Solar energy system case study: Telex Communications, Blue Earth, Minnesota

Technical Report · Sat Sep 01 04:00:00 EDT 1984

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/6508451· OSTI ID:6508451

Raymond, M. G.

A study is made of a solar energy system for space heating a 97,000-square-foot office, factory, and warehouse building owned by Telex Communications, Inc. in Blue Earth, Minnesota. The solar system has 11,520 square feet of ground-oriented flat-plate collectors and a 20,000-gallon storage tank inside the building. Freeze protection is by drainback. Solar heated water from the storage tank circulates around the clock throughout the heating season to heating coils in the ducts. The system achieves its design solar fraction, is efficient, and generally reliable, but not cost-effective. Performance data for the solar system was collected by the National Solar Data Network for three heating seasons from 1978 to 1981. Because of a freeze-up of the collector array in December 1978, the solar system was only partially operational in the 1978 to 1979 heating season. The data in this report were collected in the 1979 to 1980 and 1980 to 1981 heating seasons.

• Research Organization: Vitro Corp., Silver Spring, MD (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: AC01-79CS30027
• OSTI ID: 6508451
• Report Number(s): SOLAR/0011-84/01; ON: DE85002140
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

14 SOLAR ENERGY
140901* -- Solar Thermal Utilization-- Space Heating & Cooling
BUILDINGS
DRAIN-DOWN SYSTEMS
ENERGY SYSTEMS
EQUIPMENT
FLAT PLATE COLLECTORS
HEATING
HEATING SYSTEMS
OFFICE BUILDINGS
PERFORMANCE
SOLAR COLLECTORS
SOLAR EQUIPMENT
SOLAR HEATING
SOLAR HEATING SYSTEMS
SOLAR SPACE HEATING
SPACE HEATING