Renewable Energy Laboratory and Sandia National Laboratories helped develop the technology, and as mentioned earlier, Sandia measured its performance. FEMP and the two laboratories have worked closely with IST to identify good opportunities to apply the technology at Federal facilities. The two laboratories also supported past efforts to use parabolic-trough heating for electrical generation and industrial process water and continue to work on solar thermal electrical generation. Cost-shared, collaborative technology development testing and evaluation projects with NREL and Sandia have allowed IST to greatly improve the performance of parabolic-trough collector technology.
Solgel antireflective coating for the glass enclosure surrounding the receiver tube is made by IST under license from Sandia National Laboratories. ECP-305+® silvered polymer reflector film was developed under a collaborative project between NREL and the 3M Company and was tested and evaluated by IST. Both of these improve- ments enhance energy capture. For example, the system installed in 1996 for the Jefferson County Detention Facility in Golden, Colorado, which features these enhance- ments, delivers about 38% more energy per surface area of collector than the one installed in 1990 at the California Correct- ional Institute at Tehachapi, which is not enhanced.
Using these new technologies, however, only increases costs by about 10%. IST has also begun using a black-nickel- based selective-absorption coating for the receiver tube. Both costs and Sandia National Laboratories/PIX06068 Figure 11. Gould Electronics of Chandler, Arizona, has had its parabolic-trough collector system since 1982. An example of use of oil for heat transfer for higher- temperature uses, the system provides process water for copper foil production. FTAs are about new technologies identified through advertisements in the Commerce Business Daily and trade journals and through direct correspondence soliciting technology ideas.
Those technologies are then evaluated in terms of potential energy, cost, and environmental benefits to the Federal sector. Parabolic-trough solar water heating was included in the New Technology Demon- stration Program because this renewable energy technology has obvious energy, cost, and environmental benefits and has substan- tial untapped potential in the Federal sector. IST is officially designated by DOE as an energy service company qualified for ESPC contracts. Additionally, the IDIQ contract with IST substantially simplifies procuring this technology.
(The thermal performance of IST's parabolic-trough systems was inde- pendently measured by Sandia National Laboratories and reported in Sandia Report SAND94-1117). The FEMP Tracks database of Federal facilities lists 16 prisons, 87 hospitals, and 147 housing complexes that are located within Southwestern or other states where there are probably adequate solar resources for parabolic troughs and that are large enough that they would likely benefit from a parabolic-trough system (Table 3). Laboratory Perspective Although only a few parabolic-trough solar water-heating systems have been installed so far, the technology is well developed and has been clearly demonstrated. The National Table 3.
Federal Facilities of Size and Location to be Likely Candidates for Parabolic-Trough Systems Prisons of Hospitals of Housing complexes of more than more than more than 100,000 sq. ft. or more than 10,000 sq. ft. State 25,000 sq. ft. 25,000 sq. ft. and 5,000 sq. ft. per building Arizona 2 14 16 California 5 24 67 Estimated Market Potential Colorado 2 6 9 In FY 1995 the Federal government spent $3.6 billion on energy costs for build- ings—75% on electricity, 12% on natural gas, 6% on fuel oil, and 8% on other forms of energy. An estimated 12% of energy use for buildings is for water heating.
Assuming a similar percentage for Federal facilities suggests that Federal water heating costs about $432 million per year. Hawaii 0 1 5 New Mexico 0 11 12 Nevada 1 3 4 Puerto Rico 0 1 0 Texas 6 23 26 Utah 0 1 5 Wyoming 0 3 3 Total 16 87 147 Source: FEMP Tracks database 13