SOLAR HEATING

Domestic Hot Water, Space Heat, Heat Storage

Michael Woods Comm Ave LLC

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Michael Woods
Engineer/Consultant
Comm Ave LLC: Green Energy Upgrades
Energy Audits, System Design, Install
Solar
Geothermal Heat Pump
Dual Fuel Residential Systems

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4 years designing
solar heat/hot water
systems
Conducted solar
study into seasonal
storage
Installed 30-Tube
Thermomax
Evacuated Tube
‘test rig’ as
Domestic Hot Water
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o Solar Radiation Basics
o Domestic Hot Water Heating
o House Heating
o Solar Site Evaluation
o Sizing and Cost
o Questions

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 1972 National Science Foundation
Testimony:

“Solar energy is an essentially

inexhaustible source potentially
capable of meeting a significant portion
of the nation’s future energy needs
with a minimum of adverse
environmental consequences…the
most promising of unconventional
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Solar radiation comes from the Sun.
It can be direct, diffuse or reflected.
Radiation is measured by wavelength.
Most Solar: 0.1 – 3.0 x 10-6 m
(micrometers, μm)
Thermal Radiation (Heat) Range: 0.1 -100
μm
Solar radiation is used for heating
applications by absorbing the solar
radiation and transforming it to thermal 6
X-Ray Ultra-Violet Visible

Composite
Infrared Radio
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Insolation: Incoming Solar Radiation
Measurement of the amount of energy
incident on an area for a given time.
Insolation includes direct, diffuse and
reflected radiation.
Units:
Energy / Area x Time
BTU/ft2 · hr (English Units) I’ll try to stick to
these.
kWhr/m2 · day or W/m2 (Metric, 1 Watt = 1 J/s)
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Tilt angle presently
23.5°
Groton’s Latitude is
42.6°N
On the Summer Solstice, Above: Earth’s Position at Summer Solstice

the sun is 70.9° from the

horizon.
On the Winter Solstice,
the sun is 23.9° from the
horizon.
Tilt > Distance
Sun is closer to Earth
in Winter 9
Sun is more distant in
Incidence Angle: The angle between the
sun and the Normal of the surface it
strikes
Azimuth Angle: The angle between due
south and the Normal of the surface
Normal: Perpendicular to the surface

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4 Examples to illustrate effect of tilt &
incidence angle
All examples take place at 40°N Latitude
(Trenton NJ)
Example #1: Solar noon on the Summer
Solstice
45° (Normal) Roof facing Due South 90% of max
28° = incidence angle.
Percent of max. insolation: 90%
Compare this to….. Roof 45°
Facing
South 11
45° Roof Gained 90% of Maximum
Insolation
Example #2: Solar noon on Summer
Solstice
0° (Normal) Wall facing Due South
73° incidence angle. Wall 0°
South
Percent of Max insolation: 32% Facing

32% of max
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Example #3: Solar noon Winter Solstice
0° (Normal) Wall facing Due South
26° incidence angle (sun is lower in the
sky)
Percent of Max insolation: 82%

Wall 0°
82% of max Facing
Due
South
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Wall Facing South Gained 82% of
Maximum Insolation
Example #4: Solar noon Winter Solstice
0° Wall facing South West
Same 26° angle (up/down).
Wall 0°
45° East of Due South (left/right). South
Percent of Max insolation: 59% West
Facing
(Azimuth
= 45°
59% of max from S)
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The Sun: Powerful, Clean, Inexhaustible
Spectrum of wavelengths, Thermal vs.
Solar
Earth Tilt Effects are seasonal
Surface Tilt Effects are local
Angle between sun and normal to the
surface changes the potential
insolation

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Terminology
Collector Type
Collection Methods
Other System
Components

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Terminology
Collector: Surface that absorbs solar
insolation and transfers it to a working
fluid
Working fluid: Water or antifreeze solution
heated by collector and transfers heat to a
storage tank
Circulator: Pump that moves working fluid
through an active gain system from
collector to storage tank
Heat exchanger: section of system 17
Collector Type
Flat Plate Collector
Evacuated Tube Collector

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Collector Type: Flat Plate Collector
Most common type of collector
Temperature Range: 90°-160°F
Absorber surface is Flat
Enclosure Insulated
Glazing layer/layers
Working fluid moves heat
Heat transfer via conduction and forced
convection
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Flat Plate Collector
Pros:
Low up front costs (used collectors are available)
Very DIY friendly
Good value for Low Temp. applications (pool, pre-heat
tank)
Cons:
Difficult to insulate well
Low collection efficiency
Heavy (roof mounting)
Glazing issues
Incidence angle losses are high
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Evacuated Tube
Collector
New Collector type
Temp. Range 90°-250°F
Absorber surface inside
2 glass tubes
Vacuum between tubes
creates insulating
condition.
Working fluid in heat
pipe boils, condenses
at end where transfer
occurs.
Solar radiation always 21

normal to Tube Surface

Evacuated Tube Collector
Pros:
Very efficient collectors
Lightweight
High Temp. applications (dual-coil DHW tanks)
One broken tube doesn’t spoil the bunch
Cons:
Expensive
Temperature range can be
dangerous/damaging
Antifreeze breakdown is quicker
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System Type
Active Gain Closed Loop (CL)
Active Gain CL Drainback
Natural Circulation Thermosiphon

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Active Gain/Closed Loop

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Closed Loop System
Pros:
Can tie into existing DHW system (pre-heat
tank)
Most common DHW system
Minimal controls requirement
Cons:
Antifreeze or Line heaters required in cold
climates
Line break could quickly damage system
Moving parts = maintenance
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Active Gain CL Drainback

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Drainback Systems
Pros:
No need for antifreeze
Less maintenance than non-draining CL
systems (not under pressure)
Can tie into existing DHW system (pre-heat
tank)
Cons:
More controls required (drainback valve)
Less common in industry
Moving parts = maintenance
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Natural Circulating Thermosiphon
System

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Thermosiphon Systems
Pros:
No moving parts
Lowest up front costs
Cons:
Collector must be below storage tank
Heat transfer depends on minimizing friction in
pipes
When collector temp < storage tank temp flow
reverses
Antifreeze required for year-round use in cold
climates. 29
Other system components
Controller
Thermocouples
Pumps
Storage Tank (Superstore, Dual-Coil, Outdoor
Shower)
Piping (Copper, PEX)
Expansion tank
Reservoir
Overheat/overpressure valve
Air bleed
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Panel Types: Flat Plate vs. Evacuated
Tube
Active Gain, Natural Circulation,
Drainback
Maintenance, Antifreeze
Tie-in to DHW

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Direct Gain
Indirect Gain
Active systems
Passive
systems
Storage
systems Bob G
agnon
’s Eva
cuated
Tube M
ega-A
rray

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• Open Floor Plan and ceiling fans to reduce heat
stratificaiton
• North Side of house burmed into hill to reduce heat
loss
• North walls painted brown/green/blue to absorb 33
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Two Views: Trombe Wall
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Fan Coil System, Similar to Solar

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Single Coil DHW Tank
2.Supplies pre-heated
water for on-demand
propane heater
3.Heated water then goes
to either DHW or Heat
exchanger to heat
Radiant Floor Loop

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Best solar designs happen before house
is built
Adapting solar is limited without
storage
Indirect systems work best for existing
homes
Radiant heating systems deliver best
value

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How to determine your potential
for solar?
Before going on……some questions
to ponder:
What are your goals for using solar?
What is the long term plan for your home?
What is the energy use in your home?
How is the expected energy use going to
change in the short-term/long-term?
What are the aesthetic requirements at 42
Solar Potential:
Viable solar options depend on
having enough available insolation
and enough demand for that heat.
Tools to measure available insolation:
Compass: Find South, minimize shading.
Pyranometer: Measures all insolation
Direct/Diffuse
Sun Path diagrams: Manual calculation,
fairly tricky
Solar Pathfinder (Available for free!) 43
Solar Pathfinder
Software
Screen
Allows for
multiple inputs
User input
latitude, tilt and
azimuth of each
location
Example: Upper
portion of Leo’s 44
Pathfinder properly
aligned and level
Reflection of
surrounding
obstructions (trees
and buildings) can
be seen on dome.
Load picture into
software for shade
trace
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Final Report
Output options
Daily available
Insolation
% of Ideal Insolation
Shading losses
Alignment losses
KWH generation for
PV
$ generated by PV
array
All output given by 48
Insolation is only one piece of the puzzle
Other design issues:
Heating demand and insolation are naturally
out of sync.
Tilt collector to gain more insolation in winter months
Most shading in morning or afternoon
Adjust azimuth and tilt to gain more when insolation
comes thru
Account for deciduous shading vs. coniferous
shading
Can trees be removed/trimmed?
What if the best location for solar is on your 49
Non-design considerations:
Capital/Payback
Investment in Solar must outweigh other investment
options
Utility cost reduction is primary measure of payback
Reduction in system maintenance & replacement cost
Rebates
Current federal rebates are an UNCAPPED 30% on ALL
work associated with solar energy installation (audits,
trades, tree work, parts, architects)
Massachusetts rebates are up to 15% cap at $1,000

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Additional planning into overall house
systems should be considered before “going
solar”.
Strong evidence supporting GG reduction of over
60% for US homes to reach sustainable carbon
emissions level.
More than just solar water heating.
Some of the best options (heat pumps, on-
demand heat/hot water) will affect design of
solar application.
Energy use data and energy audits are a key
step to proper planning and research.
http://blip.tv Search: “Groton Local” Home
Energy Audits for more information 51
Determine Insolation (free!)
Audit your energy use
Set Solar Goals: DHW, Heat, GG
Reduction
Determine Capital/Payback/Rebates
etc.
Plan and Execute

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Rules of Thumb Solar Hot Water:
Avg. per capita daily hot water use: 18
gallons
Energy requirement in N.E.: 12,300
BTU/day
Design collector to cover 100% DHW in
June
“Good” site in June will receive daily
insolation ~ 1,700 BTU/ft 2
Flat plate efficiency 35-70%, 15 ft 2/person
Evac. Tube efficiency 45-85%, 9 ft 2/person53
The Challenge:
Coldest day this year: Avg. T = 2.6°F,
1/16/09
On such a day:
Avg. heat load per house: 1 million
BTU/day
Avg. insolation in January: 536 BTU/sq.
ft./day
Area of 100% efficient collector to
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