A Big Step

Andy has now connected the pumps for the radiant heating coils (in the floor of the house) to the power supplies in his “workstation.”

5-30-14-Wiring-for-Pumps

5-23-14-workstation

Yesterday he ran solar-heated water at 120°F through the coils in Zone 1 (the living room, kitchen, bathroom and entrance way). The temperature of the return water was 90°F, so heat was indeed being transferred to the floors. We’re not surprised, but it’s still exciting to have gotten this far.


 

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5 Responses to A Big Step

  1. Rummuser says:

    Can this model be scaled up for commercial exploitation as a cheaper alternative to whatever is being used like wood, coal, animal dung etc, by the poor up in the Himalyas? The equipment, installation and running costs really have to be very very low. If the answer is yes, I can get a VC to look into a possibility of a tie up with Andy.

    • Jean says:

      In one sense Andy’s system is a gold-plated toy. He doesn’t expect it to pay for itself until he’s 150. But we are having fun. India is already doing a lot in the area of solar power, I thought. From Wikipedia:

      Solar water heaters

      Bangalore has the largest deployment of roof top solar water heaters in India. These heaters generate an energy equivalent of 200 MW.[76]

      Bangalore is also the first city in the country to put in place an incentive mechanism by providing a rebate of ?50 (85ยข US) on monthly electricity bills for residents using roof-top thermal systems. These systems are now mandatory for all new structures.

      Pune has also recently made installation of solar water heaters in new buildings mandatory.

      It seems to me I read an article a while back about using inexpensive solar stoves to cut down on air pollution. I don’t remember the details.

  2. Evan says:

    Cool. Hope the next step is successful too.

    • Jean says:

      Thanks. We won’t be able to thoroughly check it out until after summer. Now is not the time to start heating up the house!

  3. Rummuser says:

    Yes, India is very big in the solar power area and that is why VCs are looling to invest. The market is unbelievably huge.

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