Southwest Commercial Solar http://southwestcommercialsolar.com Just another WordPress weblog Wed, 11 Aug 2010 19:24:34 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.3 en Combined Cooling, Heat, and Power Systems http://southwestcommercialsolar.com/?p=211 http://southwestcommercialsolar.com/?p=211#comments Tue, 10 Aug 2010 16:28:50 +0000 Brian http://southwestcommercialsolar.com/?p=211

Reduce Your Footprint with Cogeneration

A building may contain a vast array of efficiency measures, or it may be old and inefficient.  Either way, the electricity used in the building will likely be produced with inherent inefficiencies.  The efficiency of fossil fuel based electricity production averages 34% (although new combined cycle plants can exceed 50% efficiency). The ultimate efficiency of any building pulling electricity from the grid is limited by that number.
The balance of the energy consumed in a power plant is rejected as waste heat. Combined heat and power (CHP) systems tap that waste heat to serve heating and cooling loads, increasing the overall efficiency of a building.  Combined heat and power systems are also known as “cogeneration” since they generate both electricity and usable thermal energy.

For a CHP system to work, the electricity generation must usually occur at or near the building so that the heat can be used on site, as thermal energy is not as easily distributed as electricity or fossil fuels.
What can the thermal energy be used for?

  • Space heating
  • Hot water heating
  • Localized  reheat
  • Industrial processes
  • Cooling through absorption chillers

Potential for Significant Savings

The United States already has a large number of CHP systems. The avoided energy use is more than 1.9 quadrillion BTUs annually.
Despite those significant savings, combined heat and power is not being used to its capacity.  In 1900, over 50% of electricity production in the United States came from CHP sources, but that number dropped to 15% by the 1950s and to 5% by the 1970s.  With the passage of the Public Utilities Regulatory Policies Act of 1978 (PURPA), CHP generation began rising once again, but it is still far below the levels achieved in Europe, where the percentage of CHP production is five to six times higher.

Target Facilities for Combine, Cooling, Heat, and Power

Building types where CCHP systems can be used effectively to meet coincident electrical and thermal loads include:

  • Hospitals
  • Colleges/Universities
  • Nursing Homes
  • Large Hotels
  • Prisons
  • Refineries
  • Breweries/Distillers
  • Food Processing
  • Bio Technology
  • Sewage Treatment Plants

Contact Alternative Energy of North America today for a free quote on a Combined Cooling, Heat, and Power system! Call (480) 221-1178 or go to our Contact Us page.

]]> http://southwestcommercialsolar.com/?feed=rss2&p=211 SW Commercial Solar in Arizona Has Thermal Products http://southwestcommercialsolar.com/?p=153 http://southwestcommercialsolar.com/?p=153#comments Mon, 24 Aug 2009 19:13:10 +0000 Brian http://southwestcommercialsolar.com/?p=153 Southwest Commercial Solar, located in Phoenix, Arizona, now has Solar Thermal products. We are so excited to now offer thermal products to our customers! Below is some more detailed info about thermal and the custom products we offer. Go Solar!
~Brian Baker, CEO, Southwest Commercial Solar

Solar Thermal Energy

Solar thermal energy is a technology for harnessing solar energy for thermal energy (heat). In the United States, heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems account for over 25 percent of the energy used in commercial buildings and nearly half of the energy used in residential buildings. Solar heating, cooling, and ventilation technologies can be used to offset a portion of this energy.
Southwest Commercial Solar has numerous solar thermal products such as:

Solar Pool Heating
Extend the swimming pool season by several months with a solar pool heater. Compared to gas, oil or electric heat pump, a solar pool heater will pay for itself in savings, in as little as one year!

Solar Water Heaters
Reduce or eliminate hot water heating energy costs with a solar water heating system. Solar hot water heaters save money, reduce carbon, and lower our dependence on imported energy.

Solar Air Conditioning & Solar Heating
(Solar HVAC)
Solar powered air conditioners and solar air conditioning & heating systems are available in many sizes. Solar thermal collectors power the systems, using thermal energy from the sun to drive an absorption chiller. The systems can be run as a solar air conditioner or as a solar space heater depending on season.

Southwest Commercial Solar creates a custom solar thermal energy plan for each customer. Call today (480) 221-1178 for a free quote or Learn more about all of our products and our thermal expertise.

]]> http://southwestcommercialsolar.com/?feed=rss2&p=153 A Checklist for Solar, Commercial and Residential http://southwestcommercialsolar.com/?p=100 http://southwestcommercialsolar.com/?p=100#comments Fri, 03 Jul 2009 20:33:54 +0000 Brian http://southwestcommercialsolar.com/?p=100 Here is a checklist that I came up with that can help you make an informed decision on if solar is right for you and if so- what services/products to look for.

~Brian Baker, CEO of Southwest Commercial Solar

A Checklist for Alternative Energy:

  • Project designed by a professional engineer.
  • Site survey by experienced professionals.
  • A careful survey of current and projected electrical usage, demand and miscellaneous utility charges.
  • An accurate projection of the potential benefits using proprietary methods developed by the National Renewable Energy Lab & the Environmental Protection Agency.
  • International resources for financing.
  • Legal and accounting professionals available.
  • All installations approved and commissioned by your utility.
  • All installations performed using licensed contractors, the finest quality products, and maintained by us subsequent to installation.

]]> http://southwestcommercialsolar.com/?feed=rss2&p=100 The World Solar Photovoltaic Market Grew 110 percent in 2008 http://southwestcommercialsolar.com/?p=94 http://southwestcommercialsolar.com/?p=94#comments Wed, 15 Apr 2009 19:55:31 +0000 Brian http://southwestcommercialsolar.com/?p=94 The World solar photovoltaic (PV) market installations reached a record high of 5.95 gigawatts (GW) in 2008, representing growth of 110% over the previous year, according to the annual PV market report issued by Solarbuzz LLC, a San Francisco-based solar energy consultancy.

Europe accounted for 82% of world demand in 2008. Spain’s 285% growth pushed Germany into second place in the market ranking, while the US advanced to number three. Read the full report here.

]]> http://southwestcommercialsolar.com/?feed=rss2&p=94 Creating a Energy Efficient Future with Solar and other Energy Sources http://southwestcommercialsolar.com/?p=90 http://southwestcommercialsolar.com/?p=90#comments Wed, 28 Jan 2009 17:58:57 +0000 Brian http://southwestcommercialsolar.com/?p=90 Here’s a very informative post from the NY Times Blog on creating a more energy efficient future.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/26/opinion/l26energy.html?_r=1

]]> http://southwestcommercialsolar.com/?feed=rss2&p=90