If you ever wanted to see the potential of solar thermal energy, watch the video below. Or better yet, go to Okotoks, Alberta, and see The Drake Landing Solar Community (disc), a system of single water solar heating and solar heating in Canada housing development space.
According to the website, disc, this 52 home solar energy development is the first of its kind in North America. What the solar "recorcholis" on development is that each House is heated by a huge central heating system solar that stores solar heat thermal Metro during the summer months and distributes power to each home for the needs of the space heating during the winter months.?
Solar energy storage technology is called (ASET-B) thermal energy storage well. At first glance, the concept looks similar to a geothermal heating system, but it is not. Of course, the main difference is that the source of thermal energy comes from the Sun, not from the Earth's crust.
According to the developers, this ASET-B system heats up 90 per cent of the needs of each home space heating. And Yes, that includes Canadian winters. The remaining 10% is backed by a natural gas heater. In addition to solar heating, each House has its own system of solar water heating flat plate at the top of the garage. As for the energy costs of the owner of the House, which is structured as a flatrate monthly which is less expensive than gas or fuel for heating.
Other solar details:
The development system consists of 800 glazed flat plate collectors.
50% propylene glycol antifreeze
Assembled in four rows of garages, with two rows of collectors by garage
Azimuth - South, angle 45 °
All 52 houses are reported by directo-enterrada, pre-aislada pipe.
Short-term thermal storage (CONSTFLT) are the tanks of the central axis for the movement of heat among collectors, loop district (DL) / houses and (ASET-B)
The loop of the district moves heat from the CONSTFLT houses
ASET-B is connected via the CONSTFLT heat exchanger, all located in the center of energy, a separate building. (See video).
There are 4 individual home runs with loops of a collector in the power Center.
The water temperature is modulated on the basis of the outdoor temperature.
The flow is modulated depending on the number of houses of call.
(ASET-B) thermal energy storage wells details
On the surface, seems an open park. But beneath the Earth....
There are 144 - 150 mm dia. x 35 m deep well spaced 2.25 m in the Centre.
Individual PEX 25 mm tube in U with a 40 mm mortar tube
Grout high solids - 9% of cement blast furnace, 9% of Portland cement, 32% of fine silica sand, water 50 %
24 6 boreholes in series strings.
Is divided into four circuits and circulated through four quadrants for loss of any simple string or circuit has a minimal impact on the capacity of heat throughout the system
All circuits and strings start from the center of the BTES and moves outward to maximize the stratification.
