Posts Tagged ‘Solar Cooling’

SunWater Solar & Chromasun Install Solar Air Conditioning at Solar Decathlon House

Tuesday, September 7th, 2010

In California’s Silicon Valley, innovation has long been the catalyst that propels products, technologies and companies from the garage or lab to the dizzying heights of success. Achieving that success requires innovators to first catch lightning in a bottle, and then find the right partners to help release it one spark at a time. This holds true in the realm of solar air-conditioning just as it does for many other technologies.  

SunWater Solar, Santa Clara University (SCU) and San Jose-based Chromasun, whose innovation resulted in the creation of the Micro-Concentrator (MCT) solar collector, today announced the successful completion of a solar air conditioning project at the 2007 SCU Solar Decathlon House. This solar-powered house is well-known locally as a showcase for 21st century green technologies, and a venue for collaboration between students and organizations promoting sustainable living. 

SunWater Solar’s expertise was key to the success of the Solar Decathlon House solar cooling project. Chromasun selected SunWater Solar as the team with the expertise to remove the House’s original solar thermal system, install three sleek new MCT collectors and other system components, and then link them with the absorption chiller that produces cold water used in the air conditioning process. 

We at SunWater Solar are excited to offer innovative solar cooling technology to our clients, and look forward to working closely with Chromasun on additional projects in Silicon Valley and beyond.

SEIA Projects Continued Growth of Solar Thermal in 2010

Wednesday, April 21st, 2010

SEIA, the Solar Energy Industries Association, has released its year in review report for 2009, and they are calling for a continued increase in solar water heating systems in 2010 after a 10% growth rate in 2009.  Here is an excerpt from the report:

“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.

Cool It Down- With Solar Thermal!

Monday, March 1st, 2010

ChillerSay the words “Solar Thermal” and readers of the SunWater blog may envision rows of Solar Thermal collectors providing low-cost hot water to homes and businesses. But what many people don’t know is that besides heating water and other fluids, Solar Thermal technology can also reduce air-conditioning and industrial cooling costs.

Solar cooling systems use concentrating solar collectors and absorption chillers to drive the cooling process for air conditioners and industrial cooling. So how exactly does such a system save money for building owners?

Electricity rates are often tiered, meaning that the more electricity a building uses during peak hours, the higher the rate charged for that electricity. Peak hours often occur on hot sunny days when the air conditioning load is highest. Installing a solar cooling system can result in big savings since the system reduces electricity use during peak hours. What’s more, the same concentrating solar collectors used for cooling can also be used to heat water for the facility.

Summer is coming, and if you’re looking to cut your cooling bills this year, give SunWater a call today to learn more about how you can cool it down with Solar Thermal!