s.ky blue information
The Solar Decathlon is a project of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) in partnership with DOE's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL).
Solar Thermal: 7#
The s.ky blue solar house uses 60 solar thermal evacuated tubes built into the house’s south-facing facade to harvest solar energy and provide hot water. The tubes selected for the project are filled with a liquid designed to transfer energy from the tubes into a hot water storage tank. When the sun hits the tubes, the liquid inside is heated and then evaporated.
The evaporated liquid is collected in small copper bulbs at the top of the tubes and as the water flows around the bulbs the heat is transferred from the liquid to the water. This heated water supplements the radiant floor under the desired conditions. The solar thermal water heater features tubes that can be operated so that water can flow through each of the two – thirty tube heaters in series or in parallel order to maximize the collection of energy.
The s.ky blue house incorporates two hot water back-up systems, so that during periods of poor solar collection, the hot water system can use heat from its high-efficiency air source water heat pump or utilize heat from an electric resistance system capable of delivering 120-degree Fahrenheit heat under any external environmental condition.
