07 August 2007

Summer sun can provide winter heat

There was a recent article in New Scientist about an experimental solar water heating system in Anneburg Sweden.

The system being used on 50 units, pumps water through rooftop solar heaters in summer to warm it, before being stored in pipes embedded in granite 65 metres below ground. The water is kept hot by the rock, and is then pumped back up to heat homes in winter.

The technical specs for the system are 2400 m2 of solar collectors provide the heated water to the in ground storage area of about 60,000 m3 of crystalline rock with 100 boreholes drilled to 65 m depth and fitted with double U-pipes.

It Is claimed that the system has reduced reliance on conventional heating by nearly 25 per cent and this could rise to 70 per cent over the next few years as the storage rocks get hotter.



2 comments:

Lloyd Alter said...

this isn't new; it was done in Calgary Alberta last year.

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2006/01/planned_communi_1.php

they have had some problems.

Darryn Parkinson & Sharon Hamilton said...

thanks lloyd, i'll check it out.