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Solar Air Heat Collectros
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Pine River's Rural Renewable Energy Alliance (RREAL) will use solar power to heat low-income homes with funds from a $135,000 Bush Foundation grant.
The grant will go towards RREAL's "Solar Heat for Low-Income Families" providing Solar Air Heat Collectors to families that meet income guidelines.
RREAL spent 18 months designing its own Solar Air Heat Collectors that will be used in homes once the collectors are certified.
RREAL has applied for the certification through the Solar Rating and Certification Corporation and hopes to be certified by mid-summer.
Since 2003 RREAL has installed collectors on approximately 32 homes through the solar assistance program.
RREAL typically installs between 72-96 square feet of Solar Air Heat Collectors for each solar assistance project they do. The projects are free to the homeowners that qualify for Minnesota's Energy Assistance Program.
Although RREAL is not affiliated or connected with the state's Energy Assistance Program, they use the same income guidelines for their solar assistance.
The collectors typically provide between 1/5 to 1/4th of a home's heating needs.
"Solar air heating is most economical and efficient when it is providing a portion of, rather than all of, a households' heating load," said RREAL Director Jason Edens.
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RREAL creates own solar air heat design
RREAL employees spent 18 months designing their own Solar Air Heat Collectors.
They manufacture three sizes of Solar Powered Furnaces (SPF) SPF 40 (4 feet-by-10 feet); SPF 32 (4 feet-by-8 feet); and SPF 26 (4 feet-by-6.5 feet) The largest panel weighs 150 pounds.
An absorber plate - manufactured in Germany - is installed in each SPF. The plate converts the sun's energy into heat.
The panels will be mounted in place vertically on the face of the structure (perpendicular to the ground).
The positioning will take advantage of the sun's rays in our Minnesota climate as well as the reflecting light off of the ground through "snow bounce."
RREAL integrated a rack/mounting system into the design of the collectors.
A 1 inch-by-2 inch aluminum bar is connected to the exterior walls of the residence and the collectors are mounted on them. The mounting system makes the panels easier and safer to install.
New construction can forgo siding in the areas where the panels are installed.
The collectors are built with long-lasting aluminum and glass. "Durability was paramount in the design process," Edens said.
The collectors also have a triple redundant air seal that keeps air from leaking out of the collectors.
And, RREAL's collectors were designed to be more flexible in the installation process than other collectors available on the market.
