THE PASSIVE AND ENGINEERED SYSTEMS IN UNIVERSITY OF NEVADA, LAS VEGAS'S SOLAR DECATHLON 2013 ENTRY - DESERTSOL

摘要

University of Nevada, Las Vegas's DesertSol was the 2nd place winner in the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon 2013. This net-zero house was designed and built using both passive and active strategies in achieving its high performance. Integrative design principles were implemented throughout the research, development, and construction phases of the project. The building energy load is significantly reduced using passive design elements, even before active systems are introduced. Orientation, daylighting, envelope and ventilation strategies have been carefully considered during the design phase. For the active systems, a grid-tied photovoltaic system powers the house, and a solar thermal system collects thermal energy to provide domestic hot water and hydronic radiant heating. The performance of the house was validated by the results from the competition and the house was proven to be a commercially viable and market-ready model.