In Brief

SHC Leads Workshop at the ISES World Congress

In September 1995, four Executive Committee members and Task Operating Agents planned and led a successful workshop on passive and active solar energy at the ISES conference in Harare, Zimbabwe. One reason the workshop was such a success is that the agenda was based on the interests of workshop participants. During the early planning stages, workshop organizers asked perspective participants what they would be interested in discussing. Based on their input, a program was developed that examined the effects of climate and building strategies on the performance of buildings, as well as the potential impacts of solar thermal and photovoltaic technologies on that performance. A local architect, Mr. Pearce, joined the SHC panelists to discuss the building he had designed in downtown Harare. The building, which is unique to the city because it uses natural ventilation for cooling, served as a vehicle for discussion. The local architects and researchers who attended the workshop look forward to hearing more about the activities of the SHC Program.

Task Planned on Optimizing Solar Energy Use in Large Buildings

Early discussions are underway on a new Task which will focus on buildings as well as technology. This new Task plans to build on the successes of Task 13 in innovative solar technology to minimize energy use in residential buildings. The new Task, however, will concentrate on large scale, urban buildings and ways to optimize the combined use of different energy conservation and efficiency technologies. To reduce energy consumption in a building, it is necessary to combine different systems -- energy conservation, daylighting, passive solar, active solar, and photovoltaics -- which requires making trade-offs. A goal of the Task will be to develop a methodology for performing trade-off analyses to optimize energy use. The Task also plans to address the non-energy issues involved in designing and constructing a sustainable building, such as waste management, building siting, construction material, and environmental impacts.