SunWater Solar yesterday attended a client kick-off meeting for a commercial solar hot water system we’ll soon install on an 11-story multifamily building in Santa Clara County, California. The first part of the installation will involve removing the building’s existing solar hot water system, which has been in service for the last quarter century. The existing system’s 26 solar thermal collectors and 2,000-gallon storage tank are still functioning, but thanks to a federal grant, the building owners have decided to replace them with a new Heliodyne solar water-heating system. 

Thousands of solar hot water systems were installed during the solar thermal boom of the late 1970’s and early 1980’s. Many of these systems are still functioning today, but are deteriorating. Having provided low-cost renewable energy for decades, these old systems are still sustainable even after they’ve been dismantled. The recycled copper, aluminum, glass and racking components can all be re-used. 

Owners of old solar hot water systems have long reaped the benefits of solar water heating, saving themselves thousands of dollars over the years. Replacing an old system with a new one re-starts the clock on those savings.

Stay tuned to our Facebook page and Twitter feed to hear more about the project in Santa Clara County as it unfolds.