Passive Solar Design for New Mexico

Class I

Preliminaries

• Introductions
• Tools
• Books
• Resources
• Computer

First Pass through Basic Ideas

• Definition of Passive Solar
• Sun's Path
• The Three Pillars of Passive Solar: Gain, Mass, and Insulation
• Overall capability

History

• Greeks
• Native Americans
• Romans
• Victorian Sunspaces
• 1950s
• New Mexico Architects
• Los Alamos, MIT, and Wisconsin

Basic Energy Concepts

• What is energy? (ability to do "work")
• Conservation of Energy
• Forms of energy:
  • Mechanical: kinetic/potential
  • Electromagnetic:
    • All light
    • Sun's Spectrum
  • Chemical
  • Thermal
  • Electrical
  • Nuclear (E=mc²)
• Transmission, Reflection, Adsorption
  • Transmission Types: transparent/translucent
  • Reflection Types: specular/diffuse
• Convection, Conduction, Radiation
  • Heat Capacity, Conductivity, Density, Specific Heat
• Power vs. Energy
• Units of Energy
  • Watts and Joules
  • BTUs
• Solar Constant