Solar Energy and Hot Water Supply

Solar energy

Taking suns energy and harnessing it Hot day and the heat in the car Apply this to the house Why?

Free Renewable Co2 free

1m of solar panels =100 litres of oil for a year

Francis Bourke

Materials and Construction Ed.

Solar energy in Ireland

More solar energy in the south than the north Average of 1000 W/m per day in sunny weather Equivalent of 10 100watts bulbs lighting all day Ireland has more solar energy than Paris

Francis Bourke

Materials and Construction Ed.

Approaches to solar energy

Passive solar architecture

Relying on design feature in the building to provide up to 80% of heating requirements Converting sunlight into heat to heat space or water Using semiconductor technology to convert solar energy into electricity
Materials and Construction Ed. 4

Active solar heating

Solar photovoltaic systems

Francis Bourke

How to use passive solar energy to house

Solar architecture relies on simple and sensible principles to:

minimise heat losses from your house maximise free solar energy input during the winter provide adequate ventilation and day lighting use renewable energy to heat your house cost-effectively
Materials and Construction Ed. 5

Francis Bourke

Passive solar heating-(low energy)

Passive relies on very little energy purchased to heat the house Passive solar heating relies on

Collection Conservation Storage distribution

House heating bills goes on:

65% space heating 20% hot water Think of the cost

Francis Bourke

Materials and Construction Ed.

How to collect this solar heat

a glazing area of about 20% of the floor area, of which 50% should be south-facing; relatively large windows on the south-facing faade; smaller north-facing windows to avoid heat losses while providing good daylight; preferably vertical glazing as opposed to sloped glazing; preferably tall windows as they allow daylight penetrate further into a room; glazing materials which allow good light transmission and good insulating properties (high performance windows).

Francis Bourke

Materials and Construction Ed.

Passive heating- Winter

Francis Bourke

Materials and Construction Ed.

Passive heating- night time

Francis Bourke

Materials and Construction Ed.

How to collect this solar energy

Position of the house will give the house the most solar energy

South facingpreferably Between southwest and southeast is good Make use of the midday sun
Materials and Construction Ed. 10

Francis Bourke

How to make this work in a house

Cold bridging

Francis Bourke

Materials and Construction Ed.

11

Keep in the heat

Reduces heating costs. Use insulation-aim for a low U-value

Think of the all the layers of clothes and how it keeps you warm

Pay attention to-roof, walls, floors and windows Prevent cold bridging Prevent draughts
Materials and Construction Ed. 12

Francis Bourke

Insulation
Better quality insulation will require less thickness of insulation to achieve the same U value

Francis Bourke

Materials and Construction Ed.

13

Keeping the heat

Minimise surface to volume ratio by keeping the building compact; Reduce the surface area facing north and/or exposed to prevailing winds; Limit heat losses by insulating the building envelope and controlling ventilation and infiltration; Locate spaces with lower heat requirements (garage, corridors, bathrooms, kitchen, etc.) on the cold side of the building.

Francis Bourke

Materials and Construction Ed.

14

Keeping in the heat

Francis Bourke

Materials and Construction Ed.

15

Overheating

Uncomfort in the car in summer How combat it in the house

Ventilation-opening windows Shading windows

blinds (external preferably) eves roof projection overhangs deciduous trees

Francis Bourke

Materials and Construction Ed.

16

Natural ventilation and cooling

In a low-energy house, controlling

in the house can be as important as insulation to reduce heat losses

air infiltration draughts

Reducing ventilation rates and constructing tightly-sealed buildings can result in:

poor indoor air quality unhealthy conditions (mould, dust mites, etc.).

Francis Bourke

Materials and Construction Ed.

17

Ventilating the house

Trickle vents (Slot ventilators) in window frames provide sufficient ventilation for most rooms in winter Openings on different facades and widely distributed over any one faade will ensure that air flows will be well distributed in the building A wall mounted, automatically controlled, heat recovery ventilator can provide effective ventilation for a kitchen or bathroom Provide gas, oil or wood burning appliances with their own combustion air supply rather than drawing air from inhabited spaces

Francis Bourke

Materials and Construction Ed.

18

Heat recovery ventilation system

Francis Bourke

Materials and Construction Ed.

19

Advantages of a heat recovery ventilation system

Automatically controlled supply of fresh air 80% of the heat content of the exhaust air is recovered and supplied with the fresh air Can be fitted with filters to remove dusts and pollen inducing allergies and asthma Windows can be kept safely closed to avoid noise disturbance and risks of intrusion

Francis Bourke

Materials and Construction Ed.

20

Active solar heating

Collects the sun heat Uses suns heat to heat

Space Water (up to 60% of total requirement)

2 types of method to heat space water/space

Flat panel collectors Evacuated tube type collectors

Materials and Construction Ed. 21

Francis Bourke

Cost of solar panels

1999 figures

Francis Bourke

Materials and Construction Ed.

22

Solar panels flat plate

Absorber plates and flow tubes heated by solar energy Heats liquid in the flow tubes

Liquid = water + non toxic anti-freeze

Materials and Construction Ed. 23

Francis Bourke

Evacuated tube collector

Heat goes through an evacuated tube Acts as a flask to keep in the heat Liquid heats the header Has a fin design to attract more solar energy More efficient at higher temperatures

Francis Bourke

Materials and Construction Ed.

24

Evacuated tube collector

Francis Bourke

Materials and Construction Ed.

25

Solar water heating - how it works

A solar collector which absorbs solar radiation (sunlight) and changes it into heat; A pump which transfers the heat from the collector to hot water in a storage tank; The storage tank accumulates hot water produced by solar energy so that it can be used when it is needed; A number of accessories which ensure the regulation and the safety of the system; A back-up heater (gas or oil boiler, immersion heater, heat pump) which will bring the hot water to the temperature required when there is not enough sunlight to do so (mostly in winter).
Materials and Construction Ed. 26

Francis Bourke

Solar water heating - how it works

Solar panel act as second boiler Solar coil lower

Hot water rises

Less work for the boiler to heat water In summer boiler will run very little

Francis Bourke

Materials and Construction Ed.

27

Solar water heating - how it works

Francis Bourke

Materials and Construction Ed.

28

Solar hot water

Francis Bourke

Materials and Construction Ed.

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