Solar Heating for Business and Industry
The Sun Trapper solar water-heating system at the Santa Rosa Hospital Northwest in San Antonio, Texas, is able to produce 15,000 gallons of hot water a day, which is about 40% of their hot water consumption.
Solar heating is an affordable and cost-effective alternative for heating or cooling water or space in commercial and industrial buildings.
The following resources provide information on incorporating solar-heating technologies into the design or retrofit of a building project.
General Solar Heating Information
Solar process-heating systems are designed to meet the need for large quantities of hot water or space heating at commercial, industrial, and institutional buildings. A typical system consists of several thousand square feet of ground-mounted collectors, combined with pumps, heat exchangers, controls, and one or more large-volume storage tanks. Solar process-heating systems have successfully developed niche markets in federal and state governments. Such facilities might include schools, military bases, office buildings, and prisons that provide hot water for bathing, cooking, laundry, and space heating.
The following Web site and document provide background information on installing solar heating systems in residential homes or pools.
Unfamiliar with these technologies? Visit our solar heating basics page.
Learn more about solar heating for a residential home or pool in A Consumer Guide: Heat Your Water With the Sun (PDF 603 KB). Download Adobe Reader.
Solar Heating Financing
Read about financing solar energy projects in The Borrowers Guide to Financing Solar Energy Systems (PDF 501 KB). Download Adobe Reader.
EERE Financial Opportunities for Business, Industry, and Universities provides information on federal incentives available to help businesses finance small renewable energy systems.
To get information on lenders, state incentives, and products and services to help home owners and small businesses finance energy efficiency and renewable energy projects, go to EERE Financial Opportunities.
The Database of State Incentives for Renewable Energy provides information on state, power providers, and local requirements for renewable energy systems.
Solar Water-Heating Performance
This solar domestic-water-heating tool has been developed to predict performance, evaluate how much energy is consumed, and identify environmental impacts. Learn more about the tool.