Passive solar design techniques are becoming increasingly important in building design. This design reference book takes the building engineer or physicist step-by-step through the thermal analysis and design of passive solar buildings. In particular it emphasises two important topics: the maximum utilization of available solar energy and thermal storage, and the sizing of an appropriate auxiliary heating/cooling system in conjunction with good thermal control. Thermal Analysis and Design of Passive Solar Buildings is an important contribution towards the optimization of buildings as systems that act as natural filters between the indoor and outdoor environments, while maximizing the utilization of solar energy. As such it will be an essential source of information to engineers, architects, HVAC engineers and building physicists.

Following a rapid increase in the use of air conditioning in buildings of all types, the energy demand for powering such devices has become a significant cause for concern. Passive cooling is increasingly being thought of as the best alternative to air conditioning. This book offers the latest knowledge and techniques on passive cooling, enabling building professionals to understand the state of the art and employ relevant new strategies. With separate chapters on comfort, urban microclimate, solar control, ventilation, ground cooling and evaporative and radiative cooling, this authoritative text will also be invaluable for architects, engineers and students working on building physics and low-energy design. Advances in Passive Cooling is part of the BEST series, edited by Mat Santamouris. The aim of the series is to present the most current, high quality theoretical and application oriented material in the field of solar energy and energy efficient buildings. Leading international experts cover the strategies and technologies that form the basis of high-performance, sustainable buildings, crucial to enhancing our built and urban environment.

New buildings can be designed to be solar oriented, naturally heated and cooled, naturally lit and ventilated, and made with renewable, sustainable materials—no matter the location or climate. In this comprehensive overview of passive solar design, two of America’s solar pioneers give homeowners, architects, designers, and builders the keys to successfully harnessing the sun and maximizing climate resources for heating, cooling, ventilation, and daylighting. Bainbridge and Haggard draw upon examples from their own experiences, as well as those of others, of more than three decades to offer both overarching principles as well as the details and formulas needed to successfully design a more comfortable, healthy, and secure place in which to live, laugh, dance, and be comfortable. Even if the power goes off. Passive Solar Architecture also discusses “greener” and more-sustainable building materials and how to use them, and explores the historical roots of green design that have made possible buildings that produce more energy and other resources than they use.

While heat from sunlight and ventilation from breezes is free for the taking, few modern architects or builders really understand the principles involved. Yet "natural conditioning"--Heating and cooling with passive solar techniques -- is a viable alternative to fossil fuels. Acknowledging the good intentions of misguided solar designers in the past, the author highlights certain egregious errors and shows how to avoid them. The author shows how to select a cost-effective, energy-efficient, and environmentally friendly backup heating system; how to preserve indoor air quality in an airtight, energy-efficient home; and ways of employing green building materials in a naturally conditioned home.

"This book is aimed at graduate students and researchers in civil engineering, solar energy, renewable energy, architecture"--

Passive solar design refers to design strategies that minimize or eliminate the need to heat or cool a building mechanically. This sourcebook of details, drawings and case studies of passive solar buildings throughout the U.S. provides is a complete guide to passive solar design and construction.

Advances in Solar Heating and Cooling presents new information on the growing concerns about climate change, the security of energy supplies, and the ongoing interest in replacing fossil fuels with renewable energy sources. The amount of energy used for heating and cooling is very significant, estimated, for example, as half of final energy consumption in Europe. Solar thermal installations have the potential to meet a large proportion of the heating and cooling needs of both buildings and industry and the number of solar thermal installations is increasing rapidly. This book provides an authoritative review of the latest research in solar heating and cooling technologies and applications. - Provides researchers in academia and industry with an authoritative overview of heating and cooling for buildings and industry in one convenient volume - Part III, 'Solar cooling technologies' is contributed by authors from Shanghai Jiao Tong University, which is a world-leader in this area - Covers advanced applications from zero-energy buildings, through industrial process heat to district heating and cooling

Sunshine may be abundant and free, but converting it into a usable form of energy is expensive. Investment decisions, funding of research and development, and commercial applications all rely on economic analysis. This book reviews the spectrum of economic methods that have been developed from the mid-1970s to the mid-1980s to analyze the feasibility of solar systems and shows how the use of these techniques has influenced federally sponsored research, development, and demonstration programs. There is a strong emphasis on the use of methods and modeling in studying policy alternatives. The book also reviews applications analysis, net energy analysis, and cost requirements for active and passive heating and cooling, for electric power generation, and for industrial process heat. The change in the costs of solar systems over time is one indication of program success, and the book includes a useful summary of the cost histories of various solar programs.

PCM Enhanced Building Envelopes presents the latest research in the field of thermal energy storage technologies that can be applied to solar heating and cooling with the aim of shifting and reducing building energy demand. It discusses both practical and technical issues, as well as the advantages of using common phase change materials (PCMs) in buildings as a more efficient, novel solution for passive solar heating/cooling strategies. The book includes qualitative and quantitative descriptions of the science, technology and practices of PCM-based building envelopes, and reflects recent trends by placing emphasis on energy storage solutions within building walls, floors, ceilings, façades, windows, and shading devices. With the aim of assessing buildings’ energy performance, the book provides advanced modeling and simulation tools as a theoretical basis for the analysis of PCM-based building envelopes in terms of heat storage and transfer. This book will be of interest to all those dealing with building energy analysis such as researchers, academics, students and professionals in the fields of mechanical and civil engineering and architectural design