You are not authorized to post a reply.
|
 Prev Next
|
| Author |
Messages |
|
jbrown84
Registered Users
Posts:25
 |
| 05/16/2008 7:28 PM |
|
I'm building a home in CT, and will be using radiant heat on all floors and a geothermal system. Would it be better to generate electricity for the heat pump or use a solar thermal system to provide hot water for domestic HW? I have about 300 SF of roof space to do this?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Brock
Registered Users
Posts:209
|
| 05/17/2008 10:14 AM |
|
| Solar hot water typically has a "payback" about 2 to 3 times quicker then solar electric in any given area. Some other outside factors can change that a bit, but I have never seen solar electric with a quicker payback then solar hot water. |
|
Green Bay, WI. - geothermal heated indoor pool with a small solar setup |
|
|
Eric Friedland
Registered Users
Posts:4
|
| 05/18/2008 12:44 AM |
|
You can do what I did.
550 sf of unglazed, Swiss stainless collectors.
I have two heat storages. Inside 800 gallons with heat exchangers inside (STSS tank around $3,000 with tanks from Penn.) and 4,000 gallon tank burried, outside.
During the spring, summer, fall, I use the 800 gallon tank.
During the winter, I run the outside, buried tank with low temperatures and use a heat pump to extract heat from it and heat the 800 gallon tank. The outside tank termpatures are low and the panels become efficient at heating it during the winter.
I would increase the size of the outside storage though.
Eric in Seattle, cold, cloudy. |
|
|
|
|
Alex_in_FL
Registered Users
Posts:21
|
| 10/31/2008 5:36 PM |
|
| The GSHP can provide some of your hotwater via a desuperheater (DSH). Thus the solar water heating might have a slower payback if you get the GSHP with a DSH. |
|
|
|
|
|
| You are not authorized to post a reply. |
|
|
|
ActiveForums 3.6