Solar Heat: Who Benefits
Virtually any commercial or industrial application that uses large amounts of hot water can profit from a solar hot water system. These systems can supply hot water to factory cafeterias and washrooms, as well as to canning, bottling and food processing plants. Here are some other examples:
- Car washes need large amounts of warm water, and demand generally increases as solar energy becomes available. Since much of this water does not have to be stored, some car washes can use a direct circulation system with no heat exchanger.
- Fish hatcheries heat large volumes of low-temperature fresh water to enhance fish growth. Some hatcheries use unglazed solar collectors to provide 25 percent of their annual heating needs. In some cases, they have reduced conventional fuel costs by tens of thousands of dollars.
- Apartment buildings, condominiums and university residences are often good candidates for solar heating systems because of the steady demand for hot water. The benefits are even greater if solar collectors are installed close to existing hot water equipment, such as penthouse and rooftop systems.
- The hospitality industry uses hot water for laundries and dishwashers and to meet the needs of guests in hotels, motels, resorts, lodges and restaurants. During the summer, commercial swimming pools equipped with solar collectors meet their heating requirements without additional energy.
- Car washes need large amounts of warm water, and demand generally increases as solar energy becomes available. Since much of this water does not have to be stored, some car washes can use a direct circulation system with no heat exchanger.
- Fish hatcheries heat large volumes of low-temperature fresh water to enhance fish growth. Some hatcheries use unglazed solar collectors to provide 25 percent of their annual heating needs. In some cases, they have reduced conventional fuel costs by tens of thousands of dollars.
- Apartment buildings, condominiums and university residences are often good candidates for solar heating systems because of the steady demand for hot water. The benefits are even greater if solar collectors are installed close to existing hot water equipment, such as penthouse and rooftop systems.
- The hospitality industry uses hot water for laundries and dishwashers and to meet the needs of guests in hotels, motels, resorts, lodges and restaurants. During the summer, commercial swimming pools equipped with solar collectors meet their heating requirements without additional energy.