ABSTRACT

This chapter discusses fundamental properties of solar radiation and the ways of capturing solar radiation in buildings. Scale model experiments of passive solar systems were conducted by author's students. The case with the transparent insulation materia, based on 30 mm Nanogel, outperforms all other systems, whilst the switchable glazing system is better than the reference case but worse than all other cases due to lower transmittance in the clear mode and consequent reduction of solar gain. A method that can be used for optimisation of glazing surface area is described in the section entitled 'Planning and running simulations' in. Photochromic glazing changes its transmittance as the intensity of solar radiation increases. It is used commonly in eye care, for glasses that change colour and transmittance in high daylight conditions. Thermochromic glazing is based on a thin layer of chemical compounds that form molecular chains of variable length, depending on temperature.