Catalog of Successfully Operating
Solar Heat Systems

For years, solar process heat systems have been contributing to hundreds of industrial, government, and commercial facilities in all regions of the U.S. - contributing significantly to their thermal energy loads. Today, solar thermal systems exist on over 1 million buildings throughout the U.S. and in aggregate constitute an equivalent thermal capacity of over one nuclear power plant. As an introduction to the many system applications for solar process heat technologies, this catalog has been published to give readers a detailed summary of several existing system designs and statistics of solar process heat systems in the field today.

Solar Process Heat Systems exploit a readily available, free and constant source of energy - the sun. Depending on the application, there are several potential system designs and technology types that may be utilized. Many collectors are nationally certified and rated by the Solar Rating & Certification Corporation - an independent organization which rates and certifies solar thermal collectors. The matrix below is designed to illustrate the many market sectors, facility types, and applications where solar process heating systems can be found today.

For many of these market/application pairs (e.g. water heating systems for prisons), solar thermal energy systems represent a cost-effective and environmentally friendly alternative to traditional fossil fuel technologies.

This document contains a very small representative selection of the systems available. There are thousands of commercial systems that are currently in service most of which have operated consistently for the last ten to fifteen years. We hope that we can continue to expand this Catalog further describing systems that have particular features that distinguish them such as architectural integration, multiple end-uses, and seasonal storage or cooling with thermal energy storage.

For users in the industry, commerce and government, solar process heat offers several attractive advantages:

1. They are long-lasting, reliable sources of CLEAN thermal energy that can replace 20-80 percent of thermal energy requirements provided by fossil fuels (e.g. fuel oil, natural gas, electricity).

2. Solar systems are often more cost-effective on a life-cycle basis than alternative process heat systems. Since solar systems are designed to last 20-30 years, and pay for themselves in 3-10 years, they provide owners with as many as 20 years of practically free energy ╤ saving a facility thousands of dollars. Additionally, solar system capital costs can be reduced significantly by state and federal tax credits for solar equipment, including a 10% federal tax credit and accelerated depreciation.

3. By investing in solar process heat systems to provide a portion of their thermal energy requirements, users have the opportunity to respond to increasingly stringent clean air mandates (locally and nationally) without having to invest in expensive, nonproductive air emissions control equipment and staff to operate and maintain it.

4. For private companies and government agencies that have long range planning horizons with respect to their thermal energy requirements, solar provides insurance against:

Fuel price volatility; and

Concerns about fuel supply disruptions.

5. And finally, the acquisition of solar systems by government agencies serve to:

Tangibly and visibly demonstrate the govern- ment's commitment to energy conservation and preserving and/or improving air/quality air; and

Reduces long term energy expenditures over time - saving tax-payer dollars.

Solar systems capital costs are in the $40-$45 square foot range. The market and infrastructure for solar process heat systems have evolved to the point where it is now possible for prospective end-users to buy energy from solar systems - rather than solar systems themselves. That is, companies exist that arrange and administer agreements where:

End-users (private companies or government agencies) agree to buy energy delivered by a solar system for a multi-year period owned by private investors; and,

Private investors own and operate the solar systems and handle all maintenance. Under these third party agreements, end-users pay only for delivered energy at a negotiated price rather than owning the systems. Both third party agreements and outright ownership have advantages. Where a third party may mitigate capital requirements needed for system procurement, outright ownership avoids finance charges that may accrue under a third party arrangement.

Please note the costs referenced in this catalog are not representative of the current costs associated with solar process heat systems. Many of these systems were installed with the assistance of the U.S. Department of Energy during the energy crisis. Part of the mission at that time was to test different configurations and hardware in order to select the best designs as standard systems. As a result, the costs associated with system deployment were often higher than what is currently the case.

For more information on solar process heating technologies and a list of member companies, please contact the

Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA)
122 C Street, NW, 4th Floor
Washington, DC 20001.
Phone: (202) 383-2600.
Fax: (202) 383-2670.

There are several organizations and individuals who have contributed to the production of the Catalog. We would like to thank the U.S. Department of Energy who recognized the value of this effort by funding the project and particularly the Office of Industrial Solar Technologies. Additionally, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory provided technical support and was a major proponent of the Catalog's production. We would also like to thank the many solar industry professionals who supplied schematics, photographs and other information that makes up the core of the Catalog.

We have published this document for both energy policy makers and technology procurement decision makers who manage facilities with thermal loads applicable to solar process heating systems. We hope that readers of this publication will recognize the potential value of solar process heat systems and look more closely at the advantages solar can bring to a commercial, industrial, government or residential facility.