Some of the hottest buzz at the show, however, was anything but sunny. Among the many photovoltaic (PV) industry exhibitors and attendees, there was great disappointment with the State of California’s temporary suspension last week of CSI solar incentive rebates for PV projects. The freeze halts payment of incentives to non-profit groups and public entities, such as school districts, that install PV systems.

Happily, Solar Thermal projects are unaffected by these changes and will still be eligible for CSI rebate money. At the moment, California’s entire Solar Thermal industry is waiting with baited breath for the CSI Thermal Program to release the commercial Solar Thermal rebate calculator. When these calculations are made public, commercial customers, manufacturers and installers will finally be able to see exactly how much the state will contribute to the installation cost of new commercial Solar Thermal systems.

SunWater Solar is pleased that one of our solar thermal installations at a San Francisco apartment building will be featured on the tour.  Please join us for the event on Saturday!

“I chose SunWater because they specialize in the field [solar thermal technology]. I wanted someone up to date in the technology,” explained Linda, who also appreciated SunWater’s daily updates on the progress of the installation.

San Francisco has a brilliant opportunity to significantly reduce greenhouse gases by focusing on multifamily buildings because there are so many of them in San Francisco.  SunWater Solar is proud to contribute to this effort and hopes that more apartment buildings will adopt solar water heating as a way to reduce their carbon footprint and their energy bills while also attracting new tenants.

Web-based performance metrics illustrate quantifiable return on solar thermal investments

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. – May 4, 2010 – SunReports, Inc., a provider of performance monitoring solutions for residential and commercial solar installations, in collaboration with SunWater Solar, one of the few companies in California that specializes in solar thermal technology, today announced the successful deployment of smart solar thermal systems innorthern California. SunReports’ Apollo1 provides a Web-based means of analyzing solar system performance, while SunWater Solar brings the expertise necessary to design and install a quality solar thermal system.

The Apollo1 monitors both solar thermal and solar PV systems, requires no configuration in the field and generates system performance data accessible through Internet portals. SunWater Solar assisted in the fine-tuning of the Installer Portal and was one of the first companies to field test the Apollo1, installing the devices on three Schuco commercial solar thermal systems in northern California. Solar thermal systems use the sun’s energy, rather than fossil fuels, to heat water and other fluids, significantly reducing site-generated greenhouse gas emissions and enabling long term Return on Investment (ROI) through decreased utility bills.

“SunReports’ Apollo1 is an easy-to-use, affordable system that makes a solar system ‘smart’ by enabling it to communicate important performance parameters,” said Thomas Dinkel, CEO, SunReports. “System installers can view system performance for all of their systems using our Installer Portal map-based interface, and a system owner can see the performance of their own system in easy-to-understand graphics, complete with energy savings equivalents.”

SunReports’ performance-based monitoring is the first system capable of highlighting a solar thermal system’s actual production compared to its estimated performance, providing assurance that the system is operational and working to its designed capacity. By accessing SunReports’ Internet portals via any web-enabled device, even mobile devices such as the iPhone, system installers and owners can check system performance from anywhere in the world. The SunReports solar performance monitoring solution also issues alerts should the system experience any performance issues.

“At SunWater Solar we take great pride in designing and building quality solar thermal systems that generate long-term financial benefits,” said Justin Weil, President, SunWater Solar. “Now, thanks to SunReports, we can access metrics that assist us in further enhancing system performance, so clients get a high-quality solar thermal system along with quantifiable assurance that it is generating maximum output and maximum savings.”

Unlike other measurement systems on the market, the SunReports system takes direct measurement of the solar benefit, rather than estimating the effect of the arrays. Three temperature sensors allow the Apollo1 to accurately calculate the amount of energy a solar thermal array is creating. Two sensors take direct measurements of the temperature of fluid moving between the array and the heat exchanger, while a third sensor measures the temperature of the fluid in the solar storage tank. A current transducer tells when the solar circulating pump is on. The Apollo1 integrates all of this data and then transmits it through an Internet connection.

Businesses considering the installation of a solar thermal system may be eligible for sizable rebates, and rebate program rules may require the installation of performance metering and monitoring equipment on the system. The California Solar Initiative (CSI) Thermal Program, for example, stipulates that monitoring equipment must be installed on systems displacing more than 30kWth (Kilowatt Thermal), equivalent to about 462 square feet of collector area. The CSI Thermal Program, which authorizes $350 million in rebates, is one of the nation’s most ambitious solar thermal rebate programs.

SunWater Solar is certified to participate in the program and as a leading solar water heating design/build company in California we are pleased the program has officially started.

One of the requirements of the program is that buildings must have basic energy efficiency measures implemented before solar electricity projects (PV) can be funded.   Solar water heating is considered one of these energy efficiency measures and can help a building reach the energy efficiency requirements needed to install PV solar for electricity.

SunWater Solar applauds the efforts of San Francisco in leading the country with its new PACE program.

“SEIA expects continued growth in SWH in 2010. This year, California will launch the most ambitious state SWH incentive program with the goal of installing 200,000 SWH systems. In addition, increased use of SWH to generate renewable energy certificates (RECs) to meet state renewable energy standards could drive additional deployment in some states as we began to see in Arizona last year. This optimism is mirrored by the many new products seeking certification from the Solar Rating and Certification Corporation, the testing body charged with certifying equipment for eligibility to take the federal ITC.”

In addition to solar water heating, the report sites the huge potential of solar thermal technology for cooling applications like air conditioning and industrial cooling.  “While solar cooling technologies have yet to take off in the U.S., the potential is enormous. More than 60 percent of energy consumed residential and commercial buildings is for thermal services. Of that, water heating accounts for about one quarter. The rest is used for space heating and cooling, a huge growth opportunity for solar energy over the next few years.”

SunWater Solar offers both solar water heating and solar thermal cooling solutions and looks forward to more customers adopting solar thermal as a cost effective way of reducing energy bills and greenhouse gasses.

“Solar Hot Water Today for a Sustainable Tomorrow” provides an overview of Solar Thermal technology and its history, benefits and applications. The video is narrated by SunWater Solar’s executive team, who are among the most knowledgeable experts in the U.S. Solar Thermal industry. Loaded with insightful commentary and high-quality footage of Solar Thermal systems in action, the video introduces viewers to a technology whose brightest days are still ahead, and that will play a vital role in reducing pollution and reliance on fossil fuels.

Click here to view “Solar Hot Water Today for a Sustainable Tomorrow” (http://www.sunwatersolar.com/video.php).

Solar Thermal began to attract increased public attention in January 2010 when the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) approved the California Solar Initiative (CSI) Thermal Program, which authorized $350 million in rebates. Solar Thermal systems use the sun’s energy, rather than fossil fuels, to heat water and other fluids, significantly reducing site-generated greenhouse gas emissions and enabling long-term ROI through decreased utility bills.

“The CSI rebate and the long-term financial benefits of Solar Thermal make this technology an excellent investment for any business that requires large amounts of hot water,” said Justin Weil, President of SunWater Solar. “A Solar Thermal system can reduce water-heating bills by up to 70%, and in 2010 we expect to see more and more businesses tapping into the value these systems can provide.”

Along with the new video, SunWater Solar has also released a Financial Rebates & Incentives fact sheet that explains six different financial options available to prospective buyers of Solar Thermal systems. This fact sheet is informative reading for businesses that understand the potential benefits of Solar Thermal and want to purchase a system for the lowest possible cost.

Click here to download the SunWater Solar Financial Rebates & Incentives fact sheet

(http://www.sunwatersolar.com/solar-rebates-financing.php). Registration is required to download the fact sheet.

“The upfront cost of a Solar Thermal system may be higher than that of a natural gas-fueled water heater, but with the many rebates and financial options available today, buyers can recoup that cost relatively quickly,” said Justin Weil. “And with a 25 to 40 year lifespan, these systems continue paying back long after they’ve paid for themselves.”

Spain is a shining example of how widespread use of Solar Thermal technology could look here in the U.S. once the technology takes off. Spain is light years ahead of the U.S. in the terms of developing Solar Thermal, the government having realized in the late 1990’s that this technology could generate massive amounts of low-cost hot water and electricity.

Barcelona, a Spanish city known as the pioneer for solar regulations in Europe, is Spain’s Solar Thermal epicenter. Barcelona has required solar hot water systems on all new public and private buildings since 2000; the first city in Europe to enact such legislation. In Barcelona, new buildings must produce 60% of their hot water with Solar Thermal technology.

In the U.S., financial incentives are the preferred method of encouraging Solar Thermal adoption, rather than laws mandating its use. Ultimately though, the end result of each approach is the same: widespread adoption of Solar Thermal technology throughout the nation.

In Chile, for example, a government project is currently bringing Solar Thermal to hundreds of shantytown residents near Santiago. Solar Thermal systems installed on new homes the government is building for these underprivileged people will provide financial savings of 62% for a family of four using 10.5 gallons of water per day at 115 degrees Fahrenheit. This project comes on the heels of legislation approved last year in Chile authorizing government subsidies of between 20 and 100 percent of the cost of Solar Thermal installations in new residential buildings.

Granted, the vast majority of Americans are far better off economically than the Chileans who will benefit from their government’s Solar Thermal program. But the desire to save money by reducing energy costs has strong appeal across all cultural, economic and national boundaries.

The installation cost of a Solar Thermal system is quite reasonable when you consider the long-term financial benefits. Sure, it may take a few years for the energy savings a new Solar Thermal system provides to equal the cost of installation. With a minimum 25-year lifespan though, these systems continue paying back long after they’ve paid for themselves. No matter what country you’re from, that is a sensible proposition.