Going Green

 

In March of 2012, this Lochinvar SCH130 solar thermal system was installed and brought
online on the roof of our Kinesiology building. This unit is one of the largest solar hot water systems sold by Lochinvar in America
and on a clear day has the capability to produce 130,800 BTU/day. The seven rows of arrays seen in this picture absorb the sun’s solar energy to heat
glycol which circulates in a serpentine fashion through each panel. The heated glycol is piped down and through a heat exchanger, which then heats all
domestic hot water for the building as well as the supplying heated water for the
Olympic size swimming pool. This allows us reduce the need for the 100 horsepower boiler that was previously
used to make hot water. The efficiency of this system is so advanced that the payback is only five years.
Not only does this provide monetary savings it reduces our dependence on a nonrenewable
resource, natural gas.