NOV 08

Last year, an article from BuildItSolar.com for a $350 Solar Heater got a fair amount of attention. Collecting the heat in a southern exposure wall and using it to warm the air is a fairly simple and straightforward process.

The principle behind that project is the same idea behind SolarWall. Using a perforated steel wall cladding over the existing wall, air is drawn in through small openings across the surface and as the wall itself is heated by the sun. In addition, the system helps recapture some of the heat being lost through the outside wall of the building and helps to further warm the incoming air as well. The warmed air is driven by a fan into the building where it can be directly distributed or brought into the building's heating and ventilation system as pre-conditioned air. Since it has been warmed already, the fresh intake air does not need to be heated as much, if at all. With an economizer cycle in the ventilation system, this can result in significant energy savings.

In the summer, the same effect takes place: The SolarWall gets heated by the sun, but rather than bringing that air into the building, it is drawn up and vented outside the building. This serves to keep the direct sun off the wall of the building, eliminating direct heat gain, and moving the air so that heat does not build up right next to the outside wall, contributing to lowering cooling costs as well.

Comments (4)

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written by ali kriscenski, November 09, 2007

It's great to see combined technology - solar thermal and heat recapture - that is simple yet effective. I think I saw that Wal-Mart had used this in Denver and is mainstreaming the idea with educational features about the system throughout the store.

SolarWall is yet another example of the importance of integrated design.

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Professor
written by Rashed Alshaali, November 09, 2007

This is a good technique yet, i am afraid it would be a liability in summer. The metal sheet that shades the south wall will gain heat and will start to emit electromagnetic radiation (basically in the infra-red range) to the wall.

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Wrong about performance in the summer...
written by Michael, November 19, 2007

Rashed Alshaali, you are incorrect - the solarwall actually cools the building in the summer by shielding the wall that used to be hit by solar heat, that heat is captured in the solarwall and is vented out the top of the building (that would normally hit the wall and permeate through) check out the solarwall.com site, they have more information about it...

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written by Marci Ziese, February 05, 2009

Gee Folks,

And has anyone considered using that air that is vented out the top to turn turbines to simply generate electricity? Duh, a "three-fer" to quote our new Pres.

Marci

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