This system uses 600 SunMaxx Thermopower VHP’s. Roughly 850,000 btu’s per day are transferred into a 1500 gallon storage tank and then transferred to point of use for one of five zones. This Combisystem is tied into radiant floor, forced hot-air, domestic hot water, swimming pool and a baseboard heating system
This garage has 180 SunMaxx Thermopower VHP’s installed for a Combisystem. Most of the clients hot water demand is met year round and in the winter time, the heating bills have been cut by 40%. Any excess heat during the summer months is dumped into the swimming pool giving them a very comfortable pool all summer long.
SunMaxx Solar Installed a Solar Thermal System at Cornell University using 16 collectors, 480 Tubes, and SunMaxx Solar Evacuated Tubes. The combined heat and waste plant at Cornell Utilizes Evacuated tubes to produce domestic hot water as well as supplement space heating requirements across various buildings on campus.
The Westin Hotel in St. Maarten , U.S. Virgin Islands is yet another example of the match made in heaven when the hospitality industry pursues solar hot water. This 45 Collector system is not at the forefront of the hotel and government incentives were not at the forefront of the investment decision. The pure economic benefit of commercial solar hot water systems was enough to justify the project in an area where the sun is cheap and conventional energy sources are expensive. The ThermoPower system generates 43% of the energy used by the hotel’s central laundry facility. The SunMaxx Solar design is innovative, being the single largest evacuated tube drainback system in the world.
SunMaxx Solar in conjunction with Eastern Energy Solutions, installed a Solar Hot Water System at the Broome County YMCA in Binghamton , New York which included 10 SunMaxx ThermoPower-VHP30 evacuated tube collectors , 300 tubes and Evacuated Tubes as part of a solar thermal system designed to supplement the domestic hot water heating costs of the facility, allowing additional budget money to be used for service and facility upgrades. The system is large enough to provide 140 million BTUs of heat energy annually - enough to heat 218,000 gallons of water each year. The solar hot water heating system will offset enough natural gas to provide more than 29,000 showers each year (83 a day). The SunMaxx solar hot water system will have a dramatic impact on reducing the natural gas usage of the YMCA facility, and is only a part of more than $1,000,000 that the YMCA has invested in energy efficiency upgrades, including efficient lighting and heating/cooling system upgrades.
SunMaxx Solar installed a Solar Thermal System to The Grand Hyatt Hotel which provides heat & hot water, and a heated swimming pool to the facility. 60 Collectors, 1800 tubes and SunMaxx Solar Evacuated Tubes were used in the installation.
In 2009 , SunMaxx Solar completed a Solar Installation at the St. Regis Hotel in Aspen , Colorado. The install which used 52 collectors and 1560 SunMaxx Solar Evacuated Tubes , provides a complete heat source to all areas of the hotel including the swimming pools , heat for the facility and hot water.
The SunMaxx Solar System, located at the Wallkill Correctional Facility (Ulster County) seeks to harness the power of the sun to meet the hot water needs of the 608-bed, medium security men’s prison. The system includes 1440 evacuated tubes in 3 pods of 16 collectors arranged in 3 rows of 4 collectors. The system does not contain storage, an innovative design strategy that was implemented given the load profile of the facility. A glycol/water solution is circulated through the durable, closed-loop system, and is capable of preheating vast volumes of water used for showers, laundry, and kitchen facilities. On the day the system was commissioned, it performed exactly how it was designed. Even with frost on the tubes on an early January day, the system yielded 134 deg F. The1440 tubes produced 297,000 BTU’s per hour (210 per tube) dumped directly into the Domestic hot water supply raising the variable domestic flow by 30 degrees. The project is expected to reduce the facility’s current oil consumption by 160,000 gallons, and requires minimal annual maintenance. This is the largest evacuated tube system for any prison in the USA. Technicians from SunMaxx Solar aided in the design of the system. The project being was funded in part by a $250,000 Renewable Energy Program grant from the New York Power Authority. The project s expected to pay for itself in 20 years, and have a life expectancy of more then 30 years. In June 2010, the project was honored as the Best New York State Government Solar Project of the Year by the NYS Solar Energy Industries Association at their annual conference in Albany.
Join us as we talk briefly with Father Gordon about his Thermosyphon System installed at his residential home.
Video Transcript
SunMaxx Solar testimonial with Father Gordon Todd: Hi this is Todd Paternoster with SunMaxx Solar, here in Sidney, New York, doing a little solar tour. We happened to run into our very own Father Gordon from the Sacred Heart Parish. Father Gordon was one of our early customers back then. A few years ago he installed a couple of thermal siphons. Father Gordon: Two years and a summer, yes. Todd: Very good. He installed a couple of thermal siphons. One’s tied into the hot water, and one’s tied into his heat. And so, sort of off the cuff Father how’s your hot water heater been? Father Gordon: Hot water’s fantastic. It’s just me, and as I was saying earlier there’s one shower, one load of dishes, and four loads of laundry for the week. In the summer, I don’t need any fuel. Todd: Wonderful. Father Gordon: This provides everything. Todd: Good. Father Gordon: In the winter, it provides most of it. Todd: Well that’s good to hear. Father Gordon: Fantastic. Todd: And have you had any maintenance issues at all? Father Gordon: When we first put it in, the first installer didn’t do it correct. The second installer, that was last year, no problems since. Todd: Very good. Well Father, thank you for your time. Father Gordon: My pleasure. Todd: I’m glad you’re happy with your hot water system. Father Gordon: Yup. Todd: And we’re gonna continue on with the Sidney Solar Tour. So thanks again Father, have a great day. Father Gordon: My pleasure. Thank you.
Join us as we talk with Dr. Stephen Benham and discuss the importance of his system.
Video Transcript
SunMaxx Testimonial with Dr. Stephen Benham Todd: Hi this is Todd Paternoster with SunMaxx Solar, continuing with our Sidney New York Solar Tour. This is one of the pioneers, Dr. Stephen Benham…one of the SunMaxx certified installers installed for him a 180-square foot solar thermal system tied into two tanks. He’s got a 275 (gallon) non-pressurized tank, and an 80-gallon pressurized tank. He’s got four collectors on the roof and two on the ground. Here’s Dr. Benham right now, so thanks for coming out and joining us Dr.Benham. I just described that you were one of the pioneers in Sidney with solar thermal, and you hired one of the best installers to get the job done, and spared no expense to make sure it was done right. So you’ve really set a model for everybody…so could I just off the cuff tell you what your initial gut reaction to your solar thermal system? Dr. Benham: Well, it’s working pretty nice. Todd: So you’ve got the hot water and heat for your system. You did some of the installation yourself, you were fundamental in getting the ground-mount going and dug the trenches. You’ve put a lot of thought into orientation, and so, what direction are we facing here? Dr. Benham: Well, they are facing 190 on the compass, 193 for this area would be perfect. Todd: Okay so you’ve got 190. And then what angle did you decide to go with? Dr. Benham: degrees up, to maximize for the spring and fall. Not necessarily for the dead of winter and certainly not for summer. Todd: What would you say your average temperature is during the spring and fall months? Dr. Benham: Average tank temperatures…probably 140-150, but I have it maximized for my domestic hot water. Todd: Okay. Dr. Benham: So that gets heat first. So that gets up…right now I have it set for about 160-165. So it gets to 160-165 and the rest of the tank heats up a little bit faster after that. Todd: Great. So you’re prioritizing your domestic hot water load? Dr. Benham: Right. Todd: Very good. Dr. Benham: And after a while you learn that when the sun’s out that’s when you do laundry and the dishes. Todd: So you’ve modified your lifestyle a little bit to fit the solar. Dr. Benham: A little bit. Not a lot, but a little. Todd: Good. Any suggestions or things you wish you had done a little differently or not at all with this design? Dr. Benham: (Pause) Whew… Todd: Well I guess that’s a good sign. (laughter) You get this guy to pause for two minutes and that’s a good sign. Dr. Benham: No there are a lot of things that were done right. There are a lot of unknowns, a lot of decisions that we made along the way. But there had to be compromises made along the way and so they were. Todd: Yup, very good…the frame on this flat-roof, he decided to shorten the spread by raising the back row up so that the front row doesn’t cast as much of a shadow on the back row. It decreases the overall footprint. Dr.Benham: Or cast any shadow at all. Todd: No shadow. I do remember having conversations with you about using some of your sloped roof and you put a lot of thought into it. You didn’t want any roof penetrations there, so in fact we’re not even penetrating the roof here it’s just sitting on these frames here. Dr. Benham: Yup. Todd: And obviously you don’t have any roof penetration here. One nice thing I can point out is that in the summertime Dr. Benham does reduce his production by covering these collectors up. And that can effectively reduce his need for heat dump, although you do have a heat dump. Dr. Benham: I do. Todd: I suspect it probably doesn’t operate too much throughout the day, perhaps an hour or two each day. Dr. Benham: Well it depends. If you get several sunny days right in a row during the summer, then it takes on for the last couple of hours for each day. Todd: And you’re blowing hot air out a window. Dr. Benham: Yup. Todd: Very good. Okay, well thanks to Dr. Benham, appreciate the time. And I appreciate you being a pioneer for solar thermal in Sidney alone. But Sidney, New York is, as many of you may realize, is one of the pioneers in the country, in terms of numbers square-footage solar thermal collectors per person. We have many more to go and we’re burning daylight, so let’s say goodbye for now and we’re gonna move on.
Join us as we talk with Dr. Stephen Benham and discuss the importance of his system.