Technical information on Solar Systems
Commercial Solar Water Heating System Design Tool
Calculating the likely energy performance of commercial scale solar water heating systems requires computer simulation modelling of the system. The solar simulation tool SolSimNZ tool is aimed at helping solar suppliers, designers and architects better understand how their proposed solar water heating system will work and will help system designers size components and choose the appropriate collectors. SolSimNZ allows the most common solar water heating systems to be modelled for 16 areas in New Zealand. The instructions for operating the simulation tool are available here. (You should note that it is a 10mB file so loading via dial-up will be slow. As the file to be downloaded is a .msi file you will be asked if you want to run it. If you click yes then it will automatically load the files to the desktop of your PC).
Publications on the technical aspects of Solar Water Heating
- Information Sheet 8 - SWH Building Consenting Guide - A Guide to Applying for a Building Consent for a Solar Water Heating System Installation (Please note - Solar Association name change from SIA previously. Document also under review).
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The Large Scale Solar Thermal Systems Design Handbook is now available on Sustainability Victoria's website for free download. Hard copies can be purchased through MPMSAA
The Master Plumbers and Mechanical Services Association Australia (MPSAA) and Sustainability Victoria jointly produced the 'Large Scale Solar Thermal Systems Design Handbook' which provides guidance in designing best practice large scale solar hot water systems used in commercial and small industrial applications with the 60-120o Celsius range such as breweries, abbatoirs and hospitals. The Design Guide addresses common design issues including flow rates, hydraulic configuration, control system and collector arrangements.
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SWH Training Course - Installer & User Manual, Australian Business Council for Sustainable Energy
Introduction and Contents pages
Chapter 1 - Solar Water Heating Overview
Chapter 2 - Solar Radiation and Positioning of Collectors
Chapter 3 - Solar System Components, Configurations and Operating Principles
Chapter 4 - Boost Heating
Chapter 5 - System Control and Protection
Chapter 6 - System Design and Installation
Chapter 7 - Maintenance and Troubleshooting
Chapter 8 - Combined Central Heating and Solar Hot Water
Chapter 9 - Extra Information
Annex 1.1 - Non-technical barriers to Solar Water Heaters
Annex 1.2 - Life cycle costing
Annex 1.3 - Solar energy in more detail
Annex 2.1 - Frost protection
- Form for Inspection of SWH System Installation, Solar Association of NZ
- Model Producer Statement PS3 - Installation of SWH System, Solar Association of NZ
- Manual for Structural Assessment for Installation in Domestic Dwellings, Solar Association of NZ
- Code of Practice for Manufacture and Installation of Solar Water Heaters in NZ, Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority (EECA) and the Solar Association of NZ
- Hot Pipe Material, Article from Oct/Nov 2005 issue of NZ Plumbers Journal, published by the Master Plumbers Gasfitters & Drainlayers NZ Inc.
- Solar and Heat-pump Water Heaters in NZ, paper by S E Thomas and CR (Bob) Lloyd, Energy Management Department, University of Dunedin
- Developing the Market for Larger Scale SWH Applications in NZ, report by I McChesney in association with East Harbour Management Serivces (EHMS) and Enercon
SWH Articles and Reports on BRANZ
Solar water heating articles and research reports published by BRANZ (www.branz.co.nz) are available by clicking here. This is the link to the BRANZ publications shop. Enter 'solar' in the search field and select 'All publication series' from the drop down menu. It will search all BRANZ publication sources. (Some articles and reports have to be purchased while older articles become free to download after a certain period).