DISCOVER YOUR REASONOff-grid adventures |
Thomas G.
East Kootenay, BC
Solar thermal │ Off-grid │ Roof mount │ Domestic water heating │ Space heating
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In the past, if you had a remote off-grid lodge in the middle of a mountain range then you'd have to choose between paying through the nose to ship in fossil fuels with a helicopter, or learning to enjoy cold showers. But Thomas, former Olympic alpine skier and owner of Talus Lodge, wanted to do things differently. Ever the adventurer and trailblazer, he set out to bring free and clean hot water to where it had never been before.
Due to the remoteness of the lodge, the plumbers Thomas contracted to install the system had to spent their first day hiking through the Rockies to reach the lodge. Luckily they didn't have to carry the four collector FREEDOM WON system with them; that was helicoptered in. Now, after a long day of hiking or skiing, the lodge's guests can rejuvenate with hot showers courtesy of the sun, before preparing for their next adventure. Meanwhile Thomas enjoys not paying the exorbitant cost of getting fossil fuels into the heart of the Rockies, and doing his part to keep this special part of the world pristine. |
Installation date: August 2020 "We were motivated to transistion to net zero emission systems" |
See how Thomas uses his FREEDOM WON system
The four collector FREEDOM WON system generates approximately 30 kWh of heat energy per day, enough to heat 500 L of water to 40 °C, which gets transferred to a solar tank. Once in the solar tank the heat is stored until hot water is needed for domestic hot water purposes such as cooking, cleaning, and bathing. When the tank is fully heated, excess heat can be used to heat the lodge via hydronic baseboard space heaters. A wood stove is used for backup heating.
The evacuated tube collectors insulate the system form the harsh mountain winters, minimizing heat loss, and their tubular design prevents the buildup of snow on the collectors and protects them from hail. Our patented FREEDOM WON technology ensures reliable, automated operation with no regular maintenance, and is fully off-grid, requiring no external power source.
The evacuated tube collectors insulate the system form the harsh mountain winters, minimizing heat loss, and their tubular design prevents the buildup of snow on the collectors and protects them from hail. Our patented FREEDOM WON technology ensures reliable, automated operation with no regular maintenance, and is fully off-grid, requiring no external power source.
