Solar Water Heaters

Butler Sun Solutions, Inc. (BSSI) was founded in 2002 by Dr. Barry Butler upon his retirement from Science Applications International Corporation to commercialize his patented solar hot water systems and develop and commercialize other solar thermal products and devices, such as heliostats and dishes that SAIC had developed but were not ready for commercialization. BSSI has grown in revenue from $50K to about $400K with about half coming from contract research and half from product sales.

Company History

Dr. Butler has been developing solar hot water products since 1986. He patented the "Solar Wand", which is a double-walled heat exchanger that mounts into an existing hot water tank to convert it to a solar tank. Solar Wand sales have grown annually, and we now have over 4,500 wand years of performance data on wands in our customers’ hot water tanks.

• 2002: Began Selling Solar Hot Water Systems and Components
• 2004: Began Solar Desalination Engineering for VARI-RO, Inc.
• 2008: Received patent for Solar Wand Heat Exchanger
  • Contracted with Diversified Solar LLC to Invent and Prototype a 15 m2 Transportable Solar Thermal Dish
• 2009: Began Solar Installer Training Classes and Moved to New Facility
• 2010: Contracted with Planetary Power to Develop and Prototype a 260 m2 Dish Concentrator
  • Silicon Solar began selling the ButlerMaxx™ Solar Hot Water System in their Catalog
• 2011:  Received patent for SPOC (Self-Pressurizing Overtemperature Capsule)

BSSI has had no SBIR’s from any government agency since its inception. We are currently interested in developing some very cost-effective solar products that could be produced and commercialized for the government. We have about 4,000 square feet of high bay manufacturing areas, with cranes and fork lifts. We have about 3,200 square feet of low bay and offices. We also have a 15,000 square foot solar test park which is fenced and includes instrumentation for testing solar systems.

Company Projects

The Solar Six Pack The company manufactures, markets and sells the Solar Six Pack™ solar hot water retrofit system. It also manufactures Solar Wands and the balance of system components including over-temperature protection devices and pump boxes. The solar hot water business has seen slow but steady growth, with product innovation leading to improved performance and lower-cost systems. The market for these components and systems continues to develop and expand.

Our Utah Dealer Greg Aldred installed this Solar Six Pack in January, 2011

BSSI Prototype Energy Meter for Solar Hot Water   Davis Instruments PV insolation gauge Energy Meters For Solar Hot Water Systems: 2004-Present BSSI is developing a patentable controller for measuring the solar energy delivery from solar collectors to the hot water tank. It is a microprocessor-based controller that measures the temperatures into and out of the solar heat exchanger and the fluid flow rate in the collector loop. This allows thermal power and energy (BTU/h or kW, BTU or kWh) to be measured and displayed. If the solar insolation is known, the system performance can be measured and efficiency determined. Many states now offer Renewable Energy Credits (RECs), which pay for pollution avoided.  To be eligible for these credits one must have proof of solar energy delivered. We have a strong demand for these meters already, and expect to have them on the market in 2011, once testing is complete.