“This showcase installation clearly demonstrates the tremendous upside of solar thermal systems to deliver affordable and clean energy on any scale,” said Dr. Monika Weiss, co-founder of ergSol. “Naturally, we’re pleased to show our technology in a real-world application.”

ergSol’s system features advanced solar thermal components that harness the sun’s energy to heat a liquid (mostly water) inside a collector made up of a series of evacuated glass tubes. Two of these collectors are mounted on a south-facing wall of WSD’s facility. That liquid circulates through pipes to a solar storage tank that looks like a typical insulated hot water tank. In turn, the liquid heats water inside the tank delivering on-demand hot water at temperatures of up to 190°F.

The demonstration project is equivalent to a 2 kW electric water heater system.

“We are very satisfied with the end results — plenty of continuous hot water to handle the daily demands of our washing machines,” said Bryan Maxwell, regional sales at WSD. “And it’s evident that so long as the sun shines, there’s no further cost for conventional electricity or gas to heat the water. That’s attractive to the bottom line, as well as our company’s commitment to clean and efficient energy.”

Western State Design provides laundry solutions, including design and construction services, and commercial and coin-operated washer and dryer sales, parts, and service. For more information, visit www.westernstatedesign.com.

ergSol provides turnkey solar thermal solutions from energy assessment, engineering, and design to installation, monitoring, and maintenance. For more information, visit http://ergsol.com/.

Publication date: 7/8/2013

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