Solar heated building designs for cloudy winters
First Claim
1. A solar heated building having a roof, with more than half of the area of said roof comprising a solar collector, said solar collector comprising therein a sequence of layers from the top, that is, above, to the bottom, that is, below, including:
- a layer of transparent glazing;
a layer of transparent insulation having a top and a bottom side and having a thermal conductivity of less than 0.25 BTU/sq. ft/°
F./hr, and with a solar energy transmission of greater than 40%; and
a layer of optical shutter material with no liquid or gas moving fluid and no macroscopic moving parts, having a transmissive and a non-transmissive state, and located on one of said sides of said transparent insulation layer;
wherein said optical shutter allows solar energy transmission three or more times greater in its transmissive state than in its non-transmissive state.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A building including high efficiency transparent insulation and optical shutter solar collector (HETIOSSC) to effectively control heat loss and gain in a passively-solar climate control system. HETIOSSC includes a layer of protective glazing, a transparent insulation, an optical shutter, an optional solar radiation absorbing material and optional heat storage elements. When the building and its heat storage are too warm, the optical shutter layer becomes opaque to prevent overheating. During cloudy and cold winter days, HETIOSSC still has a solar transmission and insulation efficiency great enough to collect sufficient sunlight for heating. Location of HETIOSSC on the roof, rather than the walls, does not alter shape and orientation of a building.
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Citations
26 Claims
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1. A solar heated building having a roof, with more than half of the area of said roof comprising a solar collector, said solar collector comprising therein a sequence of layers from the top, that is, above, to the bottom, that is, below, including:
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a layer of transparent glazing; a layer of transparent insulation having a top and a bottom side and having a thermal conductivity of less than 0.25 BTU/sq. ft/°
F./hr, and with a solar energy transmission of greater than 40%; anda layer of optical shutter material with no liquid or gas moving fluid and no macroscopic moving parts, having a transmissive and a non-transmissive state, and located on one of said sides of said transparent insulation layer; wherein said optical shutter allows solar energy transmission three or more times greater in its transmissive state than in its non-transmissive state. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26)
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Specification