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FEATURED PRODUCT REVIEWS
Review #1: Nanogel Aerogel
Garry Baverstock AM
New 21st Century Building Material for the Building Industry
‘Aerogel’ presents the most exciting innovation for the construction industry for hundreds of years. Its transparency, translucent and opaque variances along with its energy efficiency as well as lightweight feature represents an incredible breakthrough in modern architectural solutions.
Please check out the aerogel brochure. Here at solar-e, we are very interested in soliciting professional opinions of this idea. Comments direct to our experts or a forum response will be great feedback for everyone.
Review #2: Solectair system
Garry Baverstock AM
Saving energy through ventilation is often poorly overlooked by householders and often not taken into account in the design of houses by builders and architects.
The biggest challenge for Australians, in fact anywhere in the developed world where temperate climates prevail, is for people to adapt or retrofit their homes for energy efficiency and natural comfort. This product, that we have used in the past as architects ( ref to: http://www.eco-retrofit.com.au/ ) is excellent for both summer and winter conditions.
As scientists, Dr John Barker and Dr R Lawrance worked out in the 1970s in Perth type climates that a great deal of winter warmth was being wasted, simply by not tapping into solar warmth of the roof. Even in cool days of moderate sunshine will see temperatures of over 20 deg C accumulating in the roof or attic space. If simply transferred into the rooms below using some ducting, a low wattage fan comfort conditions can be achieved almost free of charge.
Also in the early 1980s the author worked on a mechanical night ventilation concept with mechanical engineer Andrew Crabtree. Known as ‘Nivent’, it was discovered that the general public did not understand how it worked so there was a limited market. So the idea was shelved.
Now Kim Dartnall, an electrician and qualified in refrigeration and airconditioning , has combined both ideas and added an innovative electronic control system to create one multi pronged product. Using the advantages of heat recycle in winter and night ventilation in summer as a way to deliver cheap comfort as well as fresher air to the house.
This low cost product has the versatility of using a gas booster for supplementary heating in abnormally cold conditions and an evaporative cooler as a booster during hot daylight hours. The Solectair UNO stand-alone system can also supplement split reverse cycle airconditioners, gas or wood space heating and passive solar heating.
Several different Solectair systems and kits are available as follows:
- A stand-alone kit that comes with it’s own ducting and vents to provide solar heating and night air cooling
- A kit that adds on to a ducted evaporative cooler
- A system that comes in conjunction with a ducted gas heater
- A kit that adds onto an existing ducted gas heater
- A kit that adds onto an existing ducted reverse cycle airconditioner
There are 7.5 million houses needing a Solectair system as part of their retrofitting strategy over the next 30 years. This product is well thought out and should become the norm for any home alteration. For further information please see www.solectair.com
Review #3: Solarcombi system
Garry Bavertstock AM
At last there is a solar system that delivers on aesthetics. Solarcombi takes an innovative approach to solar power and solar water heating by delivering the first purpose built, fully integrated system. It is particularly applicable for residential and small commercial projects because it’s both architecturally attractive and delivers genuine cost efficiencies not realised through similar output PV units.
Standard solar water heaters have an ugly tank sitting on the roof and although efficient and cost effective for the low cost housing market, they create problems from a street architecture perspective when planning new suburbs. Design guidelines can be discriminatory against solar water heater and solar panels because of visual incompatibility with the architectural style chosen by the urban designers for a particular suburb. There are conflicts too. Often they occur between home-owners and the development companies enforcing the design guidelines, many ending up in the courts. Nasty business really, with the real loser being our environment.
Visual Options
Solarcombi is refreshing visually because the panels for the photovoltaics and solar water heating are combined into one streamlined strip of panels all of modular design. This can be in one line or broken into two rows depending on the roof area. This gives the architect maximum flexibility when integrating the system into the aesthetics of the building.
System Approach
There are many systems where the tank for the solar water heater is not only separate to the panels on the roof, but visually different creating aesthetic chaos when the architect chooses to feature the solar technology as part of the architectural expression, or has to make a feature of it due to the location and orientation of the site.
We like the quality of materials and system design adopted by Bright Generation, the Australian company responsible for the Solarcombi and their long-term view of sustainability. There are a lot of solar companies springing up vying for market share with cheap inferior products that will not last the distance. The reality of a sustainable world is that products should be built to last. Venture capitalist Mr Andrew Hall is the founder of Bright Generation and has combined his business skills and ethics regarding solar and renewable energy to ensure that well tested German technology and materials have been used with local components to deliver significant advantages for the consumer.
Costs
The costs benefits when combining solar water heating with photovltaics delivers genuine savings for the consumer, as well as the aesthetic benefits for architects and designers.
Further down the track the company is looking at systems for grouped houses as well as recycling the heat from the photovoltaics as a pre-heater for the solar water heating system. They are also considering offering new adaptations and options for their systems that are cost sensitive as well as going up market and offering long life tanks.
This company is one to follow and the consumer can buy in confidence. Architects are going to love this system!
For more information, check out the solarcombi brochure and go to the Bright Generation website.
Review #3: Sola-Kleen Product Review
Garry Bavertstock AM, April, 2011
History of Significance
The history of the ethics of Sola-Kleen company goes back to just after World War II. Ex prisoner of war in Crete, Clarry Small turned his plumbing skills to a new concept for generating domestic hot water, the solar water heater.
The CSIRO, spearheaded by scientist Roger Morse, developed the new thermo siphon concept. The first two licensees of this scientific break through at the time were Carry Small and Ron Brown. Ron Browns closed couple system went on to became the famous solar systems developed and industrialised by SW harts a WA company.
The Small’s system started as a low-pressure system and was constructed as a roof strategically placed in the roof space. A mains pressure heat exchanger was added much later. These systems built of copper and aluminium.
In the late 1980s, after Clarry Smalls’s death, Malcolm Gilmour the current owner and director of the newly renamed ‘Sola-Kleen’ business purchased the Small’s Solar Heater. Read More…
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