case studies

• Solar Air-Conditioning Systems in North America (2010)-

  This presentation was created by Lucio Mesquita of solar energy company EnerWorks. It focuses on the use and prevalence of solar thermal air-conditioning in the United States.

• District Energy Solar Thermal System, St. Paul (2012)-

  This case study focuses on the district energy solar thermal heating system installed on the Saint Paul River Centre in St. Paul, Minnesota. At the time of the installation in 2011, this was the largest known solar thermal hot water heating installation in the United States.

• Case Study: University of Texas (2012)-

  This case study was created by Cinco Solar, and provides information on a project they completed at the University of Texas. The installation provides air heating and process heat for the building.

• Solar Thermal Applications (2012)-

  This presentation was created by Bob Swartman of Solcan, a solar energy company based in Canada. It provides information on various uses of solar thermal energy and includes a few case studies and examples.

• US Military Solar Thermal Energy Applications (2011)-

  This presentation was created by Ben Gravely of Holocene LLC. It reports on how the US Military has been taking advantage of solar thermal applications.

  The presentation presents examples and photos of solar thermal being used for various hot water heating purposes across the spectrum of US Military needs, and even some state and federal government settings. Solar thermal is used in residential homes on bases, and in the commercial setting that support these homes. The presentation also shows solar thermal being used for schools and post offices.

• Case Study: Maricopa County Jail Complex -

  This case study was created by the technology company Bosch Thermotechnology. It reports on their installation of solar thermal systems throughout the Maricopa County Jail Complex in Arizona.

• Drake Landing Solar Community (2011)-

  This case study was created by Enermodal Engineering. It provides an overview of the Drake Landing Solar Community in Canada, and takes a look at various aspects and benefits of the installations there.

  The Solar Community features 52 house subdivisions, incorporating single-detached, two-story homes. It is the first district system in the world 90% solar fraction, produced by 800 flat-plate glazed collectors. The house heating uses solar heat directly without heat pumps for temperature increase.

  Author: Enermodal Engineering

• Magdalena Schools Heat Water and Save Money with ARRA-Funded Solar Thermal Systems (2010)-

  This case study comes from the New Mexico Energy Department. It looks at how the Magdalena School District installed solar thermal water heating systems in their schools with federal stimulus money.

  The Magdalena school is small, with a 124,000 square foot building and about 450 children. The schools hot water was being supplied by 2 propane fueled boilers, one at 600,000 BTUs and one at 1,000,000 BTUs. Now, the school has two 20-gallon heat exchangers, both supplied with water heated by four solar thermal panels, saving the school around 20% on its energy costs.

• Solar Thermal Energy Technologies for Industrial Applications - India’s Experience (2008)-

  Presented by Shirish Garud (The Energy Resources Institute) at the 2008 Global Renewable Energy Forum in Brazil, this presentation outlines the potential of solar thermal technologies for industrial applications in India.

• Design Considerations for Large-Scale Solar Thermal Applications (2011)-

  This presentation is on solar thermal applications in large, commercial buildings. It first addresses the places of opportunity for commercial solar thermal such as schools, pools, government buildings, correctional facilities and apartment complexes.

• Solar Hot Water: Value By Design (2011)-

  This brochure comes from the solar energy company Heliodyne. It explains how solar thermal technology works, its benefits, and offers case studies of solar thermal water heating in action. This document would be useful to anyone interested in examining the current market for solar thermal products in detail.

• Connect 2011: Making Solar Thermal a Part of Your Business-

  This presentation discusses the main benefits that using solar thermal energy can bring to a business. With charts and other interesting info-graphics, it compares the potential of solar thermal energy to the use of gasoline, coal, oil and uranium. Comparing future costs and output levels, it shows the inherent advantages of installing solar thermal energy systems.

• Brazil: Solar Water Heater Case Studies in Multi-family Housing-

  In cooperation with engineering office SE-Studio Equinócio, the International Copper Association (ICA) Latin America has released a publication which highlights the use of solar heating in large residential buildings. Three installations that have been monitored for several years show the economic, environmental and operational results of solar hot water use. The main conclusion: Solar heating reduces gas consumption by between 30% and 50% and pays back in less than four years (see the attached PDF in Portuguese).
  Photo: ICA

• San Francisco Solar Water-Heated Homes and Organizations (2009)-

  This brochure was created by San Francisco Environment, which is a department of the City and County of San Francisco. It presents two case studies of successful solar thermal water heating installations in San Francisco.

• Solar Thermal Collectors and Thermal Storage (2009)-

  This presentation was created by Dr. Cynthia A. Cruickshank of Carleton University, and was first presented at the “Montreal Ph.D. Summer Workshop on Net-Zero Energy Solar Buildings: Theory, Modeling and Design”. The presentation focuses on applications of solar thermal, collectors, and storage systems.

• The Project Proposal of Solar Water Heating System for Markham, Ontario (2009)-

  This presentation was created by Globe Solar Energy, Inc. In 2007, Globe Solar Energy became the solar thermal water heating technology and system provider for the West Toronto Initiative for Solar Energy program (WISE). This document provides information on the company’s involvement with that program, as well as the Solar BC program and the Halton Residential Solar Project.

• Getting into Hot Water in the United States: The Case of EnerWorks (2011)-

  This case study was written by Ryan Walter of Ryerson University and was published by the Entrepreneurial Practice Review. It is a business case study on the beginnings of the expansion of Canadian based solar thermal hot water heating company EnerWorks.

• History of Solar Thermal in Peru (2011)-

  This is a presentation made during the UNEP (United Nations Environment Programme) Regional Workshop of Solar Thermal Water Heating in Chile in June 2011, organised by the UNEP (United Nations Environment Programme) and UNDP (United Nations Development Programme).

• Solar Power for Tomorrow's World (2011)-

  This presentation was created by Ken May of Abengoa Solar, and was published by the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE). It explains the potential of solar thermal to displace conventional electric use and create long term utility savings.

• Solar Thermal Alternative Residential Heating Methods (2011)-

  This report was written by the Kotzebue Electric Association (KEA), which helps provide electricity to the indigenous NANA Region of Kotzebue, Alaska. It reports on test efforts at installing solar thermal heating systems in a number of homes in Alaska that were in need of home heating assistance.

• Solar Hot Water in Alaska (2011)-

  This presentation was written by Harvey Bowers of the Alaska Center for Appropriate Technology (ACAT). It provides information on solar thermal water heating in cold climates and uses a case study and examples from installations in Alaska to demonstrate how solar thermal can be effective in similar settings.

• Mission Heights Condominiums Solar Thermal Hot Water Heating System (2007)-

  This case study was written by Adroit Solar, a solar energy company in California. It profiles a solar thermal installation at the Mission Heights Condominium complex which provides solar thermal water heating to 116 residential units in 3 buildings.

• Solar Hot Water Heaters for the Tourism Business (2011)-

  This report focuses on the use of solar thermal hot water in the tourism business. With green tourism becoming more prevalent, this paper highlights solar thermal’s potential applications in the business of relaxation.

• Heat Transfer Performance of a Dual-Chamber Finned Solar Absorber (2011) -

  This paper is from Deborah A. Sunter and Van P. Carey of the University of California, Berkeley. It hypothesizes and then tests with a case study the benefits of a dual-chamber solar absorber in thermal heating applications.

• Solar Boston Initiative Case Study (2009)-

  This case study focuses on two small businesses in Jamaica Plain, MA that have participated in the Solar Boston Initiative and have had solar panels installed to heat their water. The two businesses, a carwash and Laundromat, have been so pleased with the results that they plan to install more solar collectors on their roof.

• Dynamic Optimization of Solar Thermal Energy Systems with Storage (2011)-

  This presentation from the University of Texas discusses new ways to utilize and store solar thermal energy more efficiently. It analyzes the benefits that heat storage can bring to various solar thermal systems in different situations and in different locations of the United States.

• Potential Market and Practical Experience with Solar Process Heat in Germany (2011)-

  This is a presentation made by Harald Drück during the International Conference on Process Heat of March 2011 in Austria. The presentation includes data about the use of solar heat for industrial processes (SHIP) in Germany with concrete examples of companies like Steinbach and Vollmann, Alanod, the Hofmühl brewery, among others.

• Renewable Energy in Europe. Markets, Trends and Technologies (2010)-

  This second edition of the European Renewable Energy Council (EREC) study presents the latest political, technological, financial and economic information on renewable energy technologies in the fields of heating and cooling, electricity and biofuels in order to reach the binding 2020 target of at least 20 % renewable energy from final energy consumption.

• Commercial Solar Thermal Solutions for the Caribbean (2009)-

  This presentation was created by Ecological Technologies Ltd (Eco-Tec), a Jamaican company that specializes in renewable energy technology solutions and energy management consulting; and Solid, a project development and engineering company.

• Sustainable Solar Thermal Strategy for Lebanon – Case Study (2007)-

  This presentation, prepared by Anwar Ali of the LCECP (Lebanese Centre for Energy Conservation, was presented during the workshop in Syria: “Political & Economic Framework Conditions for EE & RE in Buildings”.

• Large Scale Deployment of Solar Thermal Technologies (2004)-

  This case study was created by ADEME, the French Agency for Environment and Energy Management. It provides information on the Plan Soleil Initiative, which is the solar thermal program of France’s national renewable energy initiative called REACT.

  The Plan Soleil Initiative was France’s drive to introduce solar thermal water heating into residencies and buildings. Central to the campaign were communication efforts to educate citizens on the benefits of the program and government subsidies to make the technology more affordable.

• Solar Thermal Energy Technology and Market Trends (2010)-

  This presentation was created by Frank Proske, the Market Development Manager for Renewables at A.O. Smith Water Products Co. in Pennsylvania, USA. The focus of the presentation is on the evolution and current state of various solar thermal technologies and the maturation of their market.

• Solar Powering Your Community: A Guide for Local Government (2011)-

  This is a document from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to help local governments and communities developing a solar energy plan. Authorities have realized the main obstacles are often at the administrative and legislative level, so with this document they aim at providing further assistance on how to draft and implement strategic local solar plans.

• Building Sector Policies and Regulation for Promotion of Solar Water Heating System (2010)-

  This comprehensive report from 2010 reviews and assesses the building sector policies and regulations in India in the context of solar water heating (SWH) and needs to be seen in the context of the ambitious goal India set to reach 10 million m2 of installed SWH systems by 2012.

• Evaluation of the Renewable Energy Application in Mediterranean Hotels. Case Study: the Balearic Islands` Hotels (2006)-

  In the services sector, hotels are a high energy consumer, which offers a good opportunity to promote the use of renewable energy sources, including solar thermal, in the tourism sector, especially in the Mediterranean region, as this paper emphasizes. This paper goes through the potential of the RES' use in the total energy consumption of hotels situated in the Spanish Balearic Islands, a very famous touristic destination, with about half a million beds available.

• Solar Thermal Ordinances: State of Art in Europe (2008)-

  This report, from 2008, produced by Intelligent Energy Europe, and integrated in the ProSTO project (Best Practice Implementation of Solar Thermal Obligations) makes an assessment of existing solar thermal ordinances (STO), using a total of 11 case studies in different countries such as Italy, Spain, Germany, Ireland and Portugal.