The main activities in Task 56 are grouped in the following Subtasks.
Subtask A: Solar envelope systems classification and communication
(Michaela Meir, Norway)
An overview of products and solutions of solar envelope systems, which are presently available on the market, has been made available in Subtask A as a preparatory work for Subtask B and C. In particular, the conditions for the effective deployment of solar envelope systems has been analysed in this Subtask.
A market analysis will be firstly carried out (Activity A.1) assessing existing solutions through a literature review and the advice of the experts participating. Moreover, standards, test methods and numerical tools will be categorised.
Different products and solutions will be evaluated through a SWOT analysis, accounting for technical and non-technical issues, which in the past have determined the success or the failure of solar envelope systems (Activity A.2).
Activities description:
- Activity A.1 – Market overview
- Activity A.2 – SWOT analysis
Subtask B: Performance characterisation of solar envelope elements
(Christoph Maurer, Germany)
Subtask B aimed to develop tools and strategies to foster the market penetration for industrialised solar envelope systems. In particular, it has focused on the solar envelope elements intended as the sub-systems, strictly incorporated in the building envelope.
Solar envelope elements need to be integrated in the construction process already at an early planning stage. To this purpose, planners need to be provided with the necessary information – i.e. integration parameters, performance measurements and modelling, etc. – when starting their task. The target of the subtask is finally a successful construction process including the transfer of knowledge and models e.g. between the component manufacturers and the planners of the building.
Key here has been therefore the involvement of an industrial partnership from the very beginning of the program. The Activities reported next have been elaborated with reference to the specific elements suggested by the manufacturers involved in the Task.
This Subtask has been built on three main Activities:
- development of strategies for the effective market penetration of solar envelope systems developed by the Task partners
- elaboration of simulation models for solar envelope elements, developed by the Task partners
- development of laboratory tests requirements for performance and functional assessment of solar envelope elements.
Activities description:
- Activity B.1 – Strategies for market penetration
- Activity B.2 – Simulation models of solar envelope elements
- Activity B.3 – Laboratory tests of solar envelope elements
Subtask C: Assessment of solar envelope systems at building level
(Fabian Ochs, Austria)
In Subtask C complete solar envelope systems are defined based on active and passive components and integrated into the HVAC system of reference buildings. These buildings are considered as virtual case studies, which the specific envelope elements proposed by the industrial partners are integrated into.
The Task is performed in two parallel and interacting activities:
- Solutions that are technically and economically meaningful have been identified by means of building and HVAC simulations. A decision support instrument (pre-design tool) will be developed as part of this activity, allowing simplified calculations to be performed.
- Existing systems have been valuated by monitoring demonstration systems installed.
The solutions have been evaluated based on reference conditions assessed in Subtask A, and sub-systems and KPIs defined in Subtask B.
Activities description:
- Activity C.1 – Building models elaboration and systems definition
- Activity C.2 – System simulations
- Activity C.3 – Technical, environmental and economic analysis of the simulation results
- Activity C.4 – Analysis of monitoring results
- Activity C.5 – Predesign tool development