Harvesting energy with solar panels and adaptive shading for building skins: A case study of an office building in Saudi Arabia.

摘要

Problems with air conditioning and temperature control in the central region of Saudi Arabia are one of the biggest challenges facing architects today. This is what has driven scholars to find a number of ways to resolve this crisis. As a result, researchers have considered the use of adaptive facade shading systems as a possible solution to control and reduce solar heat gain in office buildings. It is well known that in the central region of Saudi Arabia the temperatures can reach up to 125 degrees Fahrenheit (51°C). This is the reason why researchers are trying to develop a new building skin system using solar panels in the surfaces of the facade as a source of solar energy for the building as well as to reduce the amount of solar heat gain inside the space. The use of these systems will help to drastically reduce energy costs because of their ability to convert thermal energy into electrical energy. The use of solar panels as skin for building facades is studied in two aspects. First, the use of panels is studied as a shading system in order to protect the building from solar heat gain. This involves studying the different angles of the sun throughout the day and creating a shading system, which may be dynamic and adaptive. Second, the use of solar panel facade systems is studied for their ability to harvest solar energy and turn it into electric energy in order to power building functions. This is a very important aspect since it allows the users of the structure to decrease external energy usage and save on costs. The idea of an adaptive building facade system incorporates the possibility of making the panels move automatically in response to the position of the sun. Such kinetic facade systems also give the building a new form at every moment and on every surface.;In short, the principal intentions of this effort are to reduce reliance on external electric power sources to reduce the penetration of the sun's rays into internal spaces of the building, and to mitigate the amount of solar heat gain. Additionally, this project will study ways to take advantage of the huge amount of sun exposure in the region to convert solar energy into electric energy. The use of a pyramid shape for the panels was arrived at a series compilation of studies in order to optimize the amount of solar power. The purpose of this shape is to provide more surface area, and also to restrict and simplify the panels' movement to the vertical direction only rather than both vertical and horizontal movements. The movement of the panels on the facade will provide the ability to adjust the passage and quality of light, adjust the flow of air, and finally to block the sun, and reduce the temperature of air stream.;In this thesis, the researcher will try to address the effectiveness of the elements that were invented to reduce air conditioning loads significantly. Additionally, this project will study ways in which to assemble elements into a second surface (building skin) to help reduce electrical loads of the building. The facade will also serve as a shading device and insulation element for the building. By increasing the depth of the pyramid elements, the total surface area is also increased, potentially allowing more solar energy to be harvested. However, the pyramid depth must be designed to minimize shadowing between elements. The goal of the design is to maximize the amount of radiation falling on the surface panels thus increasing the amount of electricity generated through solar energy.;The use of adaptive facade systems can help to drastically reduce cooling energy loads by preventing solar overheating while simultaneously harvesting the sun's energy in order to produce clean electrical power, ultimately helping to reduce pollution in the environment.