Passive Solar Home Design
Hot Water Heater
We had to design a solar water heater. This helped us learn about radiation, convection, and conduction. You pour water into a cup and the water goes through a copper tube and gets heated up. Our project could have been better since we didn't add insulation. Many other groups had good ideas such as cutting off the sides of the box so they wouldn't block the sunlight's path. Another group used a magnifying glass. We tried using insulation in a can but it was so strong that it crushed the bottle. We spray painted our copper tube black to absorb more heat. We also put clear plastic wrap and foil to work as a greenhouse effect.
Day Lighting Design
We designed a house and built a model out of cardboard to teach us about the angles of the sun during different times and seasons. Our house had a very simple design and had a lot of skylights. The skylights were very effective and helped get light into all the rooms. We also added light shelves and solar tubes to reflect in light.
North Window and Cold Frame Design
We had to come up with a way to get light into the north window on the solar house. Our idea was to make a solar tube come from the top of the roof to the top of the window. Under the window would be a light shelf that will reflect light in. We could have done better with our presentation since we didn't practice a lot. We should have also put more thought into our design. I thought we did a very good job on the calculations and the model. Over all our project went well, but still could be better.
We designed a cold frame for the San Marin garden. It is designed to keep the plants warm during the winter. It is like a mini greenhouse. I think we should have made the outside of the model black since that was the plan for the final one. Also, we should have made ours more unique since it seemed the same as everyone else's. We did well on the calculations and the final presentation. We did very well and the presentation went smoothly since we practiced.
Below is our cold frame and north window presentation.
We designed a cold frame for the San Marin garden. It is designed to keep the plants warm during the winter. It is like a mini greenhouse. I think we should have made the outside of the model black since that was the plan for the final one. Also, we should have made ours more unique since it seemed the same as everyone else's. We did well on the calculations and the final presentation. We did very well and the presentation went smoothly since we practiced.
Below is our cold frame and north window presentation.
Solar tube frame model (1/2 scale)
On its side
On its side
Solar tube frame model (1/2 scale)
Front view
Front view
Cold frame model (1/2 scale)
Front view
Front view
Reflection
I learned so much during this project, not just about sun angles and solar energy, but about being a leader. This was the first project that I took a leadership role in, by making the scale models. This project made me think about how I use energy and how other people do too. I learned about the different kinds of energy that are most useful and the kinds that are less effective. This knowledge will help me in the future and this was definitely one of my favorite projects.