Danfoss has chosen Smardt Chiller Group Inc. as the winner of the seventh annual EnVisioneer of the Year Award in recognition of its Smardt Solar Integrated Chiller™ (SSiC).

Launched in 2010, the EnVisioneer of the Year award competition recognizes North American endusers, municipalities, building owners, or original equipment manufacturers that have introduced a new product, opened a new facility, or invested in a building or system upgrade using Danfoss products or solutions to realize significant energy or environmental savings.

According to Danfoss officials, Smardt’s SSiC™ integrates the Danfoss Turbocor® oil-free magnetic bearing compressors with solar-driven condenser fans into its air-cooled centrifugal chillers. The new chillers utilize a direct connection of a solar array mounted above the chillers to AC/DC condenser fans through Smardt’s patent-pending Smardt SolarLogix controller. The number of fans run by the sun is based on the size of the solar array. As an example of the energy savings achieved, a 15-panel solar array string mounted above the fans will displace up to 25% of the load. As an added design benefit, Danfoss said the fans help to keep the back side of the solar array cool, which improves solar efficiencies, and the solar array also creates shade which in turn slightly cools the air going into the chiller’s condenser coils.

The company also claims the SSiC eliminates the cost of utility grid equipment through a direct connection to AC/DC fan motors, and the oil-free Danfoss Turbocor® compressors help to reduce maintenance and noise. Plus, with IPLV efficiency improvements up to 15%, the system has proven to have a payback of less than two years in high-cost electricity markets.

The EnVisioneer of the Year Award was presented on December 5 in Tallahassee, FL, to Smardt’s Vince Canino, global chief operating officer, and Greg Tutwiler, chief technology officer. John Galyen, president of Danfoss North America, and Ricardo Schneider, president of Danfoss Turbocor Compressors, presented the award prior to the inaugural ceremony of the first Danfoss Application Development Center test chamber.

“Danfoss is pleased to recognize Smardt Chiller Group with the seventh EnVisioneer of the Year Award,” said Galyen. “The SSiC is a great example of innovation that goes beyond expectations to raise the bar on energy efficiency. By integrating both renewable solar and energy-efficient oil-free, variable speed technology into its chillers, Smardt has demonstrated its commitment to engineering innovative solutions that are positioned to help the industry meet future energy standards while reducing costs.”