization technology mostly for industrial use, makes a concrete concept of solar heat utilization clear, and extracts items of the technology development and evaluates sociality, economical efficiency, etc. It aims at working out a program for the future technology development. The following proposals were made: 1) technology development program; 2) simulation soft development program; 3) experimental field of the solar heat utilization technology. In 1), concepts of technology development are 'medical use boiling pasteurization,' 'temperature increase in the metal surface treatment process,' 'water purification using photo-catalyst,' 'distributed small power system,' and 'waste water treatment using bio-technology.' In 2), cost reduction is needed for commercialization/merchandising of technology, and therefore, the development of simulation software is studied. In 3), as the experimental field from commercial/residential use system to industrial use system, an large-scale and systematical experimental field is proposed where all that can be substituted for by solar energy among the energies required for the urban function are used. By this, the solar heat utilization system gets accustomed to the people, increases the reliability, and clearly leads to the course to the next stage of the R and D. (NEDO)

Analysis of PAEs contaminants in water sources for agriculture, industrial and residential areas from local city district

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Qidan; Chen, Qixian; Wu, Fei; Liao, Jia; Zhao, Xi

2018-02-01

The technology of DEHP and DBP detection by high performance liquid chromatography coupled with ultraviolet detection (HPLC-UV) was developed and applied in analysis of local water sources from agriculture, industrial and residential areas. Under the optimized sample pretreatment and detection conditions, DEHP and DBP were well separated and detected in 4 mins. The detection limit of DBP was 0.002 mg/L and DEHP was 0.006 mg/L, and it meets the Chinese National Standard limitations for drinking water quality. The linear correlation coefficient of DBP and DEHP standard calibration curves was 0.9998 and 0.9995. The linear range of DBP was 0.020 mg/L ∼20.0 mg/L, with the standard deviation of 0.560% ∼5.07%, and the linear range of DEHP was 0.060 mg/L ∼15.0 mg/L, with the standard deviation of 0.546% ∼5.74%. Ten water samples from Jinwan district of Zhuhai in Guangdong province of China were analyzed. However, the PAEs amounts found in the water sources from industrial areas were higher than the agriculture and residential areas, industries grow incredibly fast in the district in recently years and more attention should be paid to the increasing risks of water sources pollution.

Beyond the EPBD: The low energy residential settlement Borgo Solare

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aste, Niccolo; Adhikari, R.S.; Buzzetti, Michela

2010-01-01

The European Directive on Energy Performance of Buildings (EPBD) imposes the adoption of measures for improving the energy efficiency in buildings. These measures should take into account the local weather conditions as well as internal thermal environment and cost-effectiveness. In this respect, Italy is a very interesting benchmark. For Northern Italy, the climatic context is particularly difficult to deal with cold winters and hot summers. The legislations are changing very rapidly, but has not fully adapted to the local context. The considered methodology still involves winter heating while summer cooling is addressed in incomplete and inadequate ways. The energy issue is addressed only partially as final energy consumption, but with little attention to LCA. Moreover, the belief that the buildings with high energy savings are too expensive, and therefore not attractive from economic point of view. For these reasons, it is very important to develop case studies to demonstrate the effectiveness of sustainable energy in architecture, according to a holistic approach. This paper describes a detailed techno-economic analysis for Borgo Solare project, an extremely advanced and innovative residential settlement designed on sustainable architecture concepts. One of the most innovative aspects of the project is that it is not just an experimental operation but Borgo Solare is a real urban district, which will be built without public funds and should be inhabited by common people. Excellent energy performance, therefore, must be accompanied by affordable market prices. The energy and economical analysis is presented taking into account also the embodied energy of the building. The results on the performance of a sample building (case study) of this settlement are reported, according to different construction standards: prior to EPBD, present from the EPBD and more efficient developed specifically for the project. It has been shown that using the better design practices

Report of the workshop Energy Utility and Solar Water Heater 1993

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1993-01-01

The title workshop was organized to increase the interest of energy utilities for the Solar Water Heater campaign by providing representatives of the utilities with information about the technical and marketing aspects of solar boilers, and to stimulate knowledge transfer between the energy utilities about the method, the possibilities and bottlenecks of solar water heater projects

Comparison of Advanced Residential Water Heating Technologies in the United States

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Maguire, Jeff [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Fang, Xia [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Wilson, Eric [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)

2013-05-01

In this study, gas storage, gas tankless, condensing, electric storage, heat pump, and solar water heaters were simulated in several different climates across the United States, installed in both conditioned and unconditioned space and subjected to several different draw profiles. While many pre-existing models were used, new models of condensing and heat pump water heaters were created specifically for this work. In each case modeled, the whole house was simulated along with the water heater to capture any interactions between the water heater and the space conditioning equipment.

Understanding the Ecological Adoption of Solar Water Heaters Among Customers of Island Economies

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pudaruth Sharmila

2017-04-01

Full Text Available This paper explores the major factors impacting upon the ecological adoption of solar water heaters in Mauritius. The paper applies data reduction technique by using exploratory factor analysis on a sample of 228 respondents and condenses a set of 32 attributes into a list of 8 comprehensible factors impacting upon the sustained adoption of solar water heater in Mauritius. Multiple regression analysis was also conducted to investigate upon the most predictive factor influencing the adoption of solar water heaters in Mauritius. The empirical estimates of the regression analysis have also depicted that the most determining factor pertaining to the ‘government incentives for solar water heaters’ impacts upon the adoption of solar water heaters. These results can be related to sustainable adoption of green energy whereby targeted incentive mechanisms can be formulated with the aim to accelerate and cascade solar energy adoption in emerging economies. A novel conceptual model was also proposed in this paper, whereby, ecological stakeholders in the sustainable arena could use the model as a reference to pave the way to encourage adoption of solar water heating energy. This research represents a different way of understanding ecological customers by developing an expanding on an original scale development for the survey on the ecological adoption of solar water heaters.

Building America Case Study: Addressing Multifamily Piping Losses with Solar Hot Water, Davis, California

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

2016-12-01

Solar thermal water heating is most cost effective when applied to multifamily buildings and some states offer incentives or other inducements to install them. However, typical solar water heating designs do not allow the solar generated heat to be applied to recirculation losses, only to reduce the amount of gas or electric energy needed for hot water that is delivered to the fixtures. For good reasons, hot water that is recirculated through the building is returned to the water heater, not to the solar storage tank. The project described in this report investigated the effectiveness of using automatic valves to divert water that is normally returned through the recirculation piping to the gas or electric water heater instead to the solar storage tank. The valves can be controlled so that the flow is only diverted when the returning water is cooler than the water in the solar storage tank.

Thermodynamic analysis of vapor compression heat pump cycle for tap water heating and development of CO_2 heat pump water heater for residential use

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Saikawa, Michiyuki; Koyama, Shigeru

2016-01-01

Highlights: • The ideal vapor compression cycle for tap water heating and its COP were defined. • It was verified theoretically that CO_2 achieves the highest COP for tap water heating. • The prototype of CO_2 heat pump water heater for residential use was developed. • Further COP improvement of CO_2 heat pump water heater was estimated. - Abstract: The ideal vapor compression cycle for tap water heating and its coefficient of performance (COP) have been studied theoretically at first. The ideal cycle is defined as the cycle whose high temperature heat source varies temperature with constant specific heat and other processes are same as the reverse Carnot cycle. The COP upper limit of single stage compression heat pump cycle for tap water heating with various refrigerants such as fluorocarbons and natural refrigerants was calculated. The refrigerant which achieves the highest COP for supplying hot water is CO_2. Next, the prototype of CO_2 heat pump water heater for residential use has been developed. Its outline and experimental results are described. Finally its further possibility of COP improvement has been studied. The COP considered a limit from a technical point of view was estimated about 6.0 at the Japanese shoulder season (spring and autumn) test condition of heating water from 17 °C to 65 °C at 16 °C heat source air temperature (dry bulb)/12 °C (wet bulb).

The annual number of days that solar heated water satisfies a specified demand temperature

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yohanis, Y.G. [Thermal Systems Engineering Group, Faculty of Engineering, University of Ulster, BT37 0QB Northern Ireland (United Kingdom); Popel, O.; Frid, S.E. [Non-traditional Renewable Energy Sources, Institute for High Temperatures, Russian Academy of Sciences, 13/19 Izhorskaya str., IVTAN, Moscow 127412 (Russian Federation); Norton, B. [Dublin Institute of Technology, Aungier Street, Dublin 2 (Ireland)

2006-08-15

An analysis of solar water heating systems determines the number of days in each month when solar heated water wholly meets demand above a set temperature. The approach has been used to investigate the potential contribution to water heating loads of solar water heating in two UK locations. Correlations between the approach developed and the use of solar fractions are discussed. (author)

Sanitary hot water; Eau chaude sanitaire

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2004-07-01

Cegibat, the information-recommendation agency of Gaz de France for building engineering professionals, has organized this conference meeting on sanitary hot water to present the solutions proposed by Gaz de France to meet its clients requirements in terms of water quality, comfort, energy conservation and respect of the environment: quantitative aspects of the hot water needs, qualitative aspects, presentation of the Dolce Vita offer for residential buildings, gas water heaters and boilers, combined solar-thermal/natural gas solutions, key-specifications of hot water distribution systems, testimony: implementation of a gas hot water reservoir and two accumulation boilers in an apartment building for young workers. (J.S.)

Potential for solar water heating in Zimbabwe

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Batidzirai, B.; Lysen, E.H.; van Egmond, S.; van Sark, W.G.J.H.M.

2009-01-01

This paper discusses the economic, social and environmental benefits from using solar water heating (SWH) in Zimbabwe. By comparing different water heating technology usage in three sectors over a 25-year period, the potential of SWH is demonstrated in alleviating energy and economic problems that

Recent advances in flat plate photovoltaic/thermal (PV/T) solar collectors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ibrahim, Adnan; Othman, Mohd Yusof; Ruslan, Mohd Hafidz; Mat, Sohif; Sopian, Kamaruzzaman [Solar Energy Research Institute Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600 Bangi, Selangor (Malaysia)

2011-01-15

Flat plate photovoltaic/thermal (PV/T) solar collector produces both thermal energy and electricity simultaneously. This paper presents the state-of-the-art on flat plate PV/T collector classification, design and performance evaluation of water, air and combination of water and/or air based. This review also covers the future development of flat plate PV/T solar collector on building integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) and building integrated photovoltaic/thermal (BIPVT) applications. Different designs feature and performance of flat plate PV/T solar collectors have been compared and discussed. Future research and development (R and D) works have been elaborated. The tube and sheet design is the simplest and easiest to be manufactured, even though, the efficiency is 2% lower compared to other types of collectors such as, channel, free flow and two-absorber. It is clear from the review that for both air and water based PV/T solar collectors, the important key factors that influenced the efficiency of the system are the area where the collector covered, the number of passes and the gap between the absorber collector and solar cells. From the literature review, it is obvious that the flat plate PV/T solar collector is an alternative promising system for low-energy applications in residential, industrial and commercial buildings. Other possible areas for the future works of BIPVT are also mentioned. (author)

Residential water demand and water consumption: an econometric analysis on municipal panel data

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Musolesi, Antonio; Nosvelli, Mario

2005-01-01

This paper focuses on residential water demand estimation, a rather neglected issue in the Italian environmental economics literature as compared to other European countries and the USA. This may depend on the difficulties in gathering proper data and, most of all, panel data. In some cases statistical information are not suitably collected, while in other cases legal privacy ties put some obstacles to data set transfer. Our panel data set refers to 102 municipalities in Lombardy (Italy) for the period 1998-2002. When estimating the effect of water price, we control for other relevant variables such as: income, households demographical variables - (age structure, number of component for each family) number of firms in tertiary sector, water system length. In the considered period, the data show both an increase in population (1,5 %) and in the number of water consumers (7%) associated, on aggregate, with a slight reduction in water consumption (-1,1 %). Water demand models are estimated both in a static and in a dynamic framework. In the former, the emphasis is set on the sources of endogeneity in the average price by estimating a system of simultaneous equations and relevant variables for assessing consumer behaviour - such as socio demographic ones - are incorporated in the model. In the latter, econometric methods especially designed for endogeneity in panel data models (Arellano e Bond, 1991), are employed in order to estimate the long run elasticity of water demand with respect to average price. We find evidence both that consumers significantly respond to average price only in the long run with an elasticity of about - 0,3-0,4 and that income and demographic variables are crucial in explaining consumers' behaviour. Furthermore, water consumption presents a strong auto-regressive component, showing the emergence of inertia and path dependency in consumption habits. Such results suggest important implications for water policy planning. On one side demographic

The comparison of solar water heating system operation parameters calculated using traditional method and dynamic simulations

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sornek Krzysztof

2016-01-01

Full Text Available The proper design of renewable energy based systems is really important to provide their efficient and safe operation. The aim of this paper is to compare the results obtained during traditional static calculations, with the results of dynamic simulations. For this reason, simulations of solar water heating (SWH system, designed for a typical residential building, were conducted in the TRNSYS (Transient System Simulation Tool. Carried out calculations allowed to determine the heat generation in the discussed system as well as to estimate the efficiency of considered installation. Obtained results were compared with the results from other available tool based on the static calculations. It may be concluded, that using dynamic simulations at the designing stage of renewable energy based systems may help to avoid many exploitation problems (including low efficiency, overheating etc. and allows to provide safe exploitation of such installations.

Mining residential water and electricity demand data in Southern California to inform demand management strategies

Science.gov (United States)

Cominola, A.; Spang, E. S.; Giuliani, M.; Castelletti, A.; Loge, F. J.; Lund, J. R.

2016-12-01

Demand side management strategies are key to meet future water and energy demands in urban contexts, promote water and energy efficiency in the residential sector, provide customized services and communications to consumers, and reduce utilities' costs. Smart metering technologies allow gathering high temporal and spatial resolution water and energy consumption data and support the development of data-driven models of consumers' behavior. Modelling and predicting resource consumption behavior is essential to inform demand management. Yet, analyzing big, smart metered, databases requires proper data mining and modelling techniques, in order to extract useful information supporting decision makers to spot end uses towards which water and energy efficiency or conservation efforts should be prioritized. In this study, we consider the following research questions: (i) how is it possible to extract representative consumers' personalities out of big smart metered water and energy data? (ii) are residential water and energy consumption profiles interconnected? (iii) Can we design customized water and energy demand management strategies based on the knowledge of water- energy demand profiles and other user-specific psychographic information? To address the above research questions, we contribute a data-driven approach to identify and model routines in water and energy consumers' behavior. We propose a novel customer segmentation procedure based on data-mining techniques. Our procedure consists of three steps: (i) extraction of typical water-energy consumption profiles for each household, (ii) profiles clustering based on their similarity, and (iii) evaluation of the influence of candidate explanatory variables on the identified clusters. The approach is tested onto a dataset of smart metered water and energy consumption data from over 1000 households in South California. Our methodology allows identifying heterogeneous groups of consumers from the studied sample, as well as