ABSTRACT
The glazing is the primary component in many solar energy applications. In direct-gain passive heating, it is the aperture, the window, through which solar energy gains access to the building. In indirect passive systems, its presence ensures that the solar energy absorbed on the building’s wall is transferred to the rooms inside. In solar collectors, it protects the absorber plate and it suppresses the heat losses to the environment. In greenhouses, it allows the passage of the part of solar radiation that plants need in order to grow, and in skylights, it lets in the part of the solar spectrum that humans need in order to see. Glazings also allow us to look out onto the building’s surrounds, while protecting us from the elements.
