DESERT HOT SPRINGS, CALIF.—Aqua Soleil Hotel in Desert Hot Springs, well known for its hot mineral spas and pool, can now boast hot water of a different kind. Its new solar thermal hot water and pool heating system, designed to supply 80 percent of the hotel’s annual hot water demand, is one of the largest solar thermal installations in Coachella Valley. The solar system was installed by SunUp Energy, based in Coachella Valley, and features Austrian made Kioto flat plate solar collectors supplied through California Solar Thermal Inc.
“We knew solar would be a great fit for Aqua Soleil when the hotel hosted Earth Day last year,” said Ward Riggins, one of the organizers of Coachella Valley’s Earth Day event who also served as a sales consultant on SunUp Energy’s team.
Two separate solar systems are utilized: a 32-solar-collector array that heats 1,550 gallons of water daily for domestic hot water usage and thirty-two 4′ X 12′ panels that heat a 1,200 square foot mineral pool. A web-based monitoring system collects data continuously and system performance can be read 24/7 with reports on hourly, weekly and monthly performance.
“We are able to closely monitor the system’s performance from our offices in La Quinta,” said SunUp Energy’s president Rick Rothman. “When consumers think of solar energy, what typically comes to mind is photovoltaic. Although our company provides solar PV as well, we are extremely pleased to be specialists in solar thermal systems with more than 30 years of solar hydronic experience. Hotels like Aqua Soleil, as well as apartment complexes, can supply 80 percent of their hot water demand and enjoy payback periods typically of two to four years.”
“Aqua Soleil’s solar pool system will deliver approximately 50 percent of the energy to maintain 89 degrees year-round,” Rothman explained. “We completely reengineered their conventional pool equipment, replacing two inefficient pool pumps and filters with one energy-efficient pool pump and one high-efficiency filter. In addition, we replaced a pool heater that was operating at about 40 percent efficiency with a new one that operates at 80 percent efficiency. The solar pool system and equipment upgrades will pay for themselves in approximately 3.5 years.”
Go to SunUp Energy and California Solar Thermal Inc.
