New Publications

Photovoltaics in Buildings: A Design Handbook for Architects and Engineers

This handbook presents the results of six years of work by SHC Task 16, Photovoltaics in Buildings. Architects and photovoltaic experts from 13 countries joined together to address the wide range of engineering and architectural issues involved in the successful integration of PV into buildings. The knowledge gained from design and monitoring of the Task 16 PV demonstration buildings, as well as other Task work, served as the basis for this thorough design guide. Topics covered include PV components, architectural integration, system design, and installation and maintenance.

The handbook is designed to help building designers integrate photovoltaic systems in an architecturally appealing and energy-efficient manner. Architects and engineers in the field of photovoltaics, both new and experienced, will find this book useful. In addition to being a "how to" guide, this book covers recent achievements and advances being made in photovoltaics.

• Photovoltaics in Buildings: A Design Handbook for Architects and Engineers.
  F. Sick and T. Erge, Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems, editors.
  James & James (Science Publishers) 1996.
  

Copies may be ordered from James & James, Waterside House 47, Kentish Town Road, London NW1 8NX, UK. Fax: +44/171-284-3737. Cost: £50.00.

Component and System Testing

As part of SHC Task 13, tests were conducted on innovative techniques (components and systems) for solar low energy buildings. This report describes the experimental investigations conducted at indoor and outdoor laboratory facilities. The majority of the investigations focused on the use of transparent (translucent) insulation materials in buildings and systems, on walls, in windows or shutters, and in solar collectors. The other investigations dealt with passive/hybrid solar wall systems (dynamic insulation and windows/walls with movable insulation) and an innovative solar collector that also functions as a moveable shading device. As a result of these investigations, some applications were included in final building designs while others proved not to be technically or economically viable.

• Component and System Testing.
  B. Saxhof, editor.
  

Copies may be ordered from Thermal Insulation Laboratory, Technical University of Denmark, Building 118, DK-2800, Lyngby, Denmark. Fax +45/45-93-17-55. Cost: DKK 225 plus VAT and postage.

Solar Energy Houses: Strategies, Technologies, Examples

The fifteen solar low energy houses presented in this book were built as part of the collaboration in SHC Task 13, Advanced Solar Low Energy Buildings. These houses demonstrate that it is possible to reduce the total energy consumption to a small fraction of today's levels. The average total energy consumption for the Task houses is 44 kWh/m2 per year, only about 25% of the typical consumption. The lowest consumption achieved was 15 kWh/m2 in a German building which uses seasonal storage to eliminate the need for space heating energy. To encourage innovation and the use of new technologies, cost-effectiveness was only a long-range goal (after the year 2000). Therefore, the materials, components, systems and concepts considered did not need to be economical or available on the mass market. However, most building designers were required to consider cost by the builders.

The book is divided into three parts. The first part summarizes the overall strategies used to reach the very low energy consumption targets of the Task. The second part describes the twelve major technologies selected and how they were used in the Task 13 buildings. The third part of the book describes in detail the fifteen houses from concept and design to construction and monitoring results.

These Task 13 houses are a most remarkable group offering many instructive lessons for designers working in any country.

• Solar Energy Houses: Strategies, Technologies, Examples.
  A.G. Hestnes, R. Hastings, B. Saxhof, editors.
  James & James (Science Publishers) Ltd., 1996.
  

Copies may be ordered from James & James, Waterside House 47, Kentish Town Road, London NW1 8NX, UK. Fax: +44/ 171-284-3737. Cost £43 plus shipping.

Atrium Models for the Analysis of Thermal Comfort and Energy Use

Atria have become fashionable in commercial and institutional building design and we now see them frequently. However, if improperly designed these large areas of glazed surfaces can negatively impact the overall energy performance of the building. The effective design of an atrium requires an understanding of various thermal and luminous interactions, and an ability to assess the influence of various design configurations.

This report of SHC Task 12, Building Energy Analysis and Design Tools for Solar Applications, describes models for thermal comfort and energy consumption in atria. The models include infiltration and natural ventilation, stratification, air flow patterns, surface film coefficients and solar radiation. These models, which have not yet been included in many of the commonly used building energy simulation tools, were integrated into different computer programs often used in the design phase of atria and other more conventional buildings. These new and improved models have made computer programs more reliable and accurate.

• Atrium Models for the Analysis of Thermal Comfort and Energy Use
  I. Bryn and P. A. Schiefloe, editors.
  March 1996.
  

Copies may be ordered from SINTEF Energy, Indoor Environmental Technology, N-7034 Trondheim, Norway. Fax: +47/73-59-31-86. Cost: NOK 400.