April 2011
What is NABCEP and why is it important?
The North American Board of Certified energy Practitioners is a standard of excellence for Solar Installers. Anyone who meets the criteria for NABCEP certification meets the most rigorous demands for competency in the US. Being NABCEP certified allow you to gain eligibility to a broader market through incentive based-programs that...
How do I decide between Flat plate and Evacuated tube?
This will be a debate well in to the future. For an more in-depth review please watch this Click here to watch this 1/2 hour webinar. Your decision should be based primarily on the following considerations: 1- Temperature demand- What is you existing application? EVT's will outperform FP's at higher...
How do I size a solar hot water system for my household?
Typically, an american average consumption of 20 gallons of hot water per day per person can be used to size systems. There are some variations in that however so we need to be careful about just using rules of thumb. For most of the Sunmaxx TitanPower Flat plates and Thermopower...
Will i need to make any changes to my existing system for a Solar Thermal upgrade?
No- there are no required changes to your existing system. However, if you have a backflow preventer installed in your house then you will need an expansion tank in the dhw loop. Without this installed, the solar loop will be rasing the temperature of your existing tank and subesquently raise...
How do I attach solar panels to my shingle roof without causing leaks?
Our ConnectMaxx roof hooks are designed for any roof. We suggest that each be attached directly into a rafter using two Simpson Strong-Drive screws. Roof caulk can be used to seal these penetrations. (One installer we know used butyl rubber.) Our concave X-mount flashing then fits securely over the roof...
How well will my collectors perform if they are not positioned perfectly?
Fortunately, solar thermal collectors are not nearly as sensitive to light conditions as PV collectors. As for performance, you have roughly a 60 degree window of opportunity to mount the collectors toward south before you begin losing a small bit of total production. In other words, your house can be...
Can I tie a solar thermal system into my existing system?
Yes, you sure can. There are very few systems in the US that will not accept a solar thermal upgrade, The only exception would be a steam system. Whether you have forced hot air, boiler with baseboard, sub-floor radiant, in-floor radiant or wall heaters you can very easily integrate a...
Simulating Performance of Solar Thermal Systems
Solar thermal systems will behave differently depending on a few variables such as, the obvious, location but also angle of tilt (slope off horizon), orientation angle, temperature of inlet fluid and also daily ambient temperature. We can calculate the efficiency of collectors for various times throughout the day but given the...