Solar Energy: Technologies and Project Delivery for Buildings

Book Preface

PREFACE

In this book I draw upon thirty years of experience in solar energy engineering to prepare the practicing engineer to deliver solar energy systems in their projects. I try to include between the covers of this book all of the information specifi c to solar energy needed to supplement the general project delivery process of a mechanical, electrical, or plumbing engineering company. When used with conventional design processes, codes, and standards, this book enables a design professional to include photovoltaics, solar water heating, solar ventilation air preheating, and passive solar heating features in the design of buildings. As associate editor of the Journal of Solar Energy Engineering and more recently as technical and general program chair for the ASME Energy Sustainability Conference in 2009 and 2011, I have studied a lot of literature on the topic of solar energy engineering. I’ve tried to limit the material in this book to only the information that the practicing engineer needs to incorporate solar energy measures into building energy systems. The first chapter is an introduction to the process by which solar projects are delivered and issues to think about when integrating the intermittent solar resource into the conventional energy systems of a building. The topics covered in the subsequent chapters of this book include the quantity, timing, and quality of the solar resource and descriptions of technology and applications specific to photovoltaics; solar water heating; solar ventilation air preheating; passive solar heating, and cooling load avoidance. Many practical examples have been included. Each chapter covers the operating principle of the technology, the major components and how they are arranged in systems, simple calculations of system cost and performance, recommended software for more detailed design and analysis, sample procurement specifi cations, and case studies of each technology deployed in different applications. Example calculations are included in each section. Each chapter ends with case studies specifi c to the technology of that chapter, and the book includes a special chapter in color that highlights the features of three solar buildings in more detailed, multi-disciplinary case studies. The intent is to provide comprehensive information through all stages of implementing a solar energy project.

I’ve done my best to provide accurate and useful information in this book. But codes and standards change frequently and are subject to differing interpretation. Therefore, all information here must be presented as my opinion, or my understanding of a situation and its requirements, rather than as instructions or guidelines for a user to follow specifi cally. All sources of detailed information are referenced, but the reference may be incorrect or my interpretation or use of the information may be incorrect. The possibility of errors or omissions in the equations, tables, and text of this book may not be eliminated. Therefore, when using this book to help you deliver solar projects, it is your responsibility to make sure that the information of the book is applicable to your situation and applied correctly. Consult the authority having jurisdiction in your area for all requirements and questions related to applicable codes and standards.

To the extent possible, I’ve tried to include the names of companies and products, as well as information that might relate to the cost and performance of these products. Please be advised that no list of companies can be complete or up-to-date. Mention of a specific company or product should in no way be understood as an endorsement of any product, and there is no attempt to state that any product is superior or inferior to any other. Performance parameters listed may not be the best or most recent offered by a supplier. New companies come into business, and existing ones go out of business every day, so including mention of a particular company is just to represent a snapshot of a particular experience or reference, with the intention of familiarizing the reader with specifics of the current marketplace. Prices are reported in general and may not be representative of the cost encountered in the context of your project.