WILLOW SPRINGS FIRE STATION

Willow Springs Fire Station is the latest Solarwall installation in Willow Springs, North Carolina and went into operation this winter. Solarwall can be put on both new construction and retro-fitted on existing buildings of all types, including apartment buildings, retail buildings, warehouses, industrial, schools, garages and aircraft hangers. Solarwalls can be used for preheating as well as ventilation and work at seventy-five to eighty percent effeciency and have been tested by United States Department of Energy. (NREL).

SOUTH POLE

IF IT WORKS HERE IT WILL WORK ANYWHERE!
Solar Heat Unit in Use At a Pole By Malcolm W. Brown / The New York Times

At the South Pole, where winter temperatures often dip below minus 100 degrees Fahrenheit, four-engine transport planes must operate a continuous shuttle during the summer months to replenish the research station's tanks with fuel oil for it's ravenous furnaces. But for the first time, solar heating has begun to take a bite out of South Pole Station's monstrous heating bills.

Dr. John Lynch, a phsysicist with the National Science Foundation's popular program, said last week that solar heat collectors installed on the sides of a new South Pole dormitory building had sharply reduced fuel consumption. During one recent week, the three-and-one-half-story building, which accomodates 20 occupants, needed to burn only 12 gallons of fuel to supplement the heat generated by its solar panels. During that week the outdoor temperature ranged from a high of minus 14.4 degrees to a low of minus 41.6 degrees, he said.

The panels are simple cells, in which sunlight passes through glass faces, behind which sheets of copper coated black chromiuim powder absorb solar radiation. Air circulated through chambers behind the hot copper plates is pumped through the buildings ventilation system.

Brief Period of Sunshine

"This can eventually lead to a lot of solar heating at the pole and some significant fuel savings, "Dr. Lynch said. "Perhaps more important, it's a dramatic demonstration of the efficiency of solar heating. If it works at the South Pole it can work anywhere."

In fact, the sun only shines on the South Pole during the Southern Hemispheres summer, roughly from Nov. 1 to Feb. 15. In midwinter, the polar sky is lighted only by the stars and flickering aurora, and the warming sun never appears. However, the staff of scientists, engineers and technicians based at South Pole Station declines from 125 men and women in midsummer to 28 who "winter over". During the winter, the new dormitory will be unoccupied and only enough to keep pipes from freezing.

The station is expanding and managers like Dr. Lynch believe unconventional designs and technology can reduce costs. For instance, new buildings are built on stilts, allowing snow and ice crystals to blow away instead of piling up against walls.

US NAVY NORFOLK NAVEL STATION

US Navy Norfolk Navel Station, Norfolk, Virginia
Dark bronze SOLARWALL panels on the south walls of the two maintenance buildings at the Norfolk Navel Station

Background
When the Executive Presidential Order was issued stating that all federal agencies had to reduce energy consumption 35% by 2010, Norfolk Navel Station became one of the first Federal Agencies to participate in the program.
An energy audit conducted at the base revealed that installing a SOLARWALL air heating system would represent a cost effective method for reducing energy consumption.

Results
As well as maintaining a high standard of indoor air quality and providing free heated indoor air, the SOLARWALL system is also saving the US Navy at Norfolk $12,000 per year in displaced energy costs. The installation also entails a reduction of 258,000 pounds of greenhouse gases each and every year.

Factory fresh air heater Glazed SOLARWALL® on Ford's Buffalo Plan

Built when the ideas of insulation and other energy conservation practices were unheard of, this huge old Ford Stamping Plant had a tremendous heating requirement. Because of the work that takes place inside the building, Ford also has a very high ventilation rate, which is necessary to meet OSHA standards for Indoor Air Quality. To combat these problems, Ford Energy Management Personnel decided to install a 50,000 square feet, glazed SOLARWALL® ventilation system.

Interior of the plant showing the fabric ducting.

The installation of the SOLARWALL¨ System not only saved Ford money on the energy bill, it also helps them maintain the Indoor Air Quality standards that OSHA requires. These improvements also help increase worker production by making the working environment more comfortable for employees. The Ford Motor Company spent $615,000 on the SOLARWALL® System. Direct savings are $194,000 per year.