The FUTURE OF HEATING
Generation2 – Designed For use in the Cold that is Canada
Digital Solar Corp. (DSH) is looking for a limited number of Pilot Solar Heating Sites across much of Canada.
Please feel free to check out the rest of the DSH website
The company is offering specially discounted Solar Heating Systems for a few early adopters of this new Gen2 heating system, in areas of interest.
WHAT DSH WILL PROVIDE:
DSH will provide the design and engineering for a heating system designed for your location based on a preliminary design by your designer or architect (see also below).
Expected Performance:
If the design of the building meets our minimum thermal requirements, we are able to design a Thermal Energy Storage System on your site (TES), and the area for the solar collection requirements are met, the DSH system can by design provide from 50% to 99% of all the buildings heating and hot water requirements annually. By Code a backup system access is integrated, based on local demands.
The degree of performance variance is a factor of design and budget. The closer to 100% the more costly it can become. Our typical base system performs at ~85% heating offset for a location like Calgary Alberta. This performance may be offset by several things such as the average solar insolation available in your area, the heat loss performance of your building, new weather patterns, and quality of storage location.
The Gen2 system uses solar collectors that perform well even at -30c, meaning you get added heat whenever the sun and collectors are active. The storage system acts as a buffer or thermal battery and has the storage capability to run your heating for months once properly up to storage temperature. The DSH system stores all your summer heat for use later, for example at night or during the winter. It can take some time to reach maximum stage.
Off-Grid Option
The DSH heating system can be installed off-grid with the use of PV solar and battery backup. The DSH system has been streamlined with high performance low consumption pumps, and the load is quite small. We estimate the cost to run the system for 2,000SqFt to be close to $45 per year – on grid.
Other Options:
- Solar Hot Water
- Solar Thermal Cooling
- Wood Fired Fireplace with back-boiler
- Wood Fired boiler
- Solar thermal PV panel melt
- Solar footpath or driveway melt
- Solar heated Pool or Spa
WHAT WE REQUIRE:
Specifically: DSH is looking for sites where buildings will be built using slab-on-grade (SOG), and in acceptable climatic and geo-conditions. Buildings can be almost any size as each site is engineered to suite.
Type of building
Building Type: Any SOG building, with one or two stories, may be acceptable at the discretion of DSH. Thus a new Shop, Garage, Warehouse, Strip Mall, Car Wash etc., can be acceptable. Flat roof typically are the best; sloped roofs of the “Saltbox” design can also function well where the larger roof facet is pointed roughly south.
In some circumstances, an existing building can be acceptable especially if the building has existing hydronic heating and the building is well insulated as well as sub-slab, and adjacent property can by utilized for U/G mass storage. Where existing building has large open areas and in insulated slab, heating can still be accomplished, please ask.
Pre-DESIGN: DSH can also do a primary design for a building where no design currently exists. This is then passed on to your designer/architect for completion to local ordinances.
Location Considerations:
The Ground: The DSH system uses mass storage to store thermal energy. As a rule this storage system is designed into the area under the slab, often 2M deep. Thus it is more difficult to design a system where the foundations are underwater or on solid rock, for instance. When in doubt ask,
The Weather: Locations notoriously cloudy, with poor sun most of the year, Can present serious challenges to peak performance.
The Roof: The solar arrays are quite large as they must be sized to offset the heat losses. Sometimes locating on a sloped roof may preclude a full array capability due to lack of array space. The collectors can be ground mounted where there is available space.
The Cost:
Every system is custom designed and costs can vary accordingly. One example is a 2,000SqFt residence, where forced air heating is specified. System cost may be C$15-20k. and cost to operate may be C$1500 to C$2800/yr
This size was recently costed out at $19k for the DSH components and $13k installation. This does not include excavation and sub-slab insulation. The cost to run the system on grid is roughly $45/Yr,
The Benefits:
- The obvious benefit is the low operating costs, but that’s not all.
- The big benefit is virtually zero emissions. Even high efficiency furnaces/boilers, rare in commercial buildings, emit vast quantities of carbon dioxide and other pollutants. Climate change is one of the most urgent issues of our time
- In many locations the cost to install can partially be offset by government grants. These vary across the country.
Feel free to visit the rest of the site:
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INTRODUCTION TO DSH:
Digital Solar Corp. (DSH) has been in the business of Solar Heating for almost 20 years.
On the recommendation of the National Research Council,DSH recently tasked the University of Wisconsin to accurately model the performance of the Gen2 Canada solar heating system, based on a 5,000 SqFt warehouse, located in the cold that is Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The results of the modelling have been included in a DSH White Paper available on request. The base system provided 85% heating offset and 85% carbon emissions reduction as compared to a similar heating system. >99% heating offset is possible.
DSH was recently granted a 2nd patent for this extraordinary Candianized Gen2 heating system. It features a massive but low cost thermal Energy Storage (TES) usually situated below the building, which is capable of storing all collected summer heat and redistributing the heat on demand.
DSH have co-developed highly insulated EvT solar collector specifically for cold areas, and this solar collector is capable of high efficiency even with outside temperatures of -30C (-22f). DSH also developed a digital control system to manage over a dozen sensors, pumps and control valves. DSH also operates at a safe low voltage of 24VDC and uses digital pumps that have no shaft seals for longevity and variable speed. This also allows the DSH system to operate off or on-grid.
The actual heating system is designed around an normal radiant heating environment where low caloric heat can be distributed as required.
DSH has its own customer friendly control system integrated with a standalone pump station, all running on low voltage, and is Wi-Fi capable.
TES Storage: The only way a solar thermal system can function in Canada is to oversize the collection and store excess heat for later.
DSH uses a massive, low cost, solar heat core thermal Energy Storage (TES) system. This allows a slightly larger solar array to be deployed, allowing inter-seasonal storage of heat; this means you can store summer heat for use later. A solar heating offset of >99% is possible. The massive storage system is thermal mass based on an insulated box the same footprint of and below the building, and the excavated on-site earth under the slab (free) and recompacted therein. The depth and thermal mass storage capacity is predicated on the local circumstances, the type of ground etc., and is adjusted accordingly.
Each system is sized for the location and the facility, including but not limited to, the heat loss/gain area and expected solar insolation levels. The DSH system is made up of a Solar collection array that is sized according to expected demand, a programmed digital controller, a pump station, E-control valves, and hydronic pipes located typically in a concrete slab and in the Heat Storage Core (TES).
To work efficiently the Facility must be engineered to be thermally efficient to reduce losses, the “slab” must be insulated on all sides except the top, and the “Core” must be insulated on all six sides, with the bottom being optional depending upon location.
Optionally a hydronic backup heat can be included for times when solar or heat core storage is unavailable.
Options:
- The system can also include ancillary heat feed from such items as a Wetback or fireplace back-boiler, or active geothermal, and this heat will be treated in exactly the same fashion as the solar with preference given to the highest temperature
- The DSH system is off-grid capable.
Optional:
- Solar hot water: Where solar hot water is specified, the system solar array temperature is adjusted upwards accordingly.
- Wood fired wetback fireplace boilers can be integrated.
- Pool and Spa pool heating
- Footpath and driveway snow/ice melt
- PV snow melt
- High temperature industrial pre-process heat
And so much more
An international TV program called Grande Designs Australia, recently shown on CBC,features our early GEN1 system on their program. https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x6i7agf full TV show
The house inside: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3292925/Going-green-doesn-t-mean-trading-luxury-Inside-stunning-award-winning-black-white-themed-home-Sydney-featured-Grand-Designs-sale.html.
“Going green doesn’t mean trading in on luxury: Inside the stunning award winning black and white themed home in Sydney that featured on Grand Designs and is now up for sale”: Daily Mail
Sadly we were never mentioned by name even though the house won many national and international accolades and awards on the back of our system, and it sold recently for $2M, twice the anticipated price expectation.
DSH is encouraging interested parties to contact DSH for further information about potential dealerships. There are no costs to early adopters.
Finally: DSH is developing a solar thermal based, refrigeration system. Pilot projects overseas are expected to be online by late summer 2021. These are ideal for hot or third world countries and are designed to chill a room to allow storage of harvested products, to then be able to introduce these products during non-harvest times when prices are higher and spoilage virtually eliminated. An early PPT is available with more information to dealers.
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