A winter storm with strong winds has had it's toll on the solar heater. This morning we woke to discover a broken pane of glass, forced out of place by the wind and ice.
Solar Heater Suffers Winter Storm Damage
A winter storm with strong winds has had it's toll on the solar heater. This morning we woke to discover a broken pane of glass, forced out of place by the wind and ice.
More About the Solar Heater.
More About the Solar Heater.
This solar energy project received second place in the 2007 Bordeaux Energy Colloquium's Annual Sustainable Energy Futures Casestudy Competition, an international competition for the most innovative renewable energy initiative.
Among the other contenders of the 2007 Sustainable Energy Futures Case Study Competition were:
* Electric cars in India
* Sustainable village in Mazatlan
* Palm oil biofuels in Laos
* Solar home heater in Canada (me!)
* Wave energy in Europe
* Biomass at a vineyard in the Middle East
The project exceeded proof of concept.
The furnace helped heat a 250sq ft room and did so quite well even in intermittent sunlight. It does not replace conventional home heating. While the results were impressive, I have chosen to wait another year before rebuilding it.
Next Version
The next version will be self-sustaining. I've procured a small 12v battery and solar panel and will be installing them to power the thermostat and fans, replacing the 12v power supply. I will change how the glass sits on the chassis to ensure a tighter fit, but have no plans for reworking the galvanized or the chassis.
Contact
Although I appreciate the email messages, I cannot respond to all, and generally do not respond to questions about building techniques or materials (that's what these photos are for). If you like my project, go out and build your own. If everyone did, we'd actually make a difference. This isn't rocket science and I am no expert. I can not answer technical questions.
Media inquiries are always welcomed.
Want to build your own?
View the complete photo instructions Day One – Building the Frame
Day Two – Painting, Metalwork, and Electronics
Videos of the Solar Heater
Harnessing heat from the sun.
First video, without narration, shows installed unit.
With Narration (second video, answers emailed questions)
More Results - late 2007
More Results - late 2007
Today I decided it was time for the first modifications.
Since this puppy works like a charm, I’ve decided to add a larger fan to the exhaust.
I think it will be able to maintain the additional airflow.
I’ve removed the lower glass panel, which had broken during the first installation.
Since I had a spare pane, today was the day to change it.
Here is the galvanized ductwork out of the heater and in the snow
.
This was the perfect time for paint touch ups.
A little black paint and the blemishes are gone!
Electrical detail with the new larger fan (red and blue wires).
Here you can see the thermostat, four small fans that connect the lower and upper collectors, and new larger fan to exhaust the heat into the house.
The very first collector on the bottom panel had to be custom fitted to accommodate the new, bulkier fan.
Using my aircraft aluminum shears, I trimmed away the back part of the ducting to rough in an opening for the fan.
Thank you very much for looking at my page!
Blog about my project if you want, I appreciate any backlinks!
This PROJECT is now two years old. I welcome any comments but due to the volume, I cannot ANSWER them all.
Day Five - More Results
More Results
This is the outlet inside the house. Here, the thermometer shows the temperature of the air coming inside the house while the fans are blowing.
You’ll also notice the detail of the vent, which also houses the controls.
The pilot light indicates that the circuit is live behind the thermostat, which means the thermostat is over its temperature, currently set at 25 centigrade.
This one is just for a testament.
You’ll see the inside temperature is 33 degree centigrade and the outside temperature is 3 degrees centigrade.
My fellow solar furnace friends do not be fooled.
There is snow on the ground and the windchill was near -15 degrees centigrade. Cold enough to freeze the balls off a brass monkey, but not cold enough to significantly effect the units performance
View even more results here.
More Results - late 2007
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