Which brand and type of solar collectors

hr

I'm sold out on used panels, and plan on having a solar DHW demo at my booth for FarmFest next month. Alternate energy should be a big draw this year. Lp projected to go to 2 bucks or more. I locked in at 1.34 today!

Anyways, do you prefer evacuated tube of basic plate type? Seems with evacuated tubes you could simply unplus some in the summer months to just supply DHW. Then beef up the array for heating season. Perhaps a rack in the shop to safely hold the extras?

Flat plate are the type I am most familiar with, looking for a reasonable priced, good quality source of panels.

I have a call in to Heliodyne and Rheem. Rheem seems to have a big push on their Solarhart SDHW systems right now.

Thanks for any info :)

hot rod

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Paul Pollets

Solar

HR, talk to Mahjouri at Thermomax. I've been using the vaccuum tube panels, and they are significantly more efficient than the flat panels.

Thermomax also has Streibel dual coil tanks, which are glass-lined or enameled, but cost less than the Viessmann Bivalent tank.

I also recommend the SMT400 controller.

See: www.thermomax.com

Paul

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George Peteya_2

Solar Energy Isn't Feasible

OK, now that I have your attention ... I've personally collected between 2 and 3 billion Btus to heat my pool over the last 18 years.
I've been out of the solar industry since 1996. I'm trying to compare the costs for flat plate vs. evacuated tube systems. Can anyone tell me the cost per square foot (Let's use retail) of a flat plate collector, say a 4x10, and the cost per square foot (retail again) for an evacuated tube collector. The last one of those that I worked with had, I believe, 18 tubes connected to an insulated header. May have been Thermomax but that was in 1985-6 so I'm not certain. First-order performance equations would be helpful too.
What about resistance to hail? Wind uplift? We used to be required to pass Dade County requirements (roughly Cat 3).
The game changed this week and continues to do so. Simple payback calculations are no good anymore (really never were).
I'm assuming that storage, controls, and circulators would be the same in both cases.

The subject of this post comes from an early '80s cartoon, that showed a utility executive, with cigar, at his broad desk, big window behind him with belching smokestacks, captioned as follows:

You want oil? We own the wells.
You want coal? We own the mines.
You want gas? We own the pipelines.
You want electricity? We own the grid.
You want solar energy? We own the, er, ah … Solar energy isn’t feasible.

Constantin

I think it depends...

The main benefit of using evacuated tubes is the wintertime performance... the little bit extra in the summer is neglible. I like some of the solutions at butler solar, KISS stuff that ought to stand the test of time. The only reason I went with the Thermomax evac tubes on my roof was due to the limited space I had available, the less than perfect orientation, etc.

Given how many people use air conditioners, I suppose a faster payback may be the widespread adoption of desuperators. Not only does the AC become more efficient, but it heats your hot water too!

TomStayer

See Free energy- buy solar for used panels

Bob Gagnon plumbing and heating

Don't disconnect tubes in summer

I installed my array of 120 tubes at a steep, 65 degree angle to maximize the winter gain by aiming toward the low winter sun, but away from the high summer sun. This angle worked very well. My 1500 gallon storage tank ran only a little hotter this summer than this past winter. The steep angle may provide more protection for hail, which my homeowners insurance said they would cover. I think my next array will have an adjustable base. simple solutions the simple problems. Bob Gagnon

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