The project entails designing, building, financing, operating, and maintaining Solar Pool Heaters and Solar Service Hot Water Heating systems for multiple and/ or larger scale sites. The Third Party Financing approach to accomplishing this engages an independent (“third”) party to produce the results.

We have included "service hot water heating systems" in the description and we have not mentioned this before. They are included because nearly all pools have showers that need hot water. So while you are installing solar collectors to heat the pool you should also install collectors to heat the water. The same collectors could be used to do both. When going out for bids to heat the pools, the service hot water should be included.

There are two general ways that third party financing can be secured: as an Independent Energy Provider (IEP) or an Energy Service Performance Contractor (ESPC).

Independent Energy Providers own the energy systems that they install on your pools and are responsible for maintaining them. IEPs sell energy to end users, much in the same way as the electric or natural gas utility does. The IEP contract will provide for payments by the user for energy generated by the solar heaters.

Energy Service Performance Contractors may or may not own the systems they install. The option to own, lease-back, etc. for users depend on their financial goals (and constraints). But in this case, what is sold is a certain level of performance – typically, a reduction from the current energy use.

Sample Project Description for RFP
“This Request for Proposal (RFP) is for the design, build, operation, maintenance and financing of Solar Pool Heaters and Solar Domestic Hot Water Heating systems for up to five City of Tucson year round heated swimming pools and related facilities at five locations in the City of Tucson. The intent is to design and build these systems under an Independent Energy Provider (IEP) contract. The IEP contract will provide for payments by the City for energy provided by the solar heaters. Proposals that do not address this financing approach will not be responsive to the request. The energy generated by the solar water heating systems will be paid for by the City at an agreed to amount.”

Solar Pool Heaters
Solar pool heaters consist of panels or tubing that are particularly effective at heating water that is passed through them. In most cases, the pool's filtration pump is used to move the pool water through the solar panels. Panels may be either rigid or have individual pipes running lengthwise. Individual collectors are normally 4'x10' or 4'x12'.

Other types of pool collectors are flexible rubber mat, arrays of black plastic pipe or tube-on-sheet panels made of copper or aluminum. Glass covered or glazed collectors can be used as well.

See the following website for more detail on the technology:http://www.fsec.ucf.edu/solar/APPS/POOLHTG/en6.htm#Work.

Solar Domestic Hot Water Heating
Solar Domestic Hot Water Heating Systems consist of panels that collect solar thermal energy and transfer it to water that can then be used for showers, washing, etc. There are three primary kinds of systems, pumped, integral collector storage (ICS), and thermo-siphon.

The pumped system directly circulates potable water from the water storage tank through one or more collectors and back into the tank.

Integral collector storage systems, combine a solar thermal energy collector with water storage. The water in the collector unit is heated by the sun and delivered by city or well water pressure to an auxiliary tank or directly to the point of use.

A thermosiphon solar water heating system has a tank mounted above the collector (normally on the roof) to provide a natural gravity flow of water. Hot water rises through piping in the collector mounted below the tank. Heavier cold water sinks to the lowest point in the system (the collector), displacing the lighter hot water which rises to the tank.

See the following website for more detail on the technology:
http://www.fsec.ucf.edu/solar/APPS/sdhw/sdhw.htm

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