Connecting Technologies with Applications

The interactive diagram below shows nine different renewable heating and cooling (RHC) technologies and five common end uses or applications. The diagram has been arranged by approximate “working temperature” range, so you can see which technologies align well with certain end-use applications. Clicking any of the shaded shapes in the graphic will take you to a new Web page where you can learn more about a specific technology or application. Use the tabs at the top to show just the technologies or just the applications.

View a text version of this diagram ►

Understanding the Diagram

The diagram above shows technologies and applications in terms of their “working temperature,” which is the required temperature of the water or heat transfer fluid within the renewable heating/cooling system that is needed to drive a given heating or cooling process. That is, working temperature is not necessarily the same as the final temperature of the product (e.g., the air or water that is ultimately being heated). For example, some commercial space heating systems require a working temperature of 100–200°F, even if the system is only heating the building to around 70°F.

One should interpret the diagram’s working temperature ranges as approximations, as the exact working temperature requirements for a particular building’s heating or cooling system will depend on factors such as system type, size, and location. The working temperature that a particular renewable technology can supply will also depend on location-specific factors. For example, the amount of heat that a flat-plate solar system can supply will depend on how much sunlight it receives, and at what angle.