Asheville, N.C.-based renewable energy firm SolTherm has completed the installation of a solar hot water system at the Henderson County Detention Center, a 543-occupant detention facility in North Carolina.
The solar hot water system, installed in December 2011, consists of 32 collector panels. The water is stored in an insulated tank and is used as needed throughout the day for laundry, showering and kitchen preparation, SolTherm says.
Henderson County was able to install this system with a $71,419 grant from the North Carolina State Energy Office as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. With the combination of the grant money and SolTherm's NoCapEx program, the facility completed installation with no up-front cost, SolTherm adds.
SolTherm is responsible for all operations and maintenance of the system, and monitors all processes via a remote Web-based system.
