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Commercial Applications:
Air Heating |
Generators
| Boilers | Heat Pumps |
Water Heaters | Case
Studies
Markets:
Agricultural
Solar Heating for Heat
Pump Air Pre-heating
Millions
of commercial and residential buildings use heat pumps. Heat pumps
use electric heating systems to gather heat available in low temperature
outdoor air and "pump it up" to higher temperatures for
indoor space heating. These heat pumps are very efficient when the
outside air temperature is near 65 degrees. Heat pump efficiency
drops off when temperatures drop. Below 20 degrees, heat pumps switch
on electric resistance heating, one of the most expensive ways to
heat.
The
American Solar thermal system delivers solar heated air to the heat
pump's outdoor coil. With warm air at the outdoor coil, heat pumps
operate at peak efficiency and reduce the need for electric resistance
heat. American Solar's thermal tile system also operates at high
efficiency because it can operate at relatively low (65 - 85°
F) temperatures for most of the heating season. In some cases, the
building operators can set their heat pumps to deliver higher temperature
heat to the indoor supply ducts. By setting a higher temperature
for the indoor air, building operators eliminate the feeling of
cold drafts often experienced with heat pumps.
PDF
of American Solar's Heat Pump schematic
Go
to technical papers for solar geothermal
heating and cooling
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