The technology isn't new it's just being used differently! We've always had geothermal heat pumps. We've always had solar thermal panels. We've always had air source technology. This is all three in one! It uses a heat pump just like geothermal to absorb heat and redistribute it. The solar panel is a revolutionary technology that combines air source and solar thermal technologies for increased renewable energy performance.
SunPump is a highly efficient and cost effective renewable energy heating system that combines the benefits of solar thermal with the efficiency of heat pumps.
SunPump acts as a primary system that is able to provide up to 100% of the space heating and hot water requirements for new and retrofit residential and commercial buildings. SunPump is fitted with a backup heating element allowing it to completely replace a furnace or boiler, and the domestic hot water tank, eliminating the need for a gas line.
RETURN ON INVESTMENT
The initial cost of a SunPump is balanced by savings on monthly heating bills (gas & electrical), and inflation savings for total natural gas costs (12% in 20 years) and electrical power (4% in 20 years), as well as, the avoidance of impending carbon tax costs over the life of the system.
Additionally, SunPump adds $15,000-$30,000 of value to a property.
KEY FEATURES
- 5, 7, 10, and 14 kW capacity
- Integrated Thermal Battery
- Integrated 7500 watt electrical backup generator
- Works proficiently 24 hours a day in all weather
INSTALLATION
Each SunPump system is unique, and our qualified system designers work with you to design a system that meets the needs of your application. Our qualified professionals will complete the installation from start to finish.
Think Mechanical estimates $1.25 per Cubic Foot as a starting point for SunPump Installations. This includes installation of a domestic hot water and space heating thermal battery tank, and a set of black solar evaporator panels.
The insulated copper refrigeration line set is not included with the SunPump package as refrigeration lines have to be custom fit to the building when the SunPump is being installed.
BACKGROUND
Solar Heat Pumps were invented in 1963 by NASA for the Apollo manned space missions, making them over 50 years old. While models similar to SunPump have been available to the public in Europe, SunPump is the only model available in North America.
SunPump, founded in 2010 by Bruce Gray, has installed and tested several units in Canada, and has won acclaim Technical & Innovation Awards in Canada and US.
HOW IT WORKS
All heat pumps work the same way, by transferring heat using the refrigeration cycle. The SunPump system vaporizes a refrigerant by absorbing solar radiation with roof mounted solar thermal collectors (evaporators). It utilizes a vapor compression cycle, further increasing the refrigerants temperature and creating a superheated gas, achieving an energy factor of more than twice that of a conventional heating system. The gas is pumped from the panels to a heat exchanger, where heat is extracted from the gas causing it to condense back into a liquid state, completing the cycle.
The thermal energy extracted is used to heat water in a "thermal battery" or hot water tank, which can then be piped to radiators, radiant floors or water to air heating coils.
Like any heat pump, it can cool as well; instead of sending the refrigerant to the roof it loops it through the hot water tank to a coil on the heat recovery ventilator, making it a very efficient air conditioner that moves the heat from the inside air into the domestic hot water tank or outdoors.
SOLAR EVAPORATOR PANELS
The SunPump solar evaporator panel is a single piece seamless aluminum with complex micro-channels inside, that circulate a refrigerant through the that boils at -50°C (-58°F).
The result is a solar thermal heat pump hybrid that draws considerable amounts of thermal energy both from the sun and from the ambient outside air temperature, even at night acting much like an air source heat pump.
This innovation allows the SunPump to function efficiently, cost effectively and reliably in the dark, in rain or snow, and at sub-freezing ambient temperatures. It has a coefficient of performance (COP) of 7 in the sunshine and 2.7 at night, meaning the system can move 2.7 to 7 times as much thermal energy as the system uses.
SUNPUMP AND SOLAR PV
While solar photo voltaic panels (PV) convert a narrow band of visible light into DC electrical power, the SunPump converts a wider spectrum of light and ambient energy into heat.
SunPump technology can be used in conjunction with Solar PV to produce a hybrid energy system for your net zero home.
THERMAL BATTERY TANK
SunPump produces solar energy on demand day and night from solar energy. The system benefits from a thermal battery tank which stores energy during peak solar hours.
The thermal battery/heat pump unit is an elegantly small and simple appliance with just one moving mechanical part, a DC scroll compressor that offers 23% more energy savings than piston driven heat pumps of the past.
Scroll compressors are common in the refrigeration and heat pump industries and can run for decades.
The thermal battery/heat pump unit is placed indoors in the mechanical room eliminating weather related aging; placing this system inside the building envelope allows the building to capture energy lost from the system due to entropy, increasing system efficiency by 25%.