Rob McMonagle, SolarCity Program Manager, Toronto Atmospheric Fund
March 24, 2010
Designing a Building Permit Process for Residential Solar
Water Heating
Designing a Building Permit Process for Residential Solar
Water HeatingThe Toronto Experience
(and some international perspectives)The Toronto Experience
(and some international perspectives)
Solar Permits Overview Developed by the Toronto Atmospheric Fund (TAF) to share knowledge
gained through the largest single-city solar hot water project in Canada (Solar Neighbourhoods).
TAF is the City of Toronto’s climate agency. TAF supports the development and implementation of leading-edge ideas with the potential for large emission reductions.
TAF is working to support greater deployment of renewable energy in Toronto as a way of helping the City reach its emission reduction targets.
Solar Permits is made possible by an investment by the Government of Ontario and the Government of Canada.
Webinar Agenda
Introduction to Solar Water Heating– Solar Hot Water – A Brief
History– Why Solar?– Understanding the
Technology– Toronto’s solar initiative
Regulatory Issues– Institutional barriers– Simplification of processes– Standards– Codes– Bylaws
Backflow Prevention Roof Structure The Toronto Process
– Certified Plans– Roof Structure Report– Building Permit Application– Plan Review– Building Permit Inspection
Q&As Info on Future Webinars
An introduction to solar water heating
An introduction to solar water heating
Solar Technologies
There are four distinct technologies that collect energy from sunlight– Passive Solar – collects heat and light through
natural (passive) processes– Photovoltaic or PV – produces electricity directly as
a result of the material’s properties– Solar Air – produces hot air for space heating– Solar Water – produces hot water for pools,
industry and residential applications We’re focusing on solar domestic hot water
(SDHW)
1.1 Status of Solar Hot Water Deployment Solar hot water is the most popular
distributed renewable energy technology globally (outside of biomass) but is often overlooked
Sales of Solar Hot Water Collectors in Canada
-
5,000
10,000
15,000
20,000
25,000
30,000
35,000
1978 1980 1982 1984 1986 1988 1990 1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 2002
m2
The “great crash” of 1987- was due to the sudden cancellation of government programs- resulted in the closing down of 80% of the industry - left a legacy of system failures and an ongoing belief that solar “doesn’t work in Canada”
However Sales Continued to Grow Internationally…
-
20,000
40,000
60,000
80,000
100,000
120,000
140,000
160,000
180,000
200,000
1975
1977
1979
1981
1983
1985
1987
1989
1991
1993
1995
1997
1999
2001
Col
lect
or A
rea
(m2)
Canada
Austria
Austria - 1 out of 7 homes have SDHWCanada – 1 out of 20,000 homes
In Most Other CountriesAustria Spain
France Italy
World Solar Thermal Market Global
dominance by China
The North America market is small (2% of global market)
US: 8,000 systems/year Canada: 600 systems (?)/year
Canada’s Solar ResourceDo we have enough sun?
Southern Germany = 900 kWh/kW
Yes! Better than many of the global solar leaders
1.2 Why Go Solar?
Two main drivers– Climate Change– Long Term Energy
Security
Climate Change Targets
To stabilize CO2 concentration under 400 ppm need to:– Global CO2 emissions peak by 2015– Reduction of Canada’s energy related CO2 emissions
from today’s 15.8 Gt/a to approx. 2 Gt/a by 2050 Per capita emissions of approx. 1 t CO2/capita
0 5 10 15 20
Africa
India
China
Canada
OECD
World
t CO2/(Kopf, Jahr)
Heating Domestic Water is a Major Energy Consumer
Hot water can account for 20-25% of the energy needs of an average household
Solar hot water can provide 40-50% of the energy
Residential Hot Water’s Role in CO2 Reductions SDHW Systems can
provide 0.4 – 0.7 t CO2/year reduction in Toronto (but more in high carbon energy jurisdictions)– Over system life (20
years) = 8 -15 t CO2
Lifetime GHG Reductions
-
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
TorontoElectricity
TorontoNatural Gas
PEI Electricity PEI Oil
C)2
(to
nn
es)
Red
uce
d It is the single largest action to reduce CO2
that a homeowner can take• Plus it is highly visible (unlike caulking or weather-stripping)
Second Motivator: Global Energy SupplyThe stone age did not end because of a shortage of stone
Non renewable energy sources will eventually run out (5, 10, 20, 50 years...)– We may be in the age of “peak dirty fuels”
Need to begin investing in alternatives
Solar Has Public Support
GPC Research – Public Opinion Poll – Oct 05
Canadian Financial Support for Solar Hot Water is Growing
Support has grown rapidly over last the past year.– In 2008 total was $500
As of May 21 total is now $2,500 (31% of cost)– Typical support
internationally is 50%
Average SDHW system cost
$8,000
Solar Neighbourhoods incentive (Toronto only – program now over)
-$1,000
Federal ecoENERGY rebate
-$1,250
Ontario Home Energy Savings rebate
-$1,250
Total support for early market transformation
$3,500
Costs after discounts and rebates
$4,500
Costs after incentives financed at 0% over 10 years
$37.50 per month
How Does Solar Hot Water Compare to that “Other” Solar Technology?
15% of cost and 18% of area for same amount of energy
1.3 Understanding the Technology Types of systems are broken down in two
areas:– 1. The system type – classified by the type of
freeze protection used: Seasonal – potable water is heated directly – similar
to a conventional water heater Drain Back – water is used as the heat transfer fluid Closed Loop – an anti-freeze heat transfer fluid is use
– 2. The type of solar collector used: Flat plate Evacuated tube
Systems types can use either flat plate or evacuated tube collectors
Year-round Systems
Drain back and closed loop systems
Collectors on the roof – tank in the utility room
Solar Hot Water System Schematic (Simplified)
Photo Credit: NRCan
Seasonal Systems
Tank is on the roof Potable water is
heated directly (and stored in tank)
Drained in winter In some climates a
seasonal system is used year around – however there is no “automatic” freeze protection
Flat Plate Collectors
There is no consensus of what type of collector is better (flat plate or evacuated tube)– Evacuated tube may work
better in marginal light conditions but will not self melt snow cover
– Flat plate is less flexible in sizing and if broken will need to replace a larger part of the system
Evacuated Tube Collectors
Each evacuated tube is a separate solar “collector”
Evacuated tubes are connected together using a manifold
The absorber is surrounded by a vacuum which reduces heat loss
1.4 Toronto’s Solar Initiative
Prior to 2007 30-50 systems were installed in Toronto annually (without building permits)– Austria: 10,000 systems annually for equivalent population base
(2.5 million) Action item from the Climate Change Plan (2007): “develop a
pilot residential solar domestic hot water program” The Toronto Solar
Neighbourhoods Initiative was developed to identify challenges and support barrier resolutions
Target of 100 system sales in one neighbourhood
Report will be available later this spring
Accomplished – the Highest Density of SDHW Systems Installed in Canada
100 SDHW systems sold– 1 in every 150 homes
(100/15,000)– Prior to program there
were 10 systems in ward (estimated)
If we did this in all of Toronto – 4,400 systems sales
But remember Austria – 1 out of every 7 homes– That level would equal
2,200 installations in one ward!