Commercial Solar Thermal Projects
Selected solar thermal systems designed and built by Maktinta for high rise, multifamily, senior housing, and affordable housing properties across California.
Each system is engineered around actual hot water demand, storage requirements, collector area, building infrastructure, and long term operating conditions.
Solar Thermal Across Different Building Types
The right solar thermal system changes with the building.
A 60 story residential tower has different storage, pressure, mechanical, and roof constraints than a senior housing facility or a 300 unit apartment complex.
Maktinta designs each project around the actual thermal load, operating schedule, available collector area, storage requirements, and existing mechanical infrastructure.
That is why the systems shown here vary significantly in collector type, storage volume, thermal output, and integration strategy.
399 Fremont
High Rise Solar Thermal
San Francisco, California
Maktinta designed and built a large scale solar thermal system for a 60 story residential high rise in San Francisco.
The system uses 2,400 evacuated tube solar collectors to produce more than 6 MBTU of thermal energy per day for domestic hot water.
The project required solar thermal to be integrated into a dense urban high rise where roof area, mechanical coordination, storage, and reliable hot water delivery all had to be considered together.
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2,400 Evacuated tube collectors
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6+ MBTU per day Thermal production
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60 stories High rise application
Trade Winds Apartments
300 Unit Solar Thermal System
San Jose, California
Maktinta designed and installed a commercial solar thermal system serving domestic hot water demand across a 300 unit apartment complex.
The system combines 275 flat plate collectors with 15,000 gallons of thermal storage and produces approximately 11 MBTU of thermal energy per day.
After 15 years of operation without major issues, the project also demonstrates the long term reliability possible when the collector field, storage, pumping, and controls are engineered as one system.
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275 Flat plate collectors
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15,000 gallons Thermal storage
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11 MBTU per day Thermal production
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Add one extra callout if the layout allows:
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15 years Operating without major issues
555 Bartlett
Multifamily Solar Thermal and Space Heating
San Francisco, California
Maktinta designed and installed a solar thermal system for a 60 unit apartment building in San Francisco.
The system uses 24 large flat plate collectors and 2,500 gallons of thermal storage to provide both domestic hot water and space heating.
The project has operated for more than a decade, demonstrating how solar thermal can support multiple building heat loads through one integrated system.
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24 Flat plate collectors
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2,500 gallons Thermal storage
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60 units Multifamily property
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12+ years Continuous operation
Stevenson House
Senior Housing Solar Thermal
Palo Alto, California
Maktinta designed a solar thermal system for an affordable senior housing facility with 120 residential units.
The system uses 72 large flat plate collectors and 5,000 gallons of thermal storage to provide domestic hot water and space heating.
With approximately 2.9 MMBTU of daily thermal production, the system was designed around the consistent heating demands of a large residential facility.
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72 Flat plate collectors
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5,000 gallons Thermal storage
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2.9 MMBTU per day Thermal production
BP Oil Industrial Complex
750 kWp Solar PV
Richmond, California
Maktinta engineered and delivered a 750 kWp solar PV system at the BP Oil industrial complex at the Port of Richmond.
The project began with a roof replacement to establish a reliable structural foundation for the solar installation.
Construction then had to be coordinated around an active industrial facility with continuous truck and forklift traffic, restricted access, and extensive port security requirements.
The system was completed in September 2023 and is estimated to generate approximately 1.16 million kWh of electricity annually.
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750 kWp Solar PV capacity
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1.16 million kWh Estimated annual generation
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Active industrial site Installation completed around ongoing facility operations
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Approximately 427 tons of annual CO₂ reduction
Oakley Senior Home
120 Unit Solar Thermal System
Oakley, California
Maktinta designed and installed a commercial solar thermal system serving 120 one bedroom apartments at an affordable senior housing facility.
The system combines 36 flat plate solar collectors with 2,500 gallons of thermal storage and produces approximately 1.5 MMBTU of thermal energy per day.
The system supplies both domestic hot water and space heating while reducing the building's reliance on conventional heating equipment.
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36 Flat plate collectors
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2,500 gallons Thermal storage
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1.5 MMBTU per day Thermal production
L.A Affordable Housing
Solar Hot Water Retrofit
Los Angeles, California
Maktinta designed and installed a 24 collector solar thermal system with 1,500 gallons of insulated storage for an affordable housing property in Los Angeles County.
The system was engineered around high daily hot water demand and uses Maktinta's TEK solar energy controller to adjust pump operation based on real time temperature differential and tank demand.
The completed system provides approximately 1,500 gallons of solar heated water per day and is reported to save more than $12,000 annually in energy costs.
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24 Solar thermal collectors
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1,500 gallons Thermal storage
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$12,000+ annually Reported energy savings
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1,500 gallons per day Solar hot water production
