Low-carbon buildings are one of the most prevalent design trends of today. The practice of developing strategies to meet this goal encompasses many aspects of the building design, from the mechanical system to the actual materials used for the building envelope.
The setting sun illuminates the brown-colored SolarWall air heating system on the new Iron Trail Motors Event Center in Virginia, Minn. This innovative, 118,000-square-foot fitness and events facility achieved its B3 renewable energy targets with the SolarWall technology and geothermal heat pumps. The complex was beautifully designed by DSGW Architecture, Lake Elmo, Minn., to achieve the functional, aesthetic and low-carbon heating objectives for this state-of-the-art community building. (Photo: DSGW Architecture and Danger Bird Productions)
In commercial and industrial buildings, indoor heating or process heating can represents up to 50% of a building’s energy usage in heating climates. When the original SolarWall technology was developed in the 1990s, it was directly in response to market demand for a cost-effective energy product that would offer sizable energy reductions and target one of the highly problematic areas for most buildings, which is ventilation heating.
The SolarWall technology is a solar air heating system that heats building ventilation air using a perforated metal collector system that is integrated into a south- (or east- or west-) facing façade. Systems are building integrated and can be designed to act as a unique architectural feature or simply blend into the façade like a conventional metal wall. Solar air heating systems offer large-scale energy reductions, reducing up to 20-50% of the building’s heating load. The SolarWall collector heats incoming air by around 30-70 F on a sunny day.
SolarWall systems are routinely specified on new buildings or in retrofit applications to heat makeup air. The fact that SolarWall systems are metal is always a major benefit in terms of creating the ideal appearance with the building façade. They can be designed adjacent to everything from wood and glass to entranceways and other metal cladding systems. They can also be styled and shaped and angled according to any desired appearance.
It is important to consider all the life cycle details of any energy system—how long it will last on a building and what happens to it afterwards—and the beauty of metal and therefor of the SolarWall technology is its durability, long life span (40 years), no maintenance and ability to be recycled.
SolarWall systems has been used extensively in the USA, Canada and other parts of the world because they represent a viable low-cost approach to low carbon heating. They also have a widespread applicability across the building sector. And like other solar technologies, they help with environmental, social and governance (ESG) or net-zero targets as well as earning LEED certification.
Solar projects which are installed for a tax-paying entity during the tax year are eligible for the investment tax credit (ITC) or production tax credit (PTC) which is up to 30% depending on labor and sourcing for the project. Entities such as non-profits who don’t pay taxes may also be eligible for a credit in the form of a direct payment.
Victoria Hollick is vice president of Conserval Engineering Inc., Toronto. For more information, visit www.solarwall.com.