Florida

• USA: Contractor Runs 7,804 m² Collector System at Prestage Foods Factory-

  There is now one more solar process heat installation in the US – and it is one of the country’s largest, too. Since October 2011, more than 50 people were working onsite, 7 days a week, to put the system in place. 84,000 ft² of collector area (7,804 m²) are going to supply an estimated 100,000 gallon (378,541 litres) of hot water (160-180 °F = 71 to 82 °C) per day. The water will be used in the turkey processor´s company in St Pauls, North Carolina. Contractor and owner of the solar thermal system is FLS Energy, one of the major developers of commercial solar thermal installations in the US. The commissioning of the new system was officially announced at a press conference at the beginning of April.
  Photo: FLS Energy

• Design, Construction and Operation of CSP Solar Thermal Power Plants in Florida (2011)-

  This document was assembled by the University of Southern Florida and the Florida Energy Systems Consortium (FESC) as an overview of their developments with solar thermal systems. More specifically, this focuses on the design, construction and operation of CSP Solar Thermal Power Plants in Florida. This project aims to develop a solar thermal power technology that will lead diverse energy resources in Florida and reduce greenhouse emissions by utilizing renewable sources.

• USA: Florida Power & Light starts Solar Support Scheme-

  Utility company Florida Power & Light (FPL) has just started a solar rebate programme on 21 June. FPL supports both PV and solar thermal plants run by private home owners, as well as companies. The programme is part of a five-year pilot programme the Florida Public Service Commission authorised to promote solar power and reduce energy consumption. The funds for PV were exhausted within minutes. For solar thermal, there was still a lot of subsidy money remaining as of 16 July: USD 3 million for private customers and USD 447,000 for business customers. According to FPL, up to USD 15.5 million per year are planned to be spent on the solar rebate programmes. Once funding for the current year is exhausted, the programme will be halted; customers can apply again the following year.
  Source: Pixelio/Carl-Ernst Stahnke

• Summit for Environmental Action Solar Hot Water Implementation Group Report (2008)-

  This report summarizes the Summit for Environmental Action in 2008. The goal of this summit is to have approximately half of all new and existing construction (commercial and residential) in Sarasota County to use solar thermal systems.

  It gives a summary of existing hot water programs, which is for the owner of the property to contract with the independent installers to get a federal tax credit and a state rebate, and then identify how to approach gaining awareness on solar thermal systems.

• Emerging Technology Option for Clean Power Generation - Concentrated Solar Power (2009)-

  This 2009 paper underlines the overall benefits of solar power especially when considered as part of a country or region's energy generation options mix. In addition to listing the available technologies, the document also looks into the economics of solar thermal and provides a summary comparison among parabolic through, central receiver and parabolic dish technologies.

• USA: Utility Networking for Solar Thermal Energy-

  A unique network promoting solar thermal energy has developed in the USA: The Utility Solar Water Heating Initiative (USH2O) launched in 1994 offers utilities, as well as companies related to the solar thermal sector, the opportunity of concerted advocacy initiatives, and exchanging knowledge and experiences. The aim of USH2O is to facilitate the successful implementation of utility solar water heating programmes and educate stakeholders about the potential of solar heating and cooling technologies.

• USA: New Solar Service Model Introduced in Florida-

  In late October 2010, utility Lakeland Electric in Florida and California-based renewable energy service company Regenesis Power launched a new programme for the promotion of solar water heaters. The Lakeland Solar Hot Water Service offers homeowners the possibility to purchase the energy a system generates for a monthly fee, which is comparable to the monthly electricity costs for a family of four. The 2011 target is to install 1,500 solar water heaters.

• Site Inspection Check List (2003)-

  This checklist was produced by the Florida Solar Energy Center and it is an example of the most important aspects to take into account while performing an inspection exercise of a solar system. The checklist covers the following order: solar access inspection; roof inspection; water heater inspection; electrical inspection; plumbing inspection and occupant questionnaire (WAP forms).

• USA: 100th Anniversary of modern Solar Thermal Heater-

  Pioneering solar water heater technology in California: William J. Bailey, a clever business man from California, started producing solar water heaters in his company Day and Night Solar Heater Co. exactly 100 years ago. The technology was based on Bailey´s own patent, which was approved on 2 August 1910.
  Photo: A Golden Thread*
  

• Study Guide for Solar Water and Pool Heating System Installers-

  This report is issued by The Florida Solar Energy Center and Energy Conservation Services as part of the Certified Solar Thermal Installer™ Certification Program, NABCEP.

  The study guide provides a holistic overview of key aspects that any installer of solar thermal should be aware of. The report looks at twelve aspects in particular:

• USA: Strategic Partnership between Tank and Collector Manufacturer-

  Start of a new cooperation: Bill Vallett, Jr., President of Lochinvar (left) and Robin Welling, Managing Director of Tisun, presented their new brand Lochinvar/Tisun at the AHR Expo in Orlando, Florida, in spring this year.
  Photo: Tisun

• Task 43: Worldwide Harmonisation of Solar Rating and Certification Procedures -

  The international harmonisation of norms is advancing: On behalf of operating agent Jan Erik Nielsen from Plan Energi, experts are working on the alignment of EN and ISO norms under Task 43 of the Solar Heating & Cooling Programme managed by the International Energy Agency.
  Photo: ITW

• Solar Swimming Pool Heating in Florida – Collector Sizing and Economics (1994)-

  This document was put out by the Florida Solar Energy Center in 1994. At the time, there were over 200,000 swimming pools in Florida, and this document presents a simple method that can be used to determine the solar collector area needed to heat a swimming pool to comfort conditions.

  This gives you formulas to calculate your collector area and the heat energy output to properly select panels that produce the appropriate Btu. It includes the cost and savings for different fuels compared to solar pool heating.

• Operation of the Solar Thermal Collector Certification Program (2009) -

  This document from 2009 was put out by the Florida Solar Energy Council (FSEC). It presents details of the operation of the Solar Energy Standards Act whereby solar collectors may be rated for performance, examined for compliance to minimum standards and be certified by FSEC. This includes: operating guidelines for certifying solar collectors; description of the standard method for thermal performance rating; manufacturer’s agreement for labeling certified collectors; Information on the application for requesting collector certification.

• USA: Low Expectations and a Shift towards Commercial Systems-

  Commercial applications have gained momentum in the US over the last two years. The system shown in the picture is a project by the The Leveredge company from Florida. The 223 m² installation heats up to 15,000 litres per day.
  Photo: The Leveredge

• Training Video for Inspection of Solar Water Heating Systems (2006)-

  These training videos are tutorials from 2006 on how the International Codes apply to solar domestic water heating systems.

  The tutorials were produced by the Florida Solar Energy Center in cooperation with the Solar Rating and Certification Corporation and funding from Sandia National Laboratories.

  See videos here

  Source: www.solar-rating.org

• SunBuilt- SunBuilt is the latest program to expand solar energy technology in communities throughout Florida. A partnership between DEP, the Florida Home Builders Association and the Florida Solar Energy Research and Education Foundation, SunBuilt provides rebate checks to home builders who install solar hot water heaters in newly constructed homes. Go to website