SUSTAINABLE ARCHITECTURE

Solar EnergySolar H2O

Wind TurbineWater Collection

Gray WaterGeothermal

Corry MicheliniSpring 2011

Off the grid homes do not rely on municipal water supply, sewer, natural gas, electrical power grid or similar utility services.

Off The Grid - Intertie

Intertie homes may use a component of off-grid living but are connected to the municipal infrastructure.

Photovoltaic (PV) Systems Harvest energy from the sun The energy is transferred from DC (Direct Current) to AC (Alternating Current) The flat panel is called an Array 3 mounting systems: fixed, single-axis adjustable and dual-axis adjustable

SOLAR ENERGY

Fixed Single-Axis Dual-Axis

Solar water heaters: one of most efficient alternative-energy systems Some manufacturers and suppliers claim that you can pay for your solar water

collectors in energy savings in as little as 2 years Solar hot water systems: direct or indirect supply and thermosiphon

SOLAR H2O

Direct Active System: domestic water that comes into your house splits, some serving cold needs and some directed to the solar hot-water panels. The water is heated as it moves through the tubes in the panels and then goes to the hot-water tank. Used in mild climatesIndirect System: a liquid with antifreeze characteristics, often glycol runs through pipes within the array and heats up. As the temperature in the pipes rise, the heat activates a pump that circulates the glycol fluid through a heat exchange coil in the water tank. That coil, in turn, transfers its heat to the water tank. For cold climatesThermosiphon: when the water gets heated it become less dense, and thus more buoyant than the cooler water in the bottom of the loop. Convection moves heated water upwards in the system as it is simultaneously replaced by cooler water returning by gravity. No pump required Not good in climates with snow

Converts kinetic energy into mechanical energy Typical domestic wind turbine is productive at wind speeds starting at 7 mph (cut-in

speed) Rated for productivity with speeds up to 25-35 mph Shuts down in high winds of 45-80 mph (cut-out speed) to preserve its mechanical

integrity Used in Hybrid Systems with PV arrays. A backup generator is usually included

WIND TURBINE

Simple, low-tech and low-cost Rainwater gets collected and stored in cisterns or barrels of various sizes above or

underground Used for irrigating the landscape and/or flushing water in the toilets, In some cases

rainwater is used for all domestic water

WATER COLLECTION

Used domestic water from showers and sinks Stored in a cistern and released into the landscape through an underground irrigation

system

GRAY WATER

Ground source system that uses the constant temperature of the Earth or water to heat or cool a building or to heat water

Can be used with other systems, such as hot-water storage tanks, hot-water heaters and forced air systems to produce radiant heat, forced-air cooling and hot water

Greatly reduces the amount of energy required to run the mechanical system Two basic types: Closed or Open Loop

GEOTHERMAL

Closed Loop relies on the temperature of the Earth transferred as heat exchange through a coil

filled with antifreeze into a heat-pump system. Runs horizontally or vertically in the ground determined by the environment

Open Loop Draws from a water well and uses the water as the heat exchange with the heat

pump Heat pump places water under pressure generating enough heat energy to change

the ground loop tube temperature to 160-180 degrees F. The heat is then transferred to an interior closed tube loop of the heat pump into

various home uses The system can be reversed to produce cool air for a forced-air, evaporative or

radiant system