Solar Wave Energy, Inc31 Cambridge Terrace , Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States

Solar Wave Energy, Inc.  began as Solar Wave Construction in 1978 building site-built collectors and installing manufactured products. We installed and serviced most types and brands of equipment of that time. We installed hot water, space heat and pool systems. We installed active and passive systems, drain-back, closed loop, and air systems. In the mid 80s we built a line of flat-plate collectors, storage tanks and system kits for manufactured homes. Over the years we continued to service the various types of systems common to the New England climate. 30 plus years of climbing roofs and working in basements allows you to understand the pulse of a good or not so well running system. Following behind the plumbers who did not quite have the solar training they needed will teach you a lot. Solar thermal systems do not require rocket science, but like any mechanical system they need to be installed properly if you want them to work well.  To be fair to the plumbers, they are not a class of problems for solar hot water systems. The largest class of problem cases (including plumber, electricians and various home improvement contractors) is that people will endeavor to install a solar hot water system without proper training or knowledge. Back in the mid 70s the New England Fuel Institute offered solar training. Today there are many more trained installers. Today NABCEP certified is a good place to start. http://www.nabcep.org and there are many trade programs training students for both PV and solar thermal.  So, over the years we learned a lot about what works, what does not and how to test for it. Today while I could sit in a basement hearing a pump whirl or fluid gurgle through pipe while feeling the pipe surface temperature it is easier to do it from my office. The WEB has changed many jobs. My driving to sites is reduced and I can troubleshoot from my desk without needing to find that sunny day for a visit. If it is not sunny today I can look through the history and see how the system performs on all different type of days. I can adjust the controller settings that eliminate cycling and confirm operations knowing I am getting the most energy out of the panels. As grandmother said “use your head to save your feet” today you need to use your head and WEB based services to save the wheels of your truck from rolling. Service truck miles are expensive and we hope this service is a saving to you many miles of travel.

As part of our assessment in the early days we measured performance as well as we could, given the early digital technology. We bought our first data logger in 1975 and later built our own Advanced Energy Monitor in the early 2000s.  Today as data loggers are better and cheaper and controllers are smarter and loaded with data features, we have focused on turning that data in to more useful information. Today there is plenty of data flying around, so the challenge for us and others is to sift through all the data so we can deliver just what is important.  Today our product reduces that pile of data to just the status or production report, alarm or alert calling attention to an issue. When you get an alarm you can drill into the data but its easier.  We invite you to test-drive Thermal Grid Monitoring your system allows you to manage it. We provide tools to reduce downtime, increase performance, and assess value produced. We have 30+ years of experience in solar heating, and a team who understands monitoring from sensors to user-friendly presentations. While our customers are installers, we deliver information to both client and user. Owners can see their performance history, and servicers know if a failure occurs before the owner experiences any loss of service.

Our mission is to increase the efficiency of renewable energy technologies by monitoring energy both as it is produced and when it is consumed. We specialize in monitoring solar thermal systems providing tools for installers, system owners and program managers. When you have Solar Thermal and Photovoltaic systems we show both on a single page for easy management.

Plan with information, think before you start.

services  When a building owner investigates the feasibility of a major energy efficiency project or a solar heating system they want to plan for the best solution. Fuel bills, occupancy records and ASHREA tables provide information for an educated guess about sizing the scale of improvements. Energy efficiency and solar thermal systems can provide great cost effective investments, but can only reduce the load your building uses.

If you dont know that load before you start, find out.

• Monitoring the load can provide engineers and designers real usage patterns to size and operate equipment efficiently.
• Measuring your load provides information to engineer appropriate systems and manage your energy budget.
• Measure Water usage in detail to understand where the fuel and money goes.
• Measuring water temperatures in and out of the building along with boiler operation and efficiency provides system benchmark to design and evaluate energy improvements.

If your energy expenses are high enough to matter, monitoring matters.

• Verify both quantity of energy used, and how it is used.
• Verify feasibility of proposals from contractors.
• Assess benefits and actual return on investment

Tools to keep solar thermal systems working efficiency

• Technician can see current and historic data of all sensors and monitored devices.
• Commissioning new systems can be performed remotely so you do not need to be on-site for those perfect weather days. Remote commissioning can include a longer length of time without constant onsite staff.
• Thermal-Grid DL2 allows installers to fine tune controller setting remotely.
• Alarms alert technicians of irregularity before they become a problem
• Historic data allows service person to investigate and find cause of incident.
• Managers can oversee quality of installations
• Monthly “Health Reports” provide a status of production, contribution, displaced energy and other indicators being measured.