Here Come the Heat Pump Water Heaters! The U.S. heat pump water heater (HPWH) market has doubled in the last five years, and the DOE expects HPWHs to increase from 3% to 61% of the electric water heater market in the coming years. That means going from… Continue reading “Here Come the Heat Pump Water Heaters!”
Air-to-Water Heat Pump training now Free for Members Starting today, for a limited time, Air-to-Water Heat Pumps for Hydronic Heating & Cooling is free for HeatSpring Members. Air-to-Water heat pumps are up there with solar pv and energy storage on the list of ready-to-deploy technologies enabling our energy… Continue reading “Air-to-Water Heat Pump training now Free for Members”
Building a Solar Passive Greenhouse With No Energy Inputs Other Than the Sun Harnessing the power of the sun can look like many different things. For HeatSpring instructor Chris LaForge, solar energy means so much more than photovoltaics. In this short video, Chris shows us the beginning phases of his passive solar greenhouse… Continue reading “Building a Solar Passive Greenhouse With No Energy Inputs Other Than the Sun”
Sharing Solar Developer Secrets for 10 Years: The Enduring Value of the Solar MBA The Solar Executive MBA launched in 2012 and there’s still nothing quite like it. I sat down with instructors Chris Lord and Keith Cronin to talk about the origins of the course and why it’s still such a unique course.… Continue reading “Sharing Solar Developer Secrets for 10 Years: The Enduring Value of the Solar MBA”
Scott Sklar’s New and Improved “Solar Power 101” Course Amory Lovins, Co-Founder of the Rocky Mountain Institute, says “Scott Sklar is a walking encyclopedia of American renewable energy.” He’s not kidding. 2,500 solar professionals have taken Scott’s “Solar Power 101” course, which was created in 2014. The material held… Continue reading “Scott Sklar’s New and Improved “Solar Power 101” Course”
Ron Theaker’s Solar Hydronic Heating System This month we’re shining a light on solar entrepreneurs who are bringing new solutions to the market. As the industry grows, new businesses will emerge to create jobs and serve new kinds of customers. It’s fun to think about where… Continue reading “Ron Theaker’s Solar Hydronic Heating System”
David J. Goldstein Awarded Genius Grant for Multifamily HVAC Solution Please join us in congratulating David J. Goldstein, the first Genius Grant award recipient for 2021. David is an engineer and an entrepreneur. He has self-funded the development of a new HVAC solution that has potential to make multifamily housing… Continue reading “David J. Goldstein Awarded Genius Grant for Multifamily HVAC Solution”
How to Get into the Renewable Energy Industry Jack Bishop of Portland, Oregon recently graduated from Tulane University with hopes of entering the renewable energy industry and doing his part to address environmental challenges. While he had taken numerous courses related to the industry, he didn’t know where… Continue reading “How to Get into the Renewable Energy Industry”
Meet NABCEP! By now, all solar professionals have heard of the North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners (NABCEP) certifications. But, what does it mean to be NABCEP certified, and how can you get certified? How is the new Associate Program different from… Continue reading “Meet NABCEP!”
NABCEP Entry Level Program Becomes Associate Program in August The North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners (NABCEP) recently notified training providers that its Entry Level Program will be undergoing some changes next month. The program will now be called the Associate Program, and continuing education will be required… Continue reading “NABCEP Entry Level Program Becomes Associate Program in August”
Tour Solar Technologies Without Leaving Your Home We’ll tour solar technologies used in both commercial and residential applications across North America in this free, 42-minute lecture. Learning Objectives: 1. Describe the visual appearance of specific solar technologies 2. Differentiate between solar technologies 3. Identify specific applications for solar… Continue reading “Tour Solar Technologies Without Leaving Your Home”
Site Assessment for Solar Hot Water Heating Systems Without a proper site assessment, you may be putting your solar thermal system at risk for poor performance… This piece originally appeared in Home Power Magazine | Vaughan Woodruff, 2/2014 It is a fairly common occurrence for a solar professional to hear… Continue reading “Site Assessment for Solar Hot Water Heating Systems”
HeatSpring Named Co-Host & Partner for Women in Solar Energy Roundtable In the summer of 2015, HeatSpring set out to profile a few of the absolutely amazing women making waves in the solar industry… After discovering a shocking dearth of women students enrolled in our courses, and researching the far larger industry trend boasting… Continue reading “HeatSpring Named Co-Host & Partner for Women in Solar Energy Roundtable”
Six Drainback Questions for Radiant Heating Pros to Consider Vaughan Woodruff answers student questions regarding drainback systems on the Solar Approaches to Radiant Heating discussion board… Student 1: I have several questions on drainback systems for you… Question #1 When the solar storage tank has satisfied and the system goes… Continue reading “Six Drainback Questions for Radiant Heating Pros to Consider”
Download the Free Solar Heating Basics Guide Download the Free Solar Heating Basics Guide Used in Vaughan Woodruff’s Solar Approaches to Radiant Heating course. Solar Approaches to Radiant Heating is for serious professionals with relevant experience. You’ll learn the latest, most advanced concepts for integrating solar with radiant heating systems.… Continue reading “Download the Free Solar Heating Basics Guide”
Free Lecture: “The History of Solar Thermal in the United States” with Bob Ramlow This is a fun 40-minute lecture that provides historical context for where solar hot water – solar thermal – is today. Bob also shares some insights about which types of customers are the best fit for solar hot water, and… Continue reading “Free Lecture: “The History of Solar Thermal in the United States” with Bob Ramlow”
Using Solar to Heat – Net Metering Makes a Difference In the article below, Vaughan Woodruff, Expert Instructor, Solar Approaches to Radiant Heating, outlines a response to a student who recently asked a question regarding the use of solar electricity for heating and how advances in battery storage might impact the suitability of using… Continue reading “Using Solar to Heat – Net Metering Makes a Difference”
3 Reasons Your PV System Load Profile is Overinflated and How to Fix It The article below is a discussion from our course, Batteries in Solar PV Systems, led by Christopher LaForge. Christopher LaForge is the CEO of Great Northern Solar and a NABCEP certified photovoltaic installer. He has been designing, specifying, and installing systems… Continue reading “3 Reasons Your PV System Load Profile is Overinflated and How to Fix It”
Guide to Solar Water Heater Installation Best Practices In my work with many solar water heating manufacturers, designers and installers here in the upper Midwest I have compiled a list of best installation practices for solar water heating systems. This work is collaboration and is ongoing, so if… Continue reading “Guide to Solar Water Heater Installation Best Practices”
State-by-State Comparison of Geothermal Heat Pump Legislation I want to thank John Rhyner, Greg Mueller and LI Geo for putting together this report. If you’re new to legislation around renewable thermal technologies this article will provide you a great overview and direction for where you can get… Continue reading “State-by-State Comparison of Geothermal Heat Pump Legislation”