ISEA SOLAR & WIND workshop notes

These are my notes from ISEA otherwise know as Illinois Solar. I have compiled these knows as detail oriented as possible. Please regard most of these facts as accurate. If your living in the Midwest you have to realize that Chicago is the Saudi Arabia of Cold. During the workshop ISEA covered First Solar Verse Solar Thermo

• They are introducing the core of individuals to off the rack systems. The workshop focused on mechanical systems. Were not talking about passive & Solar architecture.
• Their are two categories of Solar Thermal. They are Water Collectors + Air Thermal Collectors. Air can be translated into the living space.
• ***Currently the world has 3.5 Million Buildings in the world with PV Cells***
• There are roughly 200,000 in USA. 48,000 of these systems are Grid Tied
• In Chicago we pay 11 cents a watt. In Hawaii they pay as high as 29 cents a watt
• California + North East pay about 19 cents a watt
• Chicago Has ~ 250 Grid Tied systems that produces about 2.5 Mega Watts
• 70% of Solar Heating Systems are in China
• There are 2000 systems in Illinois
• 3.5 years of Solar Energy = all of the Coal in Illinois
• Average home uses 600 kW a Month

Energy Efficiency > Renewable Conservation > Renewable Energy

• ***The Solar Equipment faces the Sun relative of latitude. IL is 42 degrees Latitude ***
• Every Dollar you spend on renewable energy saves you 2 dollars in the long run.
• Thermal Solar: A lot of installers place the systems at +15 degrees up. These systems are usually fixed, because of the complications of piping. Moving parts = high maintenance fees.
• Medium rise systems are used in IL
• Surface Are of Pool = Surface Area of Low Temp Thermal Heating. This fact explains the thermal cells needed to heat the square footage of pool. 1 sq ft of thermal to 1 sq ft of surface of pool required.
• Some thermal Units are sealed in vacuum to conserve thermal heat is not lost in winter. Steam circulates the evacuated tube.
• If there isn’t enough load. The excess goes out to the grid. This is known as grid metering.
• As of April net-metering law have been enacted. ( For IL. 2008)
• IL State Fund= 5 Million Dollars. Pool of cash. For All Renewable
• Green Tags. People pay to pollute (defined)
• Home owner can invest 1 dollar of green returns 20 dollar value to home.

Points of Interest:
ASES
MRES
ISEA