9-Firstlight Energy Solar heating systems News 270208

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Firstlight Energy - Making the most of free hot water

Firstlight Energy is a company committed to developing innovative products that reduce reliance on natural resources.
Each of its systems – SunStream solar thermal collectors, HeatStream solar thermal heat stores, WindStream wind turbines and LightStream Hybrid lighting – take established technologies and move them forward to create more efficient and cost-effective energy-saving solutions.
SunStream solar thermal collectors (flat plate or vacuum tube) can be installed on their own or with HeatStream heat stores, reducing energy consumption by at least 50%, with figures as high as 70% having been recorded.
The secret of the system’s success lies in the latent heat technology utilised within Firstlight’s thermal heat stores, which contain phase change material that stores four times as much heat as hot water in an insulated tank – and far more efficiently.
Virtually all solar thermal hot water systems currently available in the UK use water to store heat collected at roof level by vacuum tube or flat plate collectors. This can be wasteful on two counts:
* Solar heated hot water systems may not always deliver hot water when it is most needed, for example first thing in the morning, because heat collected the previous day has normally been used during the evening.
* Water loses heat more quickly than Firstlight’s thermal heat stores which lose only 1o in every 24 hours.
“Firstlight is probably the most innovative company in the field of renewables,” said managing director Trefor Evans. “We are constantly seeking out new technologies that can make a significant reduction in energy costs and carbon emissions.
“HeatStream thermal heat stores are a German development based on latent heat technology. Our interest in them arose from research into how to improve and fully utilise heat generated by solar thermal systems. Our rooftop collectors are extremely efficient but had the potential to suffer from the same problem as all solar thermal systems, in that much of the heat generated is wasted. HeatStream solves this by storing all the heat for use as and when required. This also means that systems can be sized much larger because all the heat is stored for use – great for large hotels with high hot water demand and premises operating swimming pools and spas.”
The heat stores can also be used as stand-alone units linked to almost any heat generating system, for example oil and gas boilers, air and ground source heat pumps and heat recovery systems. Research has shown that they can improve the performance of fossil fuel boilers by up to 40% by reducing boiler cycling, allowing the boiler to operate more efficiently. This also has the added benefit of reducing harmful deposits within the heating system.
Added Mr Evans: “The SunStream and Heat Stream systems offer a great opportunity to realise energy-saving aspirations. Already the Hotel du Vin Group is installing our system in its properties. We believe this trail-blazing company will be the first of many to embrace the opportunities offered by new technology such as ours. It’s also a great marketing story, allowing hotels to differentiate themselves from competitors.” For further details, see www.firstlightenergy.co.uk

Email: emma@kimbercoms.info