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The Greenwich Avenue Solar Car Wash
The Connecticut Clean Energy Fund (CCEF, Rocky Hill, Connecticut, U.S.) announced that a solar thermal installation with 40.9 square meters of collector space is completed and operating at a car wash in Stamford, Connecticut, U.S.
The CCEF, which funded the installation through its Solar Thermal Incentive Program, states that the Greenwich Avenue Car Wash is the first in the nation to use energy from the sun to heat wash water.
“Businesses are just beginning to realize how much money they can save using solar thermal systems to heat water,” said CCEF Acting President Dale Hedman. “Hot water systems are rarely metered separately, so the cost of heating water is a ‘hidden cost’ for nearly everybody.”
“However, water heating accounts for about 20 percent of a typical American home’s total energy costs.”
Rebate covers 75% of system costs
The solar thermal system is comprised of 21 Ritter CPC18 evacuated tube solar collectors, which have the potential to produce 115 million BTUs of heat annually. The collectors contain parabolic reflectors behind each tube, and are connected to a boiler with a natural gas backup.
The CCEF states that the system provides more than half of the 5,300 liters of hot water used by the car wash daily.
The system received a rebate of USD 28,900 from the CCEF’s program, which covered an estimated 75% of project costs. The CCEF Solar Thermal Incentive Program was made possible by a federal grant through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.
