Inspired by the demand for a powerful space heating application, the SolarWall 2-Stage system takes the original SolarWall solar air heating technology one step further.
SolarWall 2-Stage is equipped with transparent glazing panels and directs the inbound fresh air through two heating stages. This design delivers an even greater temperature rise-maximizing building energy conservation, heating cost savings, and greenhouse gas emissions reductions.
First heating stage:
Solar radiation heats the metal SolarWall panels, generating a boundary layer of fresh, solar-heated air on the surface of the collector. Intake fans draw this warm air through thousands of micro-perforations in the panels. The warm air gathers in the air cavity within the collector.
Second heating stage:
Solar radiation penetrates the polycarbonate glazing, heating the 2nd stage of metal SolarWall panels. Protected from heat loss by wind sheer, the warm air inside the cavity picks up even more heat before being drawn through the perforations in the 2nd stage of the SolarWall heater.
Pre-heating application: The existing HVAC fans draw solar heated air through the SolarWall collector and into the building’s heating and ventilation network.
Over the heating season, significantly less heating fuel is required to heat the solar-heated fresh air to set point. In the cooling season, the SolarWall is simply bypassed.
Space heating application: SolarWall intake fans draw the solar-heated air through the collector and into the facility whenever heat is required. In lofty spaces, destratification fans will push the warm air down to occupancy level, maximizing occupant comfort and energy savings.
Measured Performance
In winter, buildings consume tremendous amounts of energy to heat the interior space. At Plattsburg International Airport in New York State, the average outdoor temperature during daylight hours on February 4th, 2012 was 25°F (-4 °C) and the average solar radiation was 276 W/m2, typical of a clear winter day. The SolarWall 2-Stage system delivered 1,500 CFM of fresh air at an average temperature of 94 F (34 °C). The highest recorded temperature rise was at 10:30 am, when fresh air was delivered at 138 F (59 °C).
With this level of solar heat gain, the 2-Stage system can pre-heat your facility’s entire fresh air requirement, or act as a powerful supplementary heating system-signifcantly reducing building energy consumption.
