Energy Efficient Housing - Design and Build a Passive Solar Home
Solar Water Heater:
This project was to build a small scale solar water heater. A solar water heater only uses the sun's heat to warm water. Our STEM teacher provided our groups with access to a variety of materials, such as metal tubes and plastic wrap, and gave us the opportunity to select from a wide variety of options to design and build a heater. In the end, our group's design was not the most successful, but it worked at a satisfactory level.
Of all the steps in our process, I really enjoyed testing our heater the most The reason I enjoyed testing our model out was because we got to work to fix our design while taking data simultaneously. The least engaging and least fun part of the project was the very beginning stages of creating our solar heater because, as a group, we barely got any work done.
This project was to build a small scale solar water heater. A solar water heater only uses the sun's heat to warm water. Our STEM teacher provided our groups with access to a variety of materials, such as metal tubes and plastic wrap, and gave us the opportunity to select from a wide variety of options to design and build a heater. In the end, our group's design was not the most successful, but it worked at a satisfactory level.
Of all the steps in our process, I really enjoyed testing our heater the most The reason I enjoyed testing our model out was because we got to work to fix our design while taking data simultaneously. The least engaging and least fun part of the project was the very beginning stages of creating our solar heater because, as a group, we barely got any work done.
Solar Home:
Our next project was to design a solar home. This meant that we were to design a house that did not need electricity to light it. Our goal was to use the engineering techniques we had learned (see below) to create a house that would be well-lit whenever the sun was above the horizon, regardless of the season.
These are the daylighting design elements we used:
As was true for our solar water heater project, my favorite part of this project was when we tested it out. The procedure we used to test our home required that we hold a lightbulb (a.k.a the "sun" in our simulation) up at varying angles to mimic the sun at different times of day and at different times of the year. We were able to see how well we engineered our buildings so that our daylighting techniques were utilized in the best way possible.
My group's design included a lot of windows. This worked well when we did not have to take into account heat loss, but if we were to build a solar home in real life, our design would not be the best suited. In the end, it was a very enlightening (ha,ha) project and I liked it a lot.
Our next project was to design a solar home. This meant that we were to design a house that did not need electricity to light it. Our goal was to use the engineering techniques we had learned (see below) to create a house that would be well-lit whenever the sun was above the horizon, regardless of the season.
These are the daylighting design elements we used:
- Solar tubes are cylinders used to bring natural light into homes, to help replace or add to electric lights.
- A light shelf is a horizontal surface that reflects daylight deep into a building. Light shelves are placed above eye-level and have high-reflectance upper surfaces, which reflect daylight onto the ceiling and deeper into the space.
- A clerestory window is a row of windows in the upper part of the wall.
- A sky light is a window installed in a roof or ceiling.
As was true for our solar water heater project, my favorite part of this project was when we tested it out. The procedure we used to test our home required that we hold a lightbulb (a.k.a the "sun" in our simulation) up at varying angles to mimic the sun at different times of day and at different times of the year. We were able to see how well we engineered our buildings so that our daylighting techniques were utilized in the best way possible.
My group's design included a lot of windows. This worked well when we did not have to take into account heat loss, but if we were to build a solar home in real life, our design would not be the best suited. In the end, it was a very enlightening (ha,ha) project and I liked it a lot.
Wind Turbines:
In this project, my STEM class explored the difference between VAWT and HAWT wind turbines, and also built and tested a few of our own designs. (VAWT- Vertical Axes Wind Turbine and HAWT- Horizontal Axes Wind Turbine.) My group build a successful HAWT turbine based off the design of a pinwheel, but were unable to construct a functioning VAWT turbine.
I enjoyed this project the most when we were planning out our designs and learning about how wind turbines are utilized in real life. Before piecing together our own wind turbines in teams, the entire class worked together to create a spreadsheet with background information about wind turbines and alternative energy. While we were still required to gather information about separate topics, in our own groups, the entire process felt like a collaborative whole group effort. Each table group presented their research to the class so we were all exposed to the same facts. I really enjoyed this part of our project because it was very informative and amusing to all work together on one spreadsheet.
In this project, my STEM class explored the difference between VAWT and HAWT wind turbines, and also built and tested a few of our own designs. (VAWT- Vertical Axes Wind Turbine and HAWT- Horizontal Axes Wind Turbine.) My group build a successful HAWT turbine based off the design of a pinwheel, but were unable to construct a functioning VAWT turbine.
I enjoyed this project the most when we were planning out our designs and learning about how wind turbines are utilized in real life. Before piecing together our own wind turbines in teams, the entire class worked together to create a spreadsheet with background information about wind turbines and alternative energy. While we were still required to gather information about separate topics, in our own groups, the entire process felt like a collaborative whole group effort. Each table group presented their research to the class so we were all exposed to the same facts. I really enjoyed this part of our project because it was very informative and amusing to all work together on one spreadsheet.
North Window Design:
This was the longest lasting project of this unit. It started with our STEM class analyzing the solar home that was designed by the previous year's STEM class. That building has been built on the San Marin High School campus. Our task was to both scout out a different location for a solar home (even though we would not be building a new one) and also to improve on the already built solar home. We were given the objective of getting light into the - currently useless - North facing window on the solar home designed by last year's STEM class. Each group came up with their own design. My group's design was that of a modified solar tube. We designed a square shaped tube that would be covered by reflective aluminum on the inside of the tube and be attached to the outside of the solar home. The light would come in a 60º opening above the roof, and reflect down the reflective tube to just above the window, and then reflect off of a light shelf below the window and back into the solar home. Our design did not block the window in any way, and would catch light during the entire year, excluding the hottest summer months. Our design was also very cost effective at under $120.00. Cold Frame Design: The cold frame design was a separate project, but it occurred concurrently with the north window design project. The goal for this project was to design a cold frame for San Marin's gardening club. The definition of a cold frame is a four-sided frame of boards with a removable glass or plastic top. The frame is placed on the ground and is used to house, protect, and harden off seedlings and small plants, without artificial heat. It is very similar to a green house, only smaller. And since we were designing for STEM class, we were encouraged to get as creative with our designs as we wanted, as long as our end product trapped and held heat so that plants could be grown during the cold months. My team's particular design was that of a frame of 2x4 planks in the form of an isosceles triangle at a 50º angle, so that sunlight would be able to filter through the window at a 40º angle. The window side of the triangle would face the sunlight, and the other side would be covered on the inside with a both reflect and insulate blanket material to trap and keep the heat circulating for as long as possible. The frame (except for the window side of the triangle) would be covered in plywood to keep the heat in. We chose the angle of 50º because the angle at which the sunlight would come in at is the angle at which sunlight is at during the entirety of winter, from December to mid March. Our design was both simplistic and effective, and it had a very low cost of only $49.97. |
Design Proposals / Selection Process: Once we finished designing both our north window and cold frame designs, we then created slideshows so that we could present our ideas to a panel of actual contractors and engineers as well as the garden club, both of whom were tasked with determining the designs that would earn the privilege of being built. As it turned out, on the evening of the presentations, my group was the first to present our designs. We started out by presenting our north window design to the panel of experts. We then moved to the next room and presented our cold frame design in front of members of the garden club. Our presentations were very short, three minutes was the maximum amount of time they could take, so we had to fit as much information as possible into them. After every STEM team had presented, we were required to wait until the following day to hear which designs were selected to earn the privilege of actually being built. The judges choose only one of each. We learned of the judges selections the next day in STEM class. The San Marin gardening club appeared to have picked possibly the simplest cold frame design to build, while the engineers and contractors had chosen my group's design! I was very surprised and very, very happy. It was great to know that my team had left enough of an impression on the judges that by the time all of the team's had presented, ours was still their favorite design. Their decision also meant that our design was sound enough that it would work and was not just a creative concept. It really made all the work we did feel worth it. That was definitely my favorite part of this project. My least favorite part of this project (and I really had to search my brain to think of one) was when we came into STEM class one day to discover that another group had smashed our cold frame model, and we had to rebuild it. Fortunately, one of the members of my group spent the entire period that day building a new one, and it possibly turned out better than our original. I am very grateful that she was willing and able to do that so the rest of our team could continue to work on blueprints and our slideshow. |
https://docs.google.com/a/students.nusd.org/presentation/d/1jNu3Ec1zLBNagBsx4XFqS-97mcsjJ55oVDAOE9JLLrg/edit#slide=id.g8cc6ac4d1_0111
REFLECTION:
After this entire unit, I have gained lots of new knowledge concerning solar energy as well as alternative sources of energy. It has inspired me to think more about how I use energy, and how energy is used everyday and in different ways. I learned many things about myself as well, especially since I was working with the same group of people for several months. I learned that I work well when kept engaged and that I find it very hard to let other people work on important aspects of projects without a) my supervision, b) my nagging or c) my assistance. I mostly learned to cope with these instincts, and I hopefully did not annoy my teammates too much as they all seemed to enjoy working together as a team as much as I did.
After this entire unit, I have gained lots of new knowledge concerning solar energy as well as alternative sources of energy. It has inspired me to think more about how I use energy, and how energy is used everyday and in different ways. I learned many things about myself as well, especially since I was working with the same group of people for several months. I learned that I work well when kept engaged and that I find it very hard to let other people work on important aspects of projects without a) my supervision, b) my nagging or c) my assistance. I mostly learned to cope with these instincts, and I hopefully did not annoy my teammates too much as they all seemed to enjoy working together as a team as much as I did.