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Solar Heating for Swimming
Pool at Siesta Motor Inn
With the extremely high costs involved in heating a swimming
pool, it just makes good sense to use a solar powered pool
heating system like the one we installed here for the Siesta
Motor Inn in Kelowna, BC.
Siesta is very sensitive to the comfort needs of their guests
and they were very aware of the rising costs of fossil fuels
in heating their large outdoor pool. Installation of a solar
powered pool heating system was the solution.
Solar pool heating systems for the homeowner or commercial
pool operator can greatly reduce their yearly pool heating
costs and the rising cost of natural gas or propane make the
system pay for itself within a very short time. |
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16 Fafco 4x12 ft. solar panels
were used to heat the outdoor pool. An automatic control system
turns the solar heating system off and on depending on the
amount of solar radiation is present on the panels.
Two sensors (one beside the solar panels and one measuring
pool water temperature) automatically control the system.
The large number of panels give a very fast recovery time
if the pool cools over night or there is a day or two of cloudy
weather.
Federal assistance (25 % of total cost) with regard to funding
commercial establishments, is available with the federal government
through the REDI program. More information of the REDI program
can be found by contacting your local Canada Natural Resources
office. |
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Remote Cabin Power System
This is an example of a private cabin on a lake
in the Okanagan area of British Columbia. The cabin is powered
by a Kubota 7.5 kW diesel generator and feeds a 48 volt
battery bank and a Trace 5548 inverter system.
Automatic start and battery equalization are just one of
the many features of this versatile and powerful inverter
system.
The unit is software controlled with LCD display. The cabin
features an optional remote LCD monitoring system installed
in the entranceway to map power system parameters. |
Kubota 7.5 kW diesel generator
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Trace 5548 inverter system
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Beaver Lake Lodge
What do you do when added loads exceed the capacity of your
generator? Picturesque Beaver Lake resort, perched on a mountain
top high above Winfield in B.C.'s Okanagan, was faced with
this problem when a new restaurant was added. Miles away from
hydro, the lodge has always used diesel gensets to operate
24-hours a day. When the decision was made to add a restaurant,
the demands on the prime power, a 16 kilowatt three-phase
generator, were exceeded. |
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The resort was able
to increase the output of the two legs of the generator from
5 kW to 7.2 kW, thus increasing the generator's output to
20 kW.
The third leg of the generator was wired to loads that
could be dispensed with during evening hours.
The two 5.5 kW inverters are connected to a 48 volt battery
bank with a storage capacity of just over 50 kw/hrs. This
battery reserve allows the generator to be shut off during
the evening when the heavy loads have been reduced. The
use of
inverters cuts down on fuel and maintenance costs and most
importantly gives the guests the quiet time that they came
for. |
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As mentioned earlier,
the inverters have battery chargers built in. When sine wave
inverter synchronize its charging from a generator, the generator's
output and current are monitored. If either falls outside
user adjustable limits, the inverter sheds itself as a load
and then reverses the power flow if necessary. This delivers
energy from the batteries to the loads, assisting the generator
when operating two units in series at 240 VAC, one 120 VAC
leg can be charging while the other is supporting. The pass-through
current of either the 4 kW or 5 kW inverters is 60 amps per
inverter, or 7.2 kW. Automatic generator start mode can be
triggered by battery voltage, load size in amps, or time of
day.
Quiet time can be set, during which the generator is not allowed
to start unless the "Must Start" override voltage
is reached. Warm up seconds, max cranking seconds, and max
starting attempts are some of the user adjustable parameters.
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to a generator, the waveform to that of the generator, locks
to it, and operates in parallel. This ability, coupled with
the bi-directional power topology and micro-processor control,
makes it possible for the units to offer multiple operating
modes. Recently, another Trace 5548 inverter and 48 volt
battery bank was added to the system.
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Off-Grid System for
Remote Private Home
This is another example of a system installed in Central
British Columbia. The system features a Trace 4024 inverter,
Air 403 wind generator, 24 volt battery bank, 4- Kyocera
120 watt solar panels and a diesel generator to provide
backup power. It uses a C-40 controller/charger and provides
all the needs of a reasonably sized home that is remotely
situated where grid power is just too costly to install.
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Trace
4024 inverter system |
Air
403 wind generator |
diesel
generator |
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Remote Telemetry Site
Here's a small system used to provide power for a stream flow
data logger set up in the interior of BC. Three Unisolar 64
watt solar panels provide power for a 12 volt battery system
on Trepanier Creek. The site is located in an area with periods
of low light conditions due to proximity of large hills and
trees. The Unisolar panels, with low light capabilities provide
more than enough power to keep the system fully charged and
running. A charge controller with auto-cycling features provides
LCD readout of system conditions. |
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Weekend Retreat
Here's another example of matching a solar powered inverter
system to a small cottage or weekend retreat with all the
comforts. A Trace inverter, a 24 volt battery bank and four
Kyocera solar panels provide lots of power.
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Trace inverter & power system
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Kyocera solar panels
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A Repeater Station
Come winter's ice, sleet and snow. it is imperative that repeater
stations on remote mountain tops keep working. The energy
supply for these stations usually comes from renewables such
as wind and photovoltaics supplying power to a battery bank.
Generally it works without fail. But the inclement weather
of winter can change that! Extreme cold can reduce the battery
bank output dramatically causing the repeater to go down.
Heavy frost build-up on solar modules and wind generators
can completely eliminate the station's electrical supply.
If that happens, a trip to the site via snow cat or helicopter
along with repair costs, makes station repair a pretty expensive
undertaking. |
That was the problem
recently confronting Valley Internet Providers (VIP) of Penticton,
B.C., whose repeater station is perched 7300 feet atop Apex
Mountain. The thick build-up of frost on the equipment, along
with a continuous draw of more than 2 amps were too much for
the 75 watt solar panels and small wind generator to handle.
It resulted in all too frequent and expensive, one hour rides
by snow cat to the top of the mountain to replace the station's
batteries. A survey of the situation determined that no matter
how many solar panels were used at the site, the accumulation
of frost would eliminate the modules output. The solution
NOVA provided was an experiment that worked out very well.
It was decided to try a thermal electric generator (TEG) sized
to fit the load. The generator was installed with two 100
pound propane bottles to provide generator fuel for 40 days
of continuous running time.
Taking advantage of the TEG's heat by-product, the insulated
battery box was placed next to the TEG and its heat vented
via a plenum into the battery box. This arrangement kept the
batteries at a constant l5 C rather than the -30 C is before.
In addition to adding the TEG, a Unisolar 64 watt, thin film,
triple junction module was also used. Unlike conventional
glass modules, the UNISOLAR solar panel has a polymer coating
which appears not to suffer the frost build-up problems. The
panel has now been in service for months without any frost
build-up at all. This panel is proving to be an excellent
alternative as it is flexible, will take a puncture, and works
very well under low light and shaded conditions. The panel
also carries a 20-year warranty.
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| Unique Remote Home
This is an interesting house constructed in the interior
of British Columbia. It is based on the "Earthship"
design with recycled tires in the walls for insulation and
special membranes under the topsoil for water drainage and
specially coated windows to conserve heat and provide light
for the plants. It uses Kyocera solar panels and also uses
a solar domestic hot water system. The control room is shown
with the Trace Sine Wave inverter and controllers.
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| Rescue
Power on the Go
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At Vernon, BC, the Search
& Rescue team use a battery powered inverter system
installed by NOVA to provide AC current for their mobile
equipment . The unit is extremely well equipped with all
the latest in radio and emergency equipment.
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| Retreat Centre
Using a solar powered inverter system instaled by NOVA - this
Bhuddist Retreat Centre in southern British Columbia is able
to match their power needs with the keyword at their retreat:
Quiet!
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Solarized Washroom at Manning provincial park,
B.C.
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