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How much energy can your hydronic solar system generate?

by ROGER ABDO
Vacuum Tube Solar Collector

Vacuum Tube Solar Collector Kit, SRCC Certified, VT58 SERIES - Complete with Manifold, Frame, Tubes and 45⁰ Frame Kit

$ 1,048.68 CAD
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Expansion Tank, Membrane Type - 5, 8, 12, 18 and 24 liter - 3/4" BSPT threaded

Expansion Tank, Membrane Type - 5, 8, 12, 18 and 24 liter - 3/4" BSPT threaded

$ 87.13 CAD
Membrane type Expansion Tank to protect your closed solar fluid network from expansion caused by over pressure and/or overheating. Expansion tanks are required in a closed loop solar heating or
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Introduction

Before making the decision to invest into a solar solution, there is an obvious legitimate question to ask: How much energy saving (expressed in KW.h) will my investment generate? And how long will it take me to get back my money (payback period)? This blog will deal with investment energy annual output. The payback period will be addressed in a separate article or blog.

What do my Annual Saving depend on?

Annual energy generated by a solar collector or a set of solar collectors (installed in parallel in this article) will depends on the followings parameters:

Solar Map

1. Location of Solar Collector (defined by your location's Longitude and Latitude).

2. Collector’s Solar Azimuth, which is nothing more than deviation from the south direction.

3. Collector’s tilt angle from the horizontal surface (or even a flat roof surface).

4. Fluid’s temperature inlet to the solar collector (23°C here). For fluids (Water, Glycol, etc...) temperatures other than 23°C, please contact our technical team @ admin@hydrosolar.ca or simply call us @ +1 (888) 686 7652.

Solar Coordinates

Since southern oriented areas are always sunny, it’s always wise to have solar collectors facing south (means a zero Azimuth) or an absolute value of the Collector’s Azimuth as close as possible to zero.
As a rule of thumb, the optimal Tilt angle value (please refer to the above picture) for a maximum annual energy output is equal to your location's latitude (45 degree) in most of southern major Canadian cities (such as in Montreal and Toronto). Depending on their energy portfolio, some customers prefer to maximize their energy output on a seasonal basis:
1- Optimal Tilt Angle for a maximum winter heating energy output is between 65 and 75° (depending on location and operational conditions - The rule of Thumb is Latitude plus 15.6 Degree). This becomes very useful if produced fluid heating energy is used for hydronic space heating (such as radiant hydronic floor heating, process heating, etc.…). 
2- Optimal Tilt Angle for a maximum summer heating energy output is between 25 and 35° (depending on location and operational conditions - The rule of Thumb is Latitude minus 15.6 Degree). This type of installation is very common in outdoor pools heating and other summer outdoor activities requiring low to medium temperature hot waters.

Annual Energy Output (in KW.h) estimation procedure:

1- Know your location:
--1.a. If you live in a major Canadian city (such as the one listed in HYDROSOL 20 Tubes Panels Heat Output, HYDROSOL 25 Tubes Panels Heat Output, HYDROSOL 30 Tubes Panels Heat Output), please go to 2.
--1.b. If not, please choose the nearest major city to your location among the one listed in HYDROSOL 20 Tubes Panels Heat Output, HYROSOL 25 Tubes Panels Heat Output, HYDROSOL 30 Tubes Panels Heat Output.
----1.b.i. If the nearest found city is within 20 Km from your location please go to 2.
----1.b.ii. If the nearest found city is not within 20 Km from your location, please contact our technical team @ admin@hydrosolar.ca or simply call us @ +1 (888) 686 7652 

2
- Determine your Solar Azimuth: Place a compass (it could be as simple as using the  compass app in your smartphone) in a horizontal position perpendicular to the southern facing part of your inclined roof. Write down the angle. It’s you future solar collector’s azimuth (Azimuth value is positive when collector is facing south‐west direction and negative when facing south‐east direction).

3
- Determine your Tilt Angle: for inclined roof installations, the tilt angle is your roof angle. You can either measure it with laser measurement instrument of calculate the angle by using trigonometric formulas.

Once the above are known, please go to HYDROSOL 20 Tubes Panels Heat Output, HYDROSOL 25 Tubes Panels Heat Output, HYDROSOL 30 Tubes Panels Heat Output), locate your city, Azimuth and Tilt angle and write down the Annual KW.h of generated for each Solar Panel. Total Annual Saving is the sum of all Panels Individual Savings.

Flexible Stainless Steel Solar Hose

Flexible Corrugated Stainless Steel Solar Hose

$ 926.10 CAD
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Brass Threaded Nut, Cir-Clip and Gasket for Corrugated Stainless Steel Hose end connection

Brass Threaded Nut, Cir-Clip and Gasket for Corrugated Stainless Steel Hose end connection

$ 3.11 CAD
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Flexible Stainless Steel Insulated Solar Hose

Flexible Corrugated Stainless Steel EPDM Pre-Insulated Single Solar Hose with Seamless Jacketing

$ 739.20 CAD
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Solar Pumping Station SR881

Solar Pumping Station SR881

$ 790.00 CAD
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16 comments

  • Mike BowmanAug 03, 2023

    Can you use this device to hear your home? I am on the same latitude as Washington, DC. Elevation about 1500 feet above sea level. or 45.72 meters above sea Level

  • Tristan MartinJun 08, 2021

    Hello, do you have any customers that have used this product for a commercial application? We are interested in the possibility of using this tech to supplement an office towers HVAC system. Thanks!

  • ROGEROct 10, 2020

    Hello Craig, Yes it can be used for pool heating however it requires a pump and a Titanium Heat Exchanger between the panels and the pool when water inside the pool is either chlorinated or salty

  • Craig BattyOct 10, 2020

    Can this be used for heating in ground swimming pools?

  • Andris LukssJul 21, 2020

    Hi there: I’d like to set up a 15-tube panel on my roof, as I have a hydronic in-floor heating system in the house, and should take advantage of “free” heat. We’re over here in Cantley (just north of Gatineau), and would like to have a complete parts list sourced (panel, expansion tank, 15 amp pump, and all the rest. Can you help?

    Thanks,

    Andris Lukss

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