Design and application of a photovoltaic powered domestic solar water heating system in Regina, SK., Canada

Canadians use an average of 75 Liters of hot water, per individual, at home every day for washing dishes and clothing, cleaning and personal hygiene. With the increasing cost of electricity, as well as the current and growing spate of environmental and climate change issues, the cost of heating domestic water that will meet this demand, through retail electricity, can add up quickly for the average family. This study presents a sustainable solution for domestic water heating — an indirect, non-pressurized, closed-loop with drainback tank domestic solar water heating system, driven by a photovoltaic-powered dc pump — which provides optimal techno-economic performance, reliability, availability, and maximized environmental performance. The analysis results of the proposed system show that the proposed system meets the performance criteria set for the project with annual savings of $744. The proposed system also demonstrates to be financially viable based on all key indicators assessed — NPV, IRR and yielding a simple payback period of approximately 12.8 years. A net annual GHG emission reduction of 3.1 tCO2/yr and cumulative net GHG reduction of 72 tCO2 over the duration of the project life is achieved, with a potential to even further improve both energy savings and emission reduction by up to 18% on an annual basis.