While our SmartWind challenge site is PR 6 the SmartSolar page (this one)is PR5, which is still VERY high.

While waiting for financing to become available, I am happy to guide fellow contenders in marketing. For this purpose I open a special website: http://www.internetmarketing-mentor.com/green-energy-marketing

The ECOmagination contest is over and I still maintain good contacts with fellow contenders with some of whom we have partnered up. A question I regularly get is how we fared with respect to financing. Well, at this time we have a choice! As some offers take some time to become effective we have postponed our decision who to work with until the end of 2011. You will certainly hear about us, if not via the ECOmagination site then via the media or our brand new website: http://www.smartgreenenergyintl.com

Those who are interested to contact our partner in electronic design, contact http://www.engineering-spirit.nl/en

If you are interested in marketing, you may wonder how this challenge page reached a Page Rank of 6... (as high as the challenge home page): Check http://www.internetmarketing-mentor.com/high-tech-marketing

For any questions please feel free to email me at jamesgrenada@gmail.com

Now that we are talking to potential distributors, architects and builders, as well as suppliers of sustainable prefab materials, we regularly get offline questions. I decided to publish the Q & A's here from time to time.
Q. Can you define “up to 95% energy savings more precisely?
A. We claim "up to" 95% for a variety of reasons:
1. Solar radiation. In arctic climates even the most efficient approach will require backup and that of course brings down the energy conservation %. We did an evaluation for a project in Mongolia where 90-95% energy savings was feasible, in spite of the bitter cold temperatures (no big issue because we use vacuum heat pipe technology) but the solar radiation in Mongolia is excellent.
2. .Adequate solar collector and tank capacity. For simplified calculations: http://tinyurl.com/smart-solar-calc This improved -but still beta and not optimized for user interface and presentations- shows how to dimension a SmartSolar system. While we took typical heating and cooling requirements for an average, well insulated home, you can change roof size and desired capacities.
3. The position of the tanks. For optimal results it is best to place the short term tanks on the attic so very small and therewith energy efficient pumps can be used to circulate water to the solar collectors. Note that this is often not possible in existing construction. The large (2,000 liter) seasonal storage tanks have to be placed in the cellar because of the high weight but as the circulation speed Is very low in most cases, this is still low power.
4. Floor heating/cooling. This is not only the most comfortable, but also most energy efficient approach and for solar space heating the fact that temperature can be as low as 30C is very convenient.
5. Intelligent Controlled Ventilation. Stale inside air heats or cools incoming fresh air and is then further warmed or cooled before entering the building. In summer, colder night air can be taken in to cool the house. If necessary our solar dehumidifier ensures dry air according to the user’s preference.
6. Earth-air exchanger. This is a tube at 3 meter (10 ft) under the ground; about 30 meter (100 ft) long. It further optimizes the efficiency of the intelligent controlled ventilation by pre-heating/cooling the outside air before entering the home.
7. Seasonal storage. This acts as a buffer to overcome multiple consecutive cloudy/rainy days. See: http://tinyurl.com/smart-solar-calc In Summer we use the (cooled in the winter) cold water for cooling and after that capacity has been used we use it for cooling the solar PV concentrator. At the end of the summer we use the overcapacity to further heat up the seasonal storage tank.
Generally, the combination of items 2 through 7 is most easily and economically doable in new construction
Q. Did you verify that architects are prepared to use your system?
A. Of course we did! Until now architects are reluctant to design in solar water heaters because of the technical, unattractive look. We have a proprietary system in which we connect the heat pipes to a copper tube that does not have external connectors. As solar A/C requires a high solar capacity (typically the full width of the roof), the solar collectors look like one. Architects like that approach as it is far more aesthetic. The next step is that we ask them to customize the roof design such that the solar collectors sink in the roof to further optimize aesthetics. As soon as our prototypes work and we can publish results (each system has a built in data logger that measures performance) we will do a massive road show to meet architects in small groups in order to explain the advantage of our approach (likewise we organize meetings with contractors). In the first year alone we expect to meet 1,400 architects and 1,400 contractors (based upon average 10 participants per meeting).
We already have cooperation with a leading vendor of sustainable building (prefab) materials, who have an in house LEED certified architect. Our industrial designer will liaise with them to design our prototype house. At this time we are forming a work group of a few architects, spread out over the world. Together with them we ensure that our system will fit most markets elegantly.
Q. How much would your system approximately cost and what is the payback period?
A. Please refer to http://tinyurl.com/smart-solar-calc for calculations and pricing. The 40x60 ft demo house that is taken as an example with a maximum heating capacity of 80,000 btu and 36,000 btu for cooling costs only US$ 12,500 more than a traditional system, assuming 30% subsidies/tax credit and pays itself back in just 3.2 years.
Q. Can I use my existing central heating furnace in combination with solar heating?
A. In existing construction the already installed furnace will function as a backup. The return line of the central heating goes to the heat exchanger in the SmartSolar base tank, where it is heated up and sent to the furnace. When the temperature of the water is higher than the thermostat setting, the furnace will not kick in. Especially with older systems it is recommended to install a whether dependent thermostat to improve efficiency.
Q. Can one use your solar chiller in an existing duct based A/C system? How does it work?
A. In this case, the solar chiller will connect to an air handler that converts cold water into cold air which is fanned into the duct (after dehumidification when you use our Intelligent Controlled Ventilation) and is controlled by a separate thermostat that should be set at a slightly lower temperature than the compressor based A/C; the latter than only has a backup function. In the heating season, we use the same air handler.
Q. The HVAC industry is not small and has lots of R & D power. How could it be that none of these giants went solar?
A. I have talked to several of them, including one of the most advanced. In the conceptual stage, none of them was interested to even have a close look, possibly because the R & D managers I talked to want to develop and produce everything in house. I only found one HVAC company who promoted thermal energy recovery (part of our intelligent controlled ventilation concept). It is hard to understand that this industry does not include this as integral part of their systems as it is dead simple technology and saves considerably. Now it is –at best- an option that is rarely sold and therefore expensive. All companies I watched used flat plate solar collectors for tap water pre-heating. In the winter they drain them. Using solar collectors for space heating is a thought that none of them thought to be feasible. Most of them use regular high power pumps that are dimensioned for the maximum situation rather than using the advanced Grundfos pumps that use up to 12 times less energy. I found only one that actively promoted floor heating. There is one other company in the world that developed a solar A/C system: ClimateWell in Sweden. Solar space heating and solar cooling are by the way a proven technology that have been used in large scale projects and in (expensive) trials.
SmartSolar’s stronghold is that we developed a complete concept that efficiently covers all HVAC aspects in an integral approach. We monitor all variables such as temperature in the different tanks, at the beginning and end of the solar collector as well as the ambient, in addition to measuring humidity before and after the solar dehumidifier. Our intelligent control system taps the capacity at the roof in the most efficient way and ensures that all tanks are heated optimally. Furthermore the system decides whether or not to use the earth-air exchanger, whether or not to activate the dehumidifier’s moist recovery mode, and so on. I am convinced that we will have by far the most advanced HVAC controller. And we needed that as conserving energy is our priority. Generally, the HVAC industry does not seem to be too concerned and concentrate their efforts on getting more efficient A/C’s and furnaces as this is important in competition.
The next –and decisive for our success- is that we are painstakingly determined to find the most optimal way for each component of our system. We designed for mass production and in most cases the payback time is less than 5 years (sorry Iceland). In the example of an average new construction home the payback time is a spectacular 3.2 years. Some people are prepared to pay extra for green products, most don’t – a simple economic reality-. With SmartSolar’s efficient and affordable solar A/C we have the potential to become a leader in this field –until the HVAC industry wakes up.
Q. Do I need a regular furnace and A/C as a backup?
A. In existing construction this is the typical situation, but for new construction it is possible to go 100% solar in most markets, provided that all recommended steps are taken: well insulated house, intelligent controlled ventilation with earth-air exchanger, floor heating/cooling, adequate short term tank capacity and seasonal storage. See http://tinyurl.com/smart-solar-calc for calculations and pricing.

Fellow innovators: We all agree that GE has been misleading in announcing a challenge that would give promising innovations a chance. I have been thinking about their motives.

First of all they wanted to surface great products to invest in and they succeeded in that objective. I evaluated their choices and must agree that they made smart choices. One of them is Elmer Inc., a company whose ZigBee wireless technology we intend to use in our Energy Conservation Controller (http://tinyurl.com/ecc2011). They have the best technology but with 10MM chips sold they don't really qualify as a startup.

The second objective was PR, in an effort to polish their bad image. To the outside world this may have worked, as they do not know what we know now: GE did not intend to support start-up innovation.

I proposed to GE that they should correct this by honoring the best innovations by start-ups with much needed seed capital, based upon the evaluations already done. In my opinion, this is the only way GE can save their face. The ECOmagination blog has shown a lot of anger and the power of the Internet cannot be denied.

Fellow innovators: send me your email address to jamesgrenada@gmail.com and mention "GE challenge" in the subject. I will compile that into a database with the following objectives:

1. In the event that GE leaves it with this, the very least we can do is to let the world know. Those who know me a little better know that PR is in my blood; I can do this very effectively and low cost, but I need you to openly and frankly confess in a common press release.

2. I am in contact with several investors -and so may you- It is valuable to exchange information on opportunities. Our goal is to get our products to market and the time it takes from this point is nothing compared to the hundreds of hours we spend for the Challenge.

2. Many of us have communicated via this medium about cooperation but once GE shuts down this blog we are incommunicado. I must mention that BrightIdeas and GE did create a valuable platform. But we must stay in touch. As you know SGE's formula is all about cooperation and this explains the growth of the team. Off line we are still expanding and this will make us stronger and ready for the big tasks ahead of us.

Do it fast and don't hesitate and inform your network.

James

I uploaded a new version of a spreadsheet that shows the thermal calculations, energy savings (in the example house in a temperate climate = 91%) and pricing:

http://tinyurl.com/SmartSolarCalc-106

While this is an alpha version primarily because the presentation is not nice the results are pretty accurate.

Luis is an architect based in Aruba and St. Croix, serving the Caribbean region specializing in all aspects of sustainable design. He envisions each project as the creation of an ecosystem that enhances and goes beyond simple project requirements. Their focus is on modern design without ties to any specific style or program type. Multi-function facilities always come closer to how nature works. Nature always informs design.

With Luis joining our work group we have now reached our goal to have a diversified team that will allow us to serve most markets.

Debesh is an architect from Nepal -also contender in the Challenge- and demonstrated a strong commitment to go green. Debesh agreed to be part of our architects work group and will likely come with low cost housing designs incorporating our green technology.

This proves once again that our approach to invite architects from different cultures works well. Where George looks how to integrate our green technology into higher end homes with more complicated structures, Debesh will concentrate on getting the cost as affordable as possible. Between these two extremes Ken will come with efficient prefab solutions very suitable for low (for US standards) to mid range homes. And maybe there will be some overlaps, that's fine.

With only 6 weeks after introducing the "Green Technology Meets Architecture" program this is a remarkable success!

I did not plan any more announcements but this is just too good news to withhold: As I announced earlier we approached a number of architects in different markets. We already had a LEED architect on our team from the USA; now George Witteveen, CEO of Witteveen Architects in the Netherlands. George's designs are widely considered examples of sustainable building -including by the Dutch government- but besides that he is also an innovative architect with amazing, unconventional designs: http://www.witteveenarchitecten.nl/WITTEVEEN_ARCHITECTEN_AMSTERDAM/woontoren_Utrecht.html
We expect that George, in addition to taking part in our architects work group, will also be instrumental to cover the high end of the architectural design market. Together with our existing team we are confident that we will find the optimal solutions that may look different from how they look now.

Two days before the winners are being announced it is a good moment for some final remarks.

First of all I would like to give a word of thanks for a perfectly organized Challenge. GE did a good job in promoting the Challenge and this was beneficial for many contenders as our major objective is to get financed. The Challenge could not have been a better opportunity to showcase our organizations and concepts to investors, while it also built valuable relationships between contenders. Our cooperation with Dr. Shawn Buckley is an excellent example.

While Shawn's Solar PV concentrator was initially intended to be a complement for SmartWind it also proved to have a positive synergy with SmartSolar, where we use the cold water in seasonal storage to cool the silicon, while at the same time gradually preheating the water. Look at the calculations to learn about the amazing amount of thermal energy that is harvested that way.

SmartSolar is the project that got most R & D attention and for good reasons: Reducing the energy consumption by 65% - 95% (new construction)is an opportunity that must not be missed.

http://tinyurl.com/smart-solar-calc not only shows thermal calculations but also pricing. While it is a beta version and will have to be redone for better presentation it serves the purpose of those really interested to design your SmartSolar configuration using your variables such as roof width, heating and cooling capacity, hot tap water usage, etc. The results are automatically calculated.