California

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.

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.

This case study was written by Jason Kirchoff et. al. of the University of Southern California School of Architecture. It analyzes the efficiency of a year round solar thermal heating and cooling system in a commercial building in Los Angeles, California.

This case study was written by SunChiller and All Energy USA. It focuses on a solar thermal air conditioning and heating system at Los Angeles Valley College.

This document was written by the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, a United States Department of Energy Office of Science national lab. It focuses on the potential benefits of solar thermal heat storage systems. The paper was first presented at the 3rd International Conference on Solar Air-Conditioning in Sicily in 2009.

Demand for subsidised solar water heater is very different in Europe and the USA. A comparison between California and the Czech Republic shows that the growth potential is much higher in European countries. The number of applications submitted to the national subsidy programme has been 100 times as much in the Eastern European country as in the US state. The photo shows a commercial solar water heater on a multi-family apartment community in Huntington Beach, California, installed by California Solar Thermal, Inc. The 24-panel-installation was subsidised by both California Solar Initiative (CSI) - Thermal Program as well as the Federal Treasury Grant (30%) and reached a payback time of two years.
Photo: California Solar Thermal

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.

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.

After being the strongest U.S. market for solar thermal for many years, Hawaii currently has to cope with a falling demand for solar thermal installations. According to the U.S. Solar Market Insight report for the third quarter of US Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) and GMT Research, Hawaii has dropped behind California on second position. Solarthermalworld.org asked Mark Duda, President of the Hawaiian Solar Energy Association, about the background of this development.

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*