Solar Improvements for Increased Energy Efficiency and Lower Carbon Emissions
On May 2, BRIGHTSMITH Coaters in Morrisville, Pennsylvania, had a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the installation of InSpire HP solar air-heating metal wall panels and a rooftop solar photovoltaic array on their building. BRIGHTSMITH is a state-of-the-art coil coating and post-painting company. Their post-painting facility is in Trenton, New Jersey. The ribbon-cutting was attended by Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick, the Falls Township Police Department and members of the executive committee of the Lower Bucks County Chamber of Commerce, along with many BRIGHTSMITH customers and employees.
A total of 27,000 square feet of InSpire HP solar air-heating panels (manufactured by ATAS) were installed on the south-facing wall of the building. The high-performing panels were mounted a few inches from the building’s outer wall. The precision perforations in the wall panels allow outside air to travel through the face of the panel. Solar-heated air at the surface of the panel is drawn through the perforations, where it rises between the newly created plenum and enters the building’s central ventilation system or supply fan. InSpire HP utilizes a unique selective surface that has high solar absorption and low emittance ratings, which makes the system even more effective than traditional InSpire panels, which have a 70 percent PVDF painted finish. The Select Blue color of InSpire HP was chosen by BRIGHTSMITH for their building. The system also shades the building structure in the summer months, thereby reducing internal temperatures of the building.