Badsha Mondol, M.Eng. 2013
Supervisor: Dr. Fitsum Tariku
The main function of a solar water heating (SWH) system is to collect heat from solar radiation. The system thus converts the collected heat into usable form of heat by raising the temperature at a desired high temperature level for space an/or water heating. Temperature outside can vary abruptly. Vancouver, BC is situated in cold climatic zone. Temperature can by very low in winter and ver high in summer. We still want to have warm environment indoor and hot water for domestic use. Radiation heat is still available in the space even if the temperature is very low. This heat can be harnessed by low temperature solar thermal system. Orientation and tilt angles of the receiving surface are important for solar energy collection.
This research project studies the technical and financial viability of solar water heating system in Vancouver climate. Quantification of collectable heat, cost of the solar water heating system, incentives available, property value increase due to solar water heating system installation, and behaviour of temperature profile are fundamental parameters to verify. Solar collectors and labour cost are the most expensive components of the SWH? system. It is important to analyze the cost and benefits of using SWH system for space and/or water heating with compared to convention heating system. Integration of solar collectors and other components to the building envelope is necessary for functional and aesthetic reasons. Even though SWH are becoming popular they still may be treated as foreign elements to the building envelope. That’s why integration of this system to the building is important. SWH might have positive or negative impacts on the envelopes as well. It is necessary to study the impacts of components of SWH on the building envelope.
A solar water heating system consisting of 2-glazed flat plate collectors have been installed at the British Columbia Institute of Technology campus in Burnaby, BC. The main purpose of this installation is to study the functionality of SWH system in Vancouver climate through field study. Temperatures and relative humidity are recorded at different locations. There is an energy meter to measure the quantity of heat harnessed by the system. In addition to being financial benefits to the house owner, solar water heating system can help reduce greenhouse gas emission.
Two solar panels (Viessmann brand) have been installed at the BCIT Burnaby campus. The panels have been located between NE1 and NE3 buildings. Panel-1 is installed on the roof format at an angle of 45 degrees with the roof plane. Panel-2 is installed on the wall format at an angle of 45 degrees with the wall plane. Both planels have been installed facing total South direction. Both the panels have been connected to a 40-litre insulated hot water tank by copper piping via Viessmann supplied control panel and pump station. The pipe lines have been insulated to avoid heat loss to environment. The controller measures temperatures every minute round the clock. RHT sensors are installed below the solar panels to monitor conditions between the panels and roof & wall surfaces to monitor environment behind the panels. The purpose of monitoring the environment is to see if the environment has been changed due to the solar panel installations. The result is the total energy harnessed from Sun hourly/daily/monthly. We will have total energy harnessed by Solar collectors in KWh.
Energy simulation programs (RETScreen and WATSUN 2009) have been used to simulate energy performance of the system for different scenarios to predict the amount of energy that can be harnessed annually from Sun in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The main purpose of this prediction is to figure out if the solar heating system is technically viable in BC. We wanted to see this because the location is in cold climate and at the same time it is in the rain forest. Sun does not shine here most of the time of the year. One of the goals is to verify the simulation data by the measured data from installed system for the specified period of time. And then assuming the data shown in the simulation for the rest period of the time as true or adjusted valid data by applying the correction factors obtained from the measured data.
Another goal of this study is to present the financial feasibility of the solar water heating system by research review, computer modeling, recorded field data, incentive programs, cost of the equipment, energy cost, and property value change due to implementation of the environmentally friendly systems in a particular property. This study finds that the solar water heating system can meet up to 100% of heating energy requirements for summer months such as September and between 40% and 50% of water heating energy can be met for the whole year. Utility price in Vancouver is one of the lowest in Canada. Initial cost of material and labour for solar water heating system installation is still considerably high in Vancouver with compared to Canadian benchmark. Property value increases for installing solar thermal system on a building but little or no information regarding this claim specific to Vancouver was found during this study. When calculating costs and benefits to prepare a business case, property value increase should be taken into account.
Currently, two types of incentives are available to Vancouver house owners. A $500 cash incentive for new installation and 7% tax rebate on materials. A comprehensive financial analysis was done in this study by taking all possible variables at different combinations. Financial analysis shows that low utility price, high initial cost, limited incentives, and lack of awareness are among the reasons for unattractive business case. If property value is considered, SWH is financially profitable business decision for homeowners. This is a great opportunity for individual home owners to achieve many benefits by installing one SWH system such as contribution in carbon emission reductions and property value increase among others.