Yorkshire college uses solar-thermal energy to reduce carbon emissions
Helping to reduce energy and carbon emissions at Thomas Rotherham College in South Yorkshire is a solar-thermal system supplied by Stokvis Energy Systems to provide hot water for staff and public toilets. The system for this college for 16- to 19-year olds is expected to achieve energy savings of 2.6 to 3 MWh a year.
It comprises two Ecotube DF120 evacuated-tube collectors, pump station, control system, solar-thermal single-coil 210 l buffer vessel, unvented mains kit and backup electric immersion heater.
The initial enquiry was prompted by a visit to an energy exhibition by the college’s site manager.
The college previously had gas-fired storage water heaters to supply toilets in part of the building. The site manager decided that this was not cost effective because the toilets were only used intermittently, so point-of-use electric water heaters were installed in a number of toilets. It was subsequently decided to remove the old storage heaters and generate hot water via the solar system, augmented by electric immersion heaters.
Stokvis supplied its equipment via installer Eco2Solar so the college could take advantage of the beneficial VAT rate extended to charitable installers.
Solar energy is available whenever the temperature of the fluid in the panel is 4 K above the temperature of the tank.
