A platform for research: civil engineering, architecture and urbanism
A platform for research: civil engineering, architecture and urbanism
Spectral Selective Solar Harvesting and Energy Generation via Transparent Building Skin
Today’s nanoscience has rapidly advanced into many areas of engineering, particularly in architectural design of building skins for the development of environmentally responsive structures. Not only does this improve occupant comfort, but also increases energy sustainabilityEnergy sustainability. Recently, advanced materialsAdvanced materials have been utilized for developing large-scale building skins with intelligent functionalities. Many current challenges focus on improving environmental safety, increasing energy efficiency, and reducing our carbon footprint. Advanced materialsAdvanced materials have played key roles in addressing these critical issues through fascinating properties that are ideal for building skin engineering. In this chapter, a series of bio-inspired green nano hybrids are introduced for solar harvesting, energy generation, and photothermally-activated building heating. These nano biohybridsNanobiohybrids can be physically retrofitted into existing residential buildings and structures, independently providing self-sustainable green energy. This chapter explores the most recent developments of nanostructure-based building skins that are smart, intelligent, adaptive, responsive and biologically inspired for energy and environmental sustainability. More specifically, we have developed smart building façades utilizing nanomaterial assemblies that have the ability to regulate and control energy consumption and generation, leading to energy neutral civic infrastructure. Novel nanostructures are designed, synthesized, and developed capable of the most efficient solar harvesting and energy generation. Fundamental studies have been carried out to identify operating mechanisms dictating the optical, thermal, and electrical properties of the thin films on building skins for required functions. Lab-scale modules can be designed to test the performance of multifunctional thin films in terms of solar harvesting, visible transmittance, photovoltaicPhotovoltaic (PV) and photothermalPhotothermal (PT) efficiencies. The novel concepts include Optical Thermal Insulation (OTI) without any intervention medium typically used in glazing technologies, and building skins with PV-PT dual modalities that can be seasonably altered for energy efficiency and generating solar-mediated thermal energy for building heating utilities. OTI is established by solar heating of a photothermal coating on a window surface. by reducing the temperature difference between the window surface and room interior, the heat loss through a single pane is lowered without the air gap of the double pane. A transparent building skin can be engineered as a PV and PT device in the same surface coating with a dual modality. While the solar energy harvested can be converted to electricity via PV in the summer, the same film is photonically-activated to generate heat in the winter for reduced heat loss. The PV-PT dual-modality device can be applied as a smart building skinSmart building skin upon a large surface area for enhanced solar harvesting and alternative energy generation such as electrical and thermal energy. The solar light can also be wave-guided through transparent photo-thermal panels for generating high heat for building utilities. This chapter will devote much of its portions to describing the fundamental mechanisms of these new concepts as well as the engineering implementations in building skin architecture.
Spectral Selective Solar Harvesting and Energy Generation via Transparent Building Skin
Today’s nanoscience has rapidly advanced into many areas of engineering, particularly in architectural design of building skins for the development of environmentally responsive structures. Not only does this improve occupant comfort, but also increases energy sustainabilityEnergy sustainability. Recently, advanced materialsAdvanced materials have been utilized for developing large-scale building skins with intelligent functionalities. Many current challenges focus on improving environmental safety, increasing energy efficiency, and reducing our carbon footprint. Advanced materialsAdvanced materials have played key roles in addressing these critical issues through fascinating properties that are ideal for building skin engineering. In this chapter, a series of bio-inspired green nano hybrids are introduced for solar harvesting, energy generation, and photothermally-activated building heating. These nano biohybridsNanobiohybrids can be physically retrofitted into existing residential buildings and structures, independently providing self-sustainable green energy. This chapter explores the most recent developments of nanostructure-based building skins that are smart, intelligent, adaptive, responsive and biologically inspired for energy and environmental sustainability. More specifically, we have developed smart building façades utilizing nanomaterial assemblies that have the ability to regulate and control energy consumption and generation, leading to energy neutral civic infrastructure. Novel nanostructures are designed, synthesized, and developed capable of the most efficient solar harvesting and energy generation. Fundamental studies have been carried out to identify operating mechanisms dictating the optical, thermal, and electrical properties of the thin films on building skins for required functions. Lab-scale modules can be designed to test the performance of multifunctional thin films in terms of solar harvesting, visible transmittance, photovoltaicPhotovoltaic (PV) and photothermalPhotothermal (PT) efficiencies. The novel concepts include Optical Thermal Insulation (OTI) without any intervention medium typically used in glazing technologies, and building skins with PV-PT dual modalities that can be seasonably altered for energy efficiency and generating solar-mediated thermal energy for building heating utilities. OTI is established by solar heating of a photothermal coating on a window surface. by reducing the temperature difference between the window surface and room interior, the heat loss through a single pane is lowered without the air gap of the double pane. A transparent building skin can be engineered as a PV and PT device in the same surface coating with a dual modality. While the solar energy harvested can be converted to electricity via PV in the summer, the same film is photonically-activated to generate heat in the winter for reduced heat loss. The PV-PT dual-modality device can be applied as a smart building skinSmart building skin upon a large surface area for enhanced solar harvesting and alternative energy generation such as electrical and thermal energy. The solar light can also be wave-guided through transparent photo-thermal panels for generating high heat for building utilities. This chapter will devote much of its portions to describing the fundamental mechanisms of these new concepts as well as the engineering implementations in building skin architecture.
Spectral Selective Solar Harvesting and Energy Generation via Transparent Building Skin
Wang, Julian (editor) / Shi, Donglu (editor) / Song, Yehao (editor) / Lin, Jou (author) / Lyu, Mengyao (author) / Wang, Yuxin (author) / Webster, Brent (author) / Shi, Donglu (author)
Advanced Materials in Smart Building Skins for Sustainability ; Chapter: 1 ; 1-58
2022-10-30
58 pages
Article/Chapter (Book)
Electronic Resource
English
| European Patent Office | 2024