Helene Andersen - ma3-Ark2 MSc3- Architecture Fall 2010

74 Pages·2010·5.49 MB·English

Helene Andersen - ma3-Ark2
MSc3- Architecture Fall 2010

Title sheet
Project title:
Exploring the potential in solar cells
Project theme:
Architectural Research and Development
Project period: 07.09.2010 - 09.12.2010
Number of pages: 70
Printings: 4
Supervisor:
Michael Lauring
Architect maa phd, associate professor
Technical consultant:

Olena Kalyanova Larsen
Civil engineer
Writer:
___________________________________________
Helene Andersen
Bachelor Degree in Architecture
Synopsis
This report is a result of a theoretical research of the
potential of solar cells in large scale architecture. It
presents the basic knowledge about solar cells and
then deals with the issue of using solar cells in other
ways in our architecture than as an electricity pro-
ducing element added to the buildings. The research
takes point of departure in Vitruvius’ three categories
for architecture: firmitas, utilitas and venutas, and
presents how solar cells can have potential in all three
categories
2
Table of Content
Motivation 4 Utilitas 35
Problem Statement 4 Segregation 35
Problem Delimitation 4 Incorporation 35
Introduction 5 Amalgamation 36
Solar Theory 7
Solar Energy 8 Venustas 37
Passive solar energy Signaling effect 38
Active solar energy Solar cells as building aesthetic 39
Case 1 - Pod#001 41
Electricity consumption 9 Case 2 - Art installation by Anita Jørgensen 43
Producing with solar cells 11 Case 3 - Lærkelængen 45
Solar cells, power stations and district heating Case 4 - Workshop at Arkitektskolen 46
Solar cells and wind turbines
Case 5 - The green city 47
Central vs. decentralized production
Case 6 - Pixsol 49
Case 7 - The blue house 50
The solar cell 13
Case 8 - The GreenPix Media Wall 51
Crystalline solar cells
Silicon thin-film solar cells Case 9 - Sarah Hall glass installation 53
Research Case 10 - Solar Ivy 55
Solar systems 15 Casestudy 58
The city and buildings 17 Solar cells in existing city areas 59
The size of the solar cell system 19 Øgadekvarteret 59
Changing the conditions Skelagergårdene 61
Economy 23 Mellem Broerne 63
Exploring the potential in solar cells Suggestion to design approach 65
Introduction 27
Solar cells in architecture 28 Conclusion 66
Firmitas 29 Bibliography 67
Segregation 29
Incorporation 31 Illustration list 69
Amalgamation 32
Installations methods 33

3
Motivation Problem statement
In spring 2010 I was making a MSc2-project in Archi- What is the potential of using solar cells in large scale
tecture at the Department of Architecture, Design architecture in other ways than as an electricity
and Media Technology at Aalborg University. producing element?
The project was about making a zero-energy hous-
ing complex, and the electricity for the building
should be produced by solar cells placed on the
building site.
Unfortunately I didn’t have any knowledge about
solar cells, so they weren’t prioritized in the build- Problem delimitation
ing design. In the end of the project I had a final
design, and then I had to find space for a large
The urban issues regarding solar energy will only be
amount of solar cells.
explored on an overall basis; instead the focus will be
This resulted in a ruined building expression, where
on the buildings. During the research, the methods and
solar cells were just pasted on to balcony parapets
technologies of solar cells will be researched in propor-
and on the roof.
tion to both work-buildings, such as offices, and resi-
dence buildings such as larger housing complex’. The
After that project, I have asked myself if this really
single family house will not be treated in this research.
was the approach for using solar cells in architec-
ture: making a building design and the past the
Solar technology can also be relevant when maintain-
solar cells on.
ing, renovating and modifying existing buildings, but
Therefore I decided to explore the potential in
this issue will only be processed in the end of the
using solar cells in large scale architecture, to get
project where the issue of putting solar cells into an
a deeper knowledge about how we as architects
existing building area will be treated.
and engineers can use solar cells in our buildings in
The project will mainly be concentrated in a Danish
more ways than just for producing electricity.
context, but cases and examples of solar cells in archi-
tecture can be from other countries where the use of
I have searched for that knowledge I felt that I
solar cells is more conspicuous.
was missing on my MSc2-project, and after making
this theoretical project, I feel ready for making a
new design-project with solar cells as an important
design parameter.
The report is a result of my theoretical investiga-
tions of the potential in solar cells, and I hope that
it may inspire others to use solar cells in a more
integrated way in architecture.
4
Introduction One of the reasons for the lack of interest in solar
cell technology is due to the problems of fitting
the solar cells into our buildings. In many cases, the
In June 2010 the new Danish Building Regulation
solar cells are added to the roof as autonomous ele-
(BR10) was released. The chapter regarding energy
ments that doesn’t improve the architectural value
consumption in building has been tight up, and the
of the building. Therefore it’s essential for archi-
energy-performance for buildings has been decreased
tects and engineers to think creative when it comes
with 25 % compared to the demands in BR08:
to integrating solar cells into buildings, and show
What used to be low-energy class 2 in BR08 is now
that solar cells can be a positive building element.
the norm in BR10, and we already know, that the new
[Berg et all, 2005 p. 11]
low-energy class 2015 in BR10, is becoming the norm in
2015 where the energy demands is being tight up once
On my education on Architecture & Design, we
again. [ing.dk, 30.11.2010]
work with architectural design that combines form,
function and technique into a symbiosis. I think,
In September 2010, KlimaKommisionen proposed that
that this is the type of approach that is needed to
Denmark, in 2050, should be free of using fossil fuels to
make solar cells a positive element in the future
produce heat and electricity for our buildings. [Klimak-
building. Therefore I have chosen to investigate
ommisionen, 2010 p.19]
solar cells, and how it’s possible to integrate them
With a new Building Regulation, and the prospects of
into buildings, not only as an electricity producing
more tightening in the heat demands over the next 10
element, but also as an element that contributes to
years, it time to make some changes in the electricity
other aspects of the building, such as the aesthetic
consumption in the buildings.
expression.
Solar cells are one way of producing electricity without
using fossil fuels. It’s a technology without any noise
or pollution. In other countries, such as Germany, USA,
Spain and Japan, solar cell technology is very accepted
and is an industry in rapid development. In Denmark,
solar cell technology hasn’t been accepted in the same
way.
In the Book Ny energi og innovation i Danmark, they es-
timate that solar cell technology in 2008 stood for 275
jobs in Denmark. In comparison, they estimate that it
stood for 28.000 jobs in Germany, 18.000 jobs in Japan
and 12.200 in Spain. [Borup et al, 2009 p.119]
Solar cell related jobs in countries
30000
25000
20000
15000
Jobs
10000
5000
ill.a1 - numbers of jobs in 2008 related to solar cells
0
DenmarkGermany Japan Spain ill.a2 - solar cells added to the building can seem alien to the
ill.a1 building and have a influence on the architectural expression
5
ill.a2
Solar Theory
Through time, it has been a fascinating thought to
harvest the large quantity of energy that the sun pro-
vides the earth every day. This energy is a natural pure
Indirect radiation
product, and it’s free.
Direct radiation
The terms “Solar Architecture” and “solar design” are
applied on architecture that uses the sun as a design
parameter, and where the architecture is optimized to
function by means of the sun, e.g. passive solar heat-
ing and solar technologies for hot water and electric-
ity. [daviddarling.info, 30.11.2010] To use the sun as a
design parameter, it’s necessary to have knowledge
about the sun and how it affects the context.
ill.b1 - direct and indirect solar radiation
Solar radiation
The radiation from the sun is the significant factor in North
using solar energy in architecture. There are two types 150º 10º 150º
of radiation: 20º
30º
40º
• Direct radiation, which reaches the surfaces directly 120º kl.21 50º 120º
kl.6
• Diffuse radiation, which has been scattered in the 60º
atmosphere before reaching the surfaces. 70º
80º
Solar energy methods and technologies are mainly West kl.18 kl.9 East
kl.18
based on the direct radiation [Hegger et al, 2008 p.53]
The intensity and angles in which the radiation reaches kl.15 kl.12
kl.9
the surfaces, varies from location to location; the
kl.15
closer to equator the larger intensity: in Denmark the 60º kl.12 60º
kl.9
average annual global radiation is about 1000 kWh/ kl.15
m2. In comparison, the desert Sahara has an average kl.12
30º 30º
annual global radiation about 2600 kWh/m2 [solenergi.
South June
dk, 14.10.2010]
March/September
December
To determine the angles of the radiation see ill.b2, ill.b2 - simplified solar diagram for Aalborg
which is a simplified version of the solar diagram. In
the solar diagram, the location (the azimuth angle) and
the height of the sun (the altitude) can be read off.
The angles are different regarding location on earth, e
c
time a day and time a year, and therefore it is essential olsti 23,5º
S
to use diagrams that represent the specific location er
m
you are working on. Ill.b3 shows the altitudes in Den- m
mark. Su Equinox
23,5º
This basic solar knowledge is essential to making
solar optimized architecture, both when dealing with
passive methods and active technologies. During this Winter Solstice
project, the solar knowledge will being use to explain 11º
what to be aware of when working with solar cells.
North South
ill.b3 - altitude angleAslt fitourd Dee annmgalersk in Denmark
7
Solar Energy The last couple of years the technology has evolved
and more integrated systems are now on the market.
An example is the firm Komproment, see ill.c3 which
Solar energy can be used in architecture in several
provides roof-solutions with both solar collectors and
ways, and it is often divided into two themes: pas-
solar cells integrated into the surface.
sive solar energy and active solar energy.
[komproment.dk 01.10.2010]
Passive solar energy
Solar cells are another active solar energy technology,
Passive solar energy is focused on how to use the
which converts solar energy into electricity. Because
heat from the sun to heat buildings. The typical
this technology is the theme for this project, its possi-
method is to have glass areas orientated towards
bilities, properties etc. will be presented more detailed
the sun, so sun radiation can enter the building,
later in this report.
and then have thermal mass inside the building to
absorb and store the heat.
Using passive solar energy can also have something
to do with zoning of the rooms in the building and
construction of solar rooms.
These approaches have a impact on the architec-
tural expression and the experience of both the ex-
terior and interior of a building; glass facades give a
transparence look and lets large quantities of light
into the building, while working with thermal mass
gives some opportunities in showing the surfaces
of building materials and use them in an aesthetic
point of view in the rooms, instead of covering
ill.c1
them up with e.g. plaster.
The biggest issue regarding passive solar energy for
heating is the uncontrolled amounts of heat that
comes into the building, which can create overheat
and an uncomfortable indoor climate. Therefore
it’s essential to work with how to let the sun into
the building during the winter to benefit from the
solar heat, and how to prevent the heating from
entering the building during the summer without
making large daylight sacrifices.
[Roaf et al, 2003 p. 175 - 192]
ill.c2
Active solar energy
Active solar energy refers to solar technologies
such as solar collectors and solar cells. Solar collec-
tors collect the energy from the sun and convert it
into heat. The technology is most used for heating
domestic water, but it’s also possible to use it for
room heating.[bolius.dk, 01.10.2010] The installed
equipment is placed on the roofs, meaning that on
buildings with pitched roofs, the solar collectors
are visible and have an impact on the aesthetic
ill.c3
expression of the building.
ill.c1 - concrete surface from project by Line Kramhøft
ill.c2 - Økohus 99 by Vandkunsten
ill.c3 - solar collector integrated in roof by Komproment
8
Electricity consumption
Since the 1970’s there has been awareness upon en- 7%
19 %
ergy consumption in buildings and households, but this 8 %
awareness has mainly focused on heating the build-
ings. This has induced to high insulated buildings, heat 9 %
recovery systems for ventilation etc. and the energy
consumption for heating buildings has decreased.
16 %
On the other hand has the electricity consumption in- 12 %
creased with the need for appliances for entertainment
and households. [Marsh, 2006 p.5] Therefore it seems
reasonable to shift the focus from heat consumption 13 %
16 %
to electricity consumption.
Single family house ~ 5500 kWh pr. year
(without electric heating)
The electricity consumption for a family
The use of electricity varies with different parameters:
number of people in the household, energy habits,
choice of appliances, etc. Research shows, that the
electricity consumption for a family of four in a single
family house is different from the electricity consump- Artificial lighting
tion for a family of four in an apartment, which is Furnace & Central heating pump
illustrated in ill.d1. [seas-nve.dk, 28.10.2010]However,
Washing Machine & Tumble Drier
the monthly distribution of electricity use over a year is
Refrigerator & Freezer
almost the same, see ill. d2 [energimidt.dk,28.100. 2010]
Miscellaneous
The needed area of solar cells is determined by how
Cooking
much electricity the family wants the solar system to
Entertainment
produce. In some case, people choose to have a sys-
tem that can produce electricity corresponding to the Dish washer
consumption in the winter month where the monthly [seas-nve.dk, 28.10.2010]
consumption is highest, while others choose a system
that can cover the annual energy consumption.
No matter the solution, then the consumption in the
period determines the area of solar cells; the larger
consumption, the larger area of solar cells. Therefore
16 % 22 %
the first priority of the household should be to take a
look at their electricity consumption and see if it’s pos-
sible to decrease it:
Artificial lighting is, both in the single family house and 17 %
the apartment, that post that uses most electricity in
12 %
the household. To decrease this element, it is necessary
to create architecture with good daylight conditions.
This makes it important to integrate the energy tech-
13 %
nologies into the building in such a way that they don’t
20 %
deteriorate the daylight conditions in the rooms.
Apartment ~3600 kWh pr. year
(Without electric heating)
ill.d1 - the electricity consumption in respectively a
single-family house and an apartment divided between
different appliances.
9