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A Deep Dive into Passive Solar Technology

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Passive solar design harnesses the natural warmth of sunlight to regulate the temperature inside buildings, offering both heating and cooling benefits. Do you want to know what is passive solar energy? When sunlight hits a structure, the materials comprising it can either reflect, transmit, or absorb the passive solar energy. This interaction results in heat generation and the initiation of air movement within the space can be predicted and used through thoughtful design. Unlike active solar heating systems, which rely on complex machinery like pumps, fans, and electrical controls, passive solar energy systems operate simply, without extensive mechanical or electrical intervention.

Diving into the Basics of Passive Solar Design

In a nutshell, passive solar heating design incorporates five key elements-

Aperture/Collector: It’s a large glass area strategically positioned to let sunlight flood into the building. For optimal performance, it should face within 30 degrees of the actual south and remain unshaded by buildings or trees during summers from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. regularly.

Absorber: This soaks up the sunlight like a sponge in the passive solar heating system. Usually, it’s a dark surface like a masonry wall, floor, or water container directly in the path of the sun’s rays. When sunlight hits the surface it is absorbed as heat.

Thermal Mass: Picture this as the heat reservoir, when the absorber is out in the open the material used behind and below the surface is the thermal mass.

Distribution: In a strictly passive solar setup, the heat moves naturally through conduction, convection, and radiation. But sometimes, a little help is needed, like fans, ducts, or blowers to spread the warmth to different areas of the house.

Control: Roof overhangs, for example, act as shades to prevent overheating in the summer. Other gadgets like differential thermostats, operable vents, and awnings help fine-tune the temperature, keeping things comfortable year-round.

Understanding How Passive Solar Heating Works

Curious about, “what is passive solar heating”? Passive solar technologies trap the sun’s warmth in the building and let it out when needed, all while keeping things cozy inside. The main players in this game are thermal mass and the south-facing glass. They soak up, hold onto, and spread that heat around. And there’s more than one way to make it happen—plenty of approaches to choose from when implementing these elements.

Passive Solar System and Indirect Gain

The thermal mass is kept in between the sun and your living space. It sits right behind the glass, soaking up sunlight and passing it along to you through conduction. With the indirect gain system about 30-45% of the sun’s energy that hits the glass is used.

Let’s talk Trombe walls—the common passive solar heat system for indirect gain. A sturdy masonry wall, about 6-18 inches thick, is tucked behind the south-facing windows, mounted 1 inch or less of the wall. The wall’s dark surface catches the sunlight, for later distribution. The stored heat enters your home, keeping things cozy even after sunset. Your living spaces are warmed through operable vents at the top and bottom of the wall. These vents are tightly shut at night, while the walls warm the living area.

Direct Gain from Passive Solar

Picture your living space as a passive solar technology for generating energy. It’s not just where you hang out, it’s also a heat magnet, absorber, and distributor. Sunlight floods in through south-facing windows, warming up the masonry walls and floors. These dark-colored materials, soak up the heat during the day and release it into the rooms at night. 

You can even use water containers to conserve extra warmth, though they need sturdy support to keep them in place. This direct gain system uses 60-75% of the sun’s energy. But to make it work properly, you need to insulate the thermal mass from the cool air outside, or else you’ll lose that heat in no time.

Exploring Passive Solar Cooling Functionalities

You might be wondering, what is passive solar cooling? Passive solar cooling is all about keeping things chill without cranking up the AC. Blocking out excess heat during the day will allow natural airflow. By harnessing the coolness of the night, these systems keep your space comfortable without relying on machines. Simple solutions like window shades, shady trees, thermal mass, and good old-fashioned cross-ventilation are a part of passive solar cooling methods. 

Adding Ventilation

Natural ventilation allows you to keep the same temperature outside. In spots with daytime breezes, opening windows on opposite sides of your home lets the air flow through, cooling things down naturally. To make the most of those breezes, position windows to catch them head-on and on the opposite walls. You can even boost airflow with wing walls—those vertical panels placed between windows create a kind of wind tunnel effect.

Increasing Shade

In summer, use shades on your windows. Overhangs, awnings, shutters, and trellises are your best friends here, blocking out those scorching sun rays. Aim for an awning that covers half your window’s height on south-facing windows—this keeps things shady in summer but still lets in that warm winter sunlight.

Now, for those east and west-facing windows, things are complicated. Since the sun hangs low during sunrise and sunset, overhangs aren’t as effective. Use ample plants to keep these windows cooler so that the heat can’t penetrate. 

Convective Passive Solar Cooling

At night, when it’s cooler outside, convective cooling brings that freshness in and kicks the hot air out. To utilize the night breeze, open up high vents on the leeward side (away from the wind) to let that toasty air escape, while low vents on the windward side (facing the wind) welcome in the cool night air.

But what if there is no breeze? In this case, thermal chimneys can be used to let the hot air rise. By creating a hot spot inside (maybe with some help from the sun), and setting up high vents for the hot air to escape, we create a natural suction that draws in cooler air through low vents.

There are plenty of ways to create this effect, such as adding a south-facing sunroom with vents at the top. This draws warm air from your living space, sending it up and out through the sunroom vents, while cooler air sneaks in through lower vents. Just remember to keep those upper vents closed and the sunroom’s thermal mass shaded for maximum effect.

Using Thermal Mass

When it’s sweltering outside, the thermal mass steps in to soak up excess heat, keeping things inside nice and comfortable. Then, when the sun sets and the air cools down, ventilation helps chill out the thermal mass, getting it prepped for another day of heat absorption. The thermal mass isn’t just for summer, it also can be used during winter for warmth. 

 

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Shivam Punjabi
Shivam Punjabi

October 5, 2023

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