I've put up a web page with photos taken during installation of a pair of passive solar heating panels at
Something to think about if/when your heating costs begin to get out of hand...
Weather _does_ make a difference, and although I haven't tracked Pittsburgh's weather this winter, I can assure you that we've had our share of gloomy and chilly days (-10 to 20F) here in Iowa this year.
A really good solar panel (_any_ really good panel, not just mine) will deliver significant amounts of heat even in complete overcast conditions.
Agreed - Gary (the owner) seems pleased with the way it turned out.
Why? The owner parks his cars in an attached (to his house) garage. He erected this building to have a place for his pickup, do woodworking, and do equipment maintenance.
Interesting. Got pix? I suspect people could learn from your experiences if you put 'em on a web page with a bit of how-to info.
depends a lot on local conditions, in pittsburgh with are gloomy days, the sun doesnt do much espically when the outdoor temperature is zero degrees.
nice building
Do not park cars in there!
I use a pool solar heater..
12/18/2007 - NELLIS AIR FORCE BASE, Nev. -- The U.S. Air Force celebrated the completion of North America's largest solar photovoltaic system with a ceremony at Nellis AFB, Dec. 17.
Nice setup for either pool or hot water, but not the terribly good design for space heating.
I have to admit that I could enjoy some of that SoCal weather here just about now. :-)
Vehicles clutter up that fine building!
Just a sample, not my house...
Space heat this- Air Force
"estimated to save the Air Force $1 million annually"
-- Oren
Oren:
Have you seen the BIG one down below Eldorado Dry Lake on the way to Searchlight? HUGE, HUGE, HUGE. Next time you go to Laughlin, check it out. Or just go for a short drive to Railroad Pass and take the road to Laughlin. Just past the dry lake on the right. I am not sure if it is PV, or if they are using parabolic heaters and a superheated brine solution like they were talking about doing at the Nevada Test Site. It's BIG. A lot bigger than the one at Nellis. I drove past there just a few days ago, and didn't see it. But then, you can't see a lot of the base from the highway.
Steve
Having a new one installed in our vacation rental on Monday. $3700! The old one (4) years was made of rubber tubing, and rotted. Oh, well. This new one is flat mat and a new kind of material. Latest and greatest. Seems I heard that before. Just in time for the lengthening days and swimming!
Steve
They're controlled by earth's axial tilt. In summer, the light is reflected to the ground in front of the panel.
As winter approaches and the sun appears lower in the sky, the panels "turn on" - and in areas where there's snow cover, the amount of heat produced can almost double as the panels absorb snow-reflected energy.
In summer, some energy will still be collected due to open-sky radiation and reflection from terrestrial objects, and the panels can be shut down completely by installing an opaque cover.
Good to know that our tax dollars are taking care of /somebody's/ electrical needs. I'm tempted to ask how long before the AF announces its line-up of rechargable aircraft...
Hmm - is base housing electrically heated?
That's a nice set up. I was wondering how you shut the panels down for the summer?
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