Solar Water Heating System Group 6 Meghan Hanington, Alex MacDonald, Blake Meech, Alexander MacDonald, Connor Hanna

What is Solar Water Heating? Solar water heating involves converting energy from the sun into heat for water heating. Wide variety of system types Active and passive, direct and indirect

Problem On StFX campus, domestic hot water is heated using steam that is generated in the Central Heating Plant Steam is generated by burning bunker fuel which travels across campus in underground pipes Overall efficiency around 69%, 10% of losses occur when the steam is travelling from the heating plant to its destination Burning bunker fuel produces greenhouse gases and may not be sustainable

Project Goals Design and conduct analysis on a solar water heating system for MacIsaac Hall to assist the current steam system Examine the potential of solar water heating for MacIsaac Hall and estimate the initial costs, energy output, savings and reduction in emissions Reduce the university's dependence on steam heated hot water and promote a more efficient heating process

Project Site MacIsaac Hall was recommended Southern exposure Flat roof section Bathrooms are located under the flat roof section

Challenges Decreased performance in winter months Highest output of a solar energy system occurs in the summer, when the residence is empty Size limitations due to available roof space Integration with existing system

Existing Companies Thermo Dynamics Ltd. (Dartmouth, NS) Doctor Solar (Dartmouth,NS)

Next Steps Further data collection Hot water consumption, annual solar energy in Antigonish Consult with local professionals and suppliers Thermo Dynamics Ltd. StFX Facilities Management Continue to seek financing options for the project

Funding Government Funding Student Union Support There are grants from the government, provincially and federally that vary from $25,000-$5 million that are open for applications. As well as the student Union funding that is up to $5000.

Software RETScreen Oberon Clean energy management software developed by Canadian government Use for energy analysis for the project as well as feasibility Allows for manually entering specifics about the project (size, direct/indirect heating) Gives summary of heat delivered and solar fraction Shows month to month average temperatures, humidity, etc. for locations all over Canada Oberon Currently used by StFX Facilities management In depth energy analysis of all buildings on campus Shows total energy and power usages and monitoring on campus

Sources Paul Doiron Kevin Latimer MacIsaac Hall AutoCAD drawings Energy data and monitoring

Sources Continued... http://www.theu.ca/donation-requests/ https://www.ic.gc.ca/app/scr/innovation/list-liste/1a23bc520aa7?lang=eng https://energy.gov/energysaver/solar-water-heaters http://www.thermo-dynamics.com/aboutus.html https://www.nrcan.gc.ca/energy/software-tools/7465 (RETScreen)

Questions?