Architectural Integration and Design of Solar Thermal Systems

Maria Cristina Munari Probst, Christian Roecker

• Publisher: PPUR
• Year: 2011
• ISBN:
  9782889149650
• Topic: Architecture
• Subtopic: Architecture General

Although solar thermal systems are technologically mature and cost effective, they have not yet been sufficiently used in building design, where they should be playing a greater role in the reduction of fossil-fuel consumption. One main hindrance to adoption is the generally low architectural design quality of the building integration of these thermal systems. As confirmed by the application of photovoltaic elements in buildings, improving the architectural quality of building integrated systems leads to the adoption of a given solar technology even more than price reduction or technical advances. And in the case of solar thermal collectors, which for technical reasons have to be mounted very close to the point of consumption – i.e., on the building itself – the architectural integration issue becomes determining.

Table of contents

• PREFACE
• TABLE OF CONTENTS
• 1 INTRODUCTION
• 2 ARCHITECTURAL INTEGRATION QUALITY
• 3 ARCHITECTURAL INTEGRATION REQUIREMENTS
• 4 ”INTEGRABILITY“ OF EXISTING PRODUCTS
• 5 DEVELOPMENT METHODOLOGY FOR NOVEL SOLAR THERMAL SYSTEMS
• 6 DEVELOPED SYSTEMS
• POSTFACE
• APPENDIX 1: Photovoltaics vs solar thermal systems
• APPENDIX 2: Software programs