DEPARTMENT UNITED OF STATES COMMERCE OF AMERICA APRIL 28, 1975 Commerce Today Solar Heating, No Longer A Theory, Moves Into The Real Business World Wh That is believed to be the nation's first full-fledged solar heating system designed for use in a commercial building has been installed in Denver, Colorado. Built by Solaron Corp. of Denver, the system was built into the $1 million headquarters of the Gump Glass Co Solaron is a publicly-held company organized for the sole purpose of developing. manufacturing, marketing and installing solar space heating systems. The same systems may be used for hot water heating and air-conditioning. Gump Glass, a closely-held family corporation, becomes what they believe is the first commercial business in America to buy a solar heating system for practical use in its own establishment. Presidents John C. Bayless of Solaron and Jerry Sigman of Gump Glass said the system's installed cost is estimated at $60,000. It includes 1,600 square feet of glass-covered metal solar collectors to be mounted on the roof of the one-story plant, ductwork, heat storage, and automatic controls The solar collectors, heat storage, controls, and air handling equipment accounted for about half of the total cost. The collectors will save a projected 77 percent of annual fuel requirements for approximately 7,180 square feet of office and showroom space in the 41,000square-foot structure. Bayless and Sigman describe the proj ect as a "major breakthrough in the practical application of solar heating technology in the commercial/industrial sector. "Work in the field thus far has been limited largely to demonstration projects in a smattering of residences," Bayless said. "To our knowledge, the only previous commercial applications have been experimental in nature, or limited to heating hot water. "In no way are we going into this for experimental or prestige purposes," Sigman said. "We are profit-oriented and economy-minded, and we view this as an eminently practical way to assure ourselves of an unlimited source of fuel for as long as we are in business. "The front-end cost of installation is minimal in the light of sharply-rising costs of conventional energy sources, with "Gump has been in the glass business "The Solaron system should have as long a life as the building itself, without any maintenance costs whatsoever," Jerry Sigman said. "We feel we are making a practical investment and, at the same time, we are contributing our little bit to the national need for conservation of dwindling fossil fuel resources." Overnight change Bayless said solar heating has moved "out of the laboratory and into the marketplace almost overnight" because of the soaring costs of conventional fuels. "As a result, we have been able to make the transition from an R and D. (research and development) to an operational mode long before our most optimistic projections," he said. "There really is nothing new about the principles and technology of solar heating: what is new is the price and scarcity of oil, gas and electricity, which almost without warning have made solar heating an attractive and economic alternative." Solaron's system is based in large part upon the research and development work of Dr. George O. G. Lof, a civil engi neering professor at Colorado State University, who in 1943 fitted a house in Boulder with a solar collector system as part of a Commerce Department-sponsored demonstration and, since 1957, has heated his own Denver home maintenance-free with a system he designed. Now president of the International Solar Energy Society, Lof is a founder. vice president and technical director of the Solaron Corp. Bayless said computer models of the solar heating system indicate it will save an average of 77 percent of the fuel needs of office and showroom on an annual basis A conventional gas-fired forced air heating system will provide supplemental heat to office and showroom areas, while gas space heaters will heat fabrication and warehouse areas. During periods of normal. sunny weather, the solar heating system will provide up to 100 percent of heating needs However, during prolonged cloudy periods, he said, the solar collectors may not receive enough solar heat to satisfy the building needs completely, in which case, the additional heating requirements will be supplied by the back-up conventional system. Bayless added that scientific means of adapting the system to other climates already exist, and that cach system produced by Solaron is sized to projected weather conditions at the point of installation The solar heat collector system on the roof of Gump's headquarters consists of four rows of factory-assembled collector modules mounted facing south in order to receive the winter sun at all times of the day. The panels will be pitched at a 50 degree angle from the horizontala slope which Solaron's studies have shown provide the best entrapment of the sun's rays at Denver's geographical position The collector panels contain a metal absorber sheet, coated with a special, nonreflective, absorbent black paint. and covered by two panes of glass separated by an insulating layer of dry air. Circulating air enters the collector panels at the bottom through a cold air manifold. It rises through a duct behind the hot absorber sheet, which heats it. At the top of the panels the heated air is gathered into an insulated duct which carries it into the building heating distribution system or to the solar heat storage unit located in the building's warehouse area. This storage unit is a bin, eight feet wide, eight feet deep, and 16 feet long. containing about 50 tons of rounded pebbles of uniform size-a medium pro LAST OF THE FIRST-The sixteenth, and final, solar energy collector is lowered into place on the roof of Denver's Gump Glass Co. The firm is believed to be the first commercial operation in the United States to rely on solar energy as its prime heating source. viding the most efficient heat storage, according to Solaron's research findings. Automatic thermostatic controls regulate the flow of heated air from the collectors on sunny days, through ducts to the office and showroom as required. At other times, the air is drawn through the heat storage unit to be heated before distribution to the building. Power plant design Taking the solar process still further. the Energy Research and Development Administration is seeking proposals from industry for designs of a ten-megawatt solar power plant. Responses are to be submitted by April 29 Over a period of about two years, the selected projects are expected to lead to several preliminary designs of the pilot plant. Then a final design will be selected for fabrication, construction and testing. The plant is expected to be in operation in four to five years in the Southwest. This solar thermal power plant, which will use the central receiver concept, is considered one of the most economical approaches to production of electricity by solar thermal conversion. The collector field will consist of an array of controlled heliostats, or mirrors, which will continuously reflect solar radiation to an absorberboiler atop a tall tower. Fluid in the boiler will be converted to a high-temperature vapor, such as steam, which will be expanded through a turbine to run electrical generators. Excess collected energy in the form of hot fluids can be stored in an insulated tank for use when the sun is not shining. Once in operation, the solar thermal SOLARON CORPORATION pilot plant will be used to check the predicted performance and operating characteristics of the system and to project the economic viability of the larger, commercial-size power plants. An upcoming FEA report covering all federal activities in the solar energy area between July 1973 and January 1975 says that "obstacles to the widespread utilization of solar energy include lack of incentives that would help defray capital costs and enable people to take advantage of the free fuel the sun makes available. "It is estimated." the report states, "that the amount of solar energy falling on the continental United States is roughly 700 times our total energy consumption." The National Science Foundation has recognized six different applications of solar energy: solar heating and cooling of buildings: photovoltaic electric power generation; wind energy conversion systems; ocean thermal gradient power generation; and bioconversion to fuels. The first three use solar energy directly whereas the last three use solar energy after it has been converted to a different medium. Each of these applications involves a different technology and they are related only by the original source of the energy. To push solar energy development, 14 federal agencies have sponsored 171 solar projects at a cost of $25.2 million dollars during the 19-month period covered by the report which provides a summary of cach project. About half of this federal effort has been concentrated on demonstrations for the heating and cooling of buildings, with $17 million authorized for expenditure in this area duing fiscal year 1975. Of the six applications noted above, several show promise of commercial viability by 1980 in special circumstances. Based on research supported by the NSF, solar heating and cooling of buildings is already competitive with electricity in certain regions of the country, and as the price of electricity goes up, the time required goes down for the savings in fuel costs to pay for the high initial cost for the solar energy system. Other solar energy systems which could be in some use by 1980 are photovoltaic electric power generation, wind energy conversion systems, and bio-conversion to fuel. Each of these has already been demonstrated on a small scale and the NSF has planned research and larger demonstration units to explore the commercial viability of these facilities. The Project Independence business-as-usual scenario estimates a savings of 50,000-barrels-per-day or 0.3 percent of petroleum demand in 1980 from these four solar energy applications. While this is not much, it is a necessary first step, in FEA's view. One agency, the National Science Foundation, has been responsible for 80 percent of the 171 projects and 77 percent of all funds spent. The report shows that NSF's solar budget has grown by 4,000 percent, from $1.2 million in 1971 to an estimated $50 million in 1975. Much of the federal effort in solar energy development, including that part administered by NSF, has been assumed by the newly-established Energy Research and Development Administration. Minimal impact In a related development, the Federal Energy Administration released results of a survey which shows U.S. manufacture of high-temperature solar energy collectors in 1974 was equivalent to only 56 barrels of crude oil per day. The United States currently consumes about 17 million barrels of crude oil per day. FEA's 56-barrel-a-day figure for the maximum petroleum energy equivalent of high-temperature solar collectors manufactured in the US in 1974 came from the results of a survey conducted by the agency's Office of Energy Statistics. A total of 170 firms were identified as possible manufacturers of solar collectors, and each was telephoned to determine square footage of high- and low-temperature solar collectors produced and sold in 1974. Only 39 were actively engaged in production. These produced a total of 136,540 square feet of high-temperature collectors in 1974. About 18.000 square feet of this was used to equip four public schools. If applied to space heating, the remaining square footage could provide power to heat about 220 houses. FEA's Solar Report will be available to press and public in mid-May. STAPLETON FIELD INDUSTRIAL PARK 4850 OLIVE STREET DENVER COLO 80022 The Solaron air heating system, which uses air as the transfer medium, has several advantages over solar liquid systems. 1. Cost-Generally the installed cost of the Solaron air system is lower than systems using water or other fluid because of simplicity, use of less expensive materials and ease of adaptability to conventional heating systems. 2. Long Life-The Solaron air system, the result of over thirty years of development, is designed for ease of operation and long life. The prototype system has been in continuous operation for eighteen maintenancefree years. On the other hand, recent tests of solar liquid systems have uncovered corrosion and wear problems that simply don't occur with air systems. 3. Maintenance-The Solaron air system is remarkably maintenance-free The only moving parts are standard dampers, blowers and motors. The liquid systems require a series of pumps and automatic valves that are subject to continuous corrosion and wear. The liquid system is charged with a solution that must be periodically tested and adjusted to prevent vaporization or freezing much like an automobile radiator. 4. Flexibility-The air system can readily accept conventional humidifiers, air conditioners, electronic air cleaners and other options. These accessories cannot be incorporated into a liquid system. 5. Safety The Solaron air system cannot be damaged by freezing or boiling, nor can it cause water damage to the building or its contents. The glass used in the manufacture of the collectors is tempered to resist breakage. THE SYSTEM INCLUDES THE FOLLOWING COMPONENTS: Solaron provides the following proprietary products and services: 1 Solar Collectors-factory assembled solar air heating collectors that contain a flat absorber/heat exchanger and internal manifolding. It is sealed with two tempered glass plates for absorbing solar energy and converting it to useful heat energy. 2. Air Handling Module- an air handler that directs the flow of air through the system during the various operating modes. The module consists of a set of automatic dampers, blower, motor, and optional hot water heating coil For residential applications a completely factory-assembled unit is provided For commercial applications, the air handler is typically custom-engineered for on-site integration into the conventional HVAC system. All components are readily available for inspection and service. 3. Automatic System Controller-a control unit, activated by a conventional thermostat, that is designed to continually monitor and regulate the operating modes of the system. It includes the sensors and controls necessary to automatically maintain the desired comfort level. For residential applications. a factoryassembled unit is provided. For commercial installations the controller is typically custom-engineered for the specific application. 4. Solar heat storage unit plans and specifications. To complete the system installation, the local heating contractor provides the following services: 1 Installation of the standby heating system- a conventional forced air heating unit with the necessary duct system for proper distribution of air. Solaron will provide specifications for this system. 2 Installation of the solar heat storage unit-a concrete or wooden box properly insulated and filled with dry pebbles to serve as the storage medium for the solar system. 3 Installation of the solar system-this includes the installation of the collectors, air handling module, and automatic controller along with the necessary ducting and control wiring for a complete solar system integrated with the standby system Solaron will provide complete installation instructions for this work. SYSTEM OPERATION As shown in the illustration on page 4, a Solaron equipped building is heated directly from the collector whenever heating is needed during sunny periods, as shown in Figure A. Air is circulated from the building to one end of the collector, as the air passes through the collector, it is heated by converted radiant energy The optional hot water heat exchanger is in series with the collector to provide solar pre-heated water for domestic consumption The Solaron system utilizes the unique heat exchange and heat storage characteristics of dry pebbles, the most practical storage medium for use with air heating collectors Solar heated air is routed through the storage unit as shown in Figure B. thereby heating the pebbles, and returns to the collector for reheating. Near perfect temperature stratification in the storage unit assures maximum heat recovery from the solar collector. Heat is delivered from the storage by circulating air from the building as in Figure C Because of storage temperature stratification, this mode provides heat at nearly the same temperature as from the solar collector The system automatically activates the standby system when solar heat is not available either from the collector or from storage The Solaron system is installed and operated in accordance with accepted heating, ventilating and air conditioning engineering practice. The Solaron collector can be integrated into the building roof or wall or it can be free-standing on the building structure to provide proper orientation and tilt for best winter heating performance SYSTEM WARRANTY The Solaron Collector is warranted to be free of defects for a period of ten years from date of installation if installed in accordance with Solaron specifications If in this period the collector unit fails in any manner. Solaron will provide the necessary replacement parts at no charge This warranty does not include glass breakage The air handling module and automatic controller are guaranteed for a period of one year from installation HOW TO OBTAIN MORE INFORMATION ABOUT A SOLARON SYSTEM Contact your local heating and air conditioning contractor, mechanical engineering firm, architect, or Solaron directly Solaron will provide the necessary hardware and engineering services Your local contractor will install the system Solaron s trained engineering staff is available to assist architects and engineers in feasibility studies. system arrangement and installation approaches Direct your inquiries to Solaron Marketing Services, Solaron Corporation With the rapidly escalating costs of conventional heating fuels now is the time to consider a Solaron heating system. With today's rising fuel costs. a Solaron residential system is clearly cost effective in commercial applications where additional tax incentives are available the payback period can be as short as six |