Solar Projects

Recent projects include the design and commissioning of a Solar Desiccant Regeneration system for the Film Storage Building at Kennedy Space Center which is used to store historical documents in a cool storage facility for safekeeping. A solar thermal pilot project was installed at the film storage building at Kennedy Space Center (KSC), Florida, funded by a grant from the Department of Energy's (DOE) Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP). The project demonstrated that sunlight is a viable source of heat for the regeneration process of a desiccant dehumidification system.

The desiccant dehumidification system used in this project is part of the film storage building's heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system. This building was constructed to provide cold storage for the Visual Records Control office, which maintains the original engineering drawings for the Space Shuttle Program flight hardware, historical films, photographic records, and other computer media associated with Shuttle and historic Apollo Moon missions. About 80 percent of the building's total electrical load is used by the HVAC system for cooling and dehumidification of conditioned storage space. Due to the unique temperature and relative humidity requirements for records preservation, the building uses more energy than other buildings of similar size.

Climate control is maintained in the cold storage compartment by two redundant seven-ton Direct Expansion (DX) air conditioning units. Each HVAC system includes a desiccant dehumidification package unit. The DX units provide for the cooling, while the desiccant dehumidification units control the relative humidity of the conditioned space. The units are configured to operate in a lead/lag scenario, providing a reliable system.

The desiccant rotates into the air stream to remove moisture and then rotates out for regeneration. Heat is required in the regeneration process to evaporate the moisture from the desiccant. The unit uses a two-stage 19 kilowatt electrical heating element to create 275°F regeneration air that in turn is blown over the moist desiccant, causing the moisture to be evaporated and then exhausted to the outside air. The focus of the project was to offset the electrical consumption of the existing 19 kilowatt heating elements with solar energy. Because of the high temperatures required for the regeneration air, high efficiency evacuated tube solar collectors (Thermomax Mazdon 20) were chosen for this project.

The solar heating system includes 10 evacuated tube collectors mounted on a ground-level stand, a heat exchanger, and a circulation pump. The circulation pump provides heated water to a water-to-air exchanger during daytime operations. To protect against freeze damage, a mixture of 20 percent glycol and 80 percent water was chosen as the operating fluid, with pressure relief valves and an expansion tank included in the system. The entire system is insulated for safety and to ensure maximum efficiency. The installation did not interfere with the existing HVAC equipment and created a redundant heating system for the regeneration equipment during the peak sun hours of a typical day.

Other PV solar pv applications include PV Water Pumping in the Everglades, PV for Island Homes; Commercial Pool Heating; Water Heating; Specialized Photovoltaic Systems; and Refurbishment of Poorly Performing Renewable Energy Systems and numerous feasibility studies for C&I Facility Managers.

The fact sheets include informational notes on the various technologies used at a recreational complex including solar lighting, solar water heating, and pool heating and aeration of ponds and large industrial process water heating systems. We have assisted in the refurbishment and return to service of numerous poorly performing or inoperative solar systems and conducted solar studies and training internationally.

In addition to the fact sheets on solar applications, informational notes on the cost and value of solar and the Business Energy Tax Credit that is available for solar investments. The intent of this information is to assist you in fully evaluating the solar option for your business.

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