Testing the solar waters

Maryland Management spends more than $2 million heating water for the tenants of Crain Court Apartments each year. But now, company President Jim Clauson decided to do something about it.

In what Clauson and others said could be the largest project of its kind in the county, the firm is having two different solar hot-water-heating systems installed in two of its buildings in the complex off Crain Highway in Glen Burnie.

Once Clauson has had time to see which system works the best, he plans to install them in his other complexes around the area - potentially providing solar-heated water for up to 9,400 apartments.

John Love, owner of Severn-based Love's Heating and Air, said this is the largest solar hot-water system he has ever installed.

"Our systems should give him no less than 50 percent or better reduction on each building we do," he said. "Our goal is 70 percent."

The two systems include 1,000 devices - called solar-evacuated tubes instead of solar panels. They went live last month.

The specially coated glass tubes are installed in holding mechanisms on the rooftop of the apartment buildings. Sunlight hits the coating, which in turn heats a copper rod inside the tubes.

The rod sticks out of the end of the tube, touching a copper pipe that runs to the hot-water system. The pipe contains a water-antifreeze solution that transfers the heat to water stored in tanks.

The systems each have different design elements, but both have two backup 120-gallon hot-water tanks in case the water needs to be heated more before it goes to the apartments.

Clauson estimated the two-building pilot project at Crain Court Apartments, which has 126 apartments, will cost his company about $100,000.

Given the 30 percent federal tax credit and possible state grants, Clauson could expect to earn his expenses back within four years, Love said.

Normally, a management company would hire a contractor like Love to purchase and install the solar tubes. In this case, Clauson bought the tubes from two different manufacturers. Those suppliers referred him to Love.

"The tubes are much more efficient in what they produce," Clauson said. "The biggest bang for the buck."

Nate Greenleaf, a technician from manufacturer Eos Solar, is working as a technical adviser on the project. He said solar panels are simply outdated.

"In 60-degree-or-less weather, a flat panel will lose its heat back to the cold ambient air," he said. "Because a vacuum tube acts like a thermos bottle, the energy isn't lost."