Engineering Papers⌕ Search

SEARCH · Engineering Papers

Results for “Residential Solar”

Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 91 records · Page 5
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1986

Crystalline-silicon photovoltaics summary module design and reliability

The evolution of the design and reliability of solar modules was described. Design requirements involved 14 different considerations, including residential building and material electrical codes, wind-loading, hail impact, operating temperature levels, module flammability, and interfaces for both the array structure and the operation of the system. Reliability research involved in diverse investigations including glass-fracture strength, soiling levels, electrochemical corrosion, and bypass-diode qualification tests. Based on these internationally recognized studies, performance assessments, and failure analyses, the Flat-plate Solar Array Project in its 11-year duration served to nuture the development of 45 different solar module designs from 15 PV manufacturers.

Ross, R. G., Jr.↗
NASA NTRS1980

The effects of regional insolation differences upon advanced solar thermal electric power plant performance and energy costs

The performance and cost of four 10 MWe advanced solar thermal electric power plants sited in various regions of the continental United States was studied. Each region has different insolation characteristics which result in varying collector field areas, plant performance, capital costs and energy costs. The regional variation in solar plant performance was assessed in relation to the expected rise in the future cost of residential and commercial electricity supplied by conventional utility power systems in the same regions. A discussion of the regional insolation data base is presented along with a description of the solar systems performance and costs. A range for the forecast cost of conventional electricity by region and nationally over the next several decades is given.

Latta, A. F.↗
NASA NTRS1980

Design, fabrication, test, and qualification and price analysis of third generation design solar cell modules

The Block 4 shingle type module makes it possible to apply a photovoltaic array to the sloping roof of a residential building by simply nailing the overlapping hexagon shaped shingles to the plywood roof sheathing. This third-generation shingle module design consists of nineteen series connected 100 mm diameter solar cells which are arranged in a closely packed hexagon configuration to provide in excess of 75 watts/sq m of exposed module area under standard operating conditions. The solar cells are individually bonded to the embossed underside of a 4.4 mm thick thermally tempered piece of glass. An experimental silicone pottant was used as the transparent bonding adhesive between the cells and glass. The semi-flexible portion of each shingle module is a composite laminate construction consisting of an outer layer of FLEXSEAL bonded to an inner core of closed cell polyethylene foam. Silaprene is used as the substrate laminating adhesive. The module design has satisfactorily survived qualification testing program which includes 50 thermal cycles between -40 and +90 C, a seven day temperature-humidity exposure test, and a wind resistance test.

Shepard, N. F.↗
NASA NTRS1978

Preliminary design package for residential heating/cooling system: Rankine air conditioner redesign

A summary of the preliminary redesign and development of a marketable single family heating and cooling system is presented. The interim design and schedule status of the residential (3-ton) redesign, problem areas and solutions, and the definition of plans for future design and development activities were discussed. The proposed system for a single-family residential heating and cooling system is a single-loop, solar-assisted, hydronic-to-warm-air heating subsystem with solar-assisted domestic water heating and a Rankine-driven expansion air-conditioning subsystem.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS1973

Market potential for solar heating and cooling in buildings

The use of solar heating and cooling for buildings as a method of conserving fossil fuels is discussed. The residential and commercial end use consumption of energy is tabulated. A survey to project the energy requirements for home and industry heating and cooling is developed. The survey indicates that there is a market potential for solar heating and cooling of buildings. A prediction of three to five billion dollars per year as the potential for solar heating and cooling is made.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS1975

Application of solar energy; Proceedings of the First Southeastern Conference, Huntsville, Ala., March 24-26, 1975

Topics related to architectural and institutional considerations are discussed along with studies of components and subsystems. Subjects in the area of system design and analysis are also explored. Residential and commercial applications are considered, taking into account hot-water usage in a typical single-family residence, solar heating and cooling of mobile homes, aspects of design and performance in the case of a solar heating system using a reflective pyramid optical condenser, solar heating in a Boston school, a performance analysis of solar service hot water systems, comparative performance analyses of three solar heated and cooled buildings, and the use of solar energy in a soybeam processing operation. Applications related to power generation are also examined, giving attention to solar thermal electric power systems and photovoltaic research. Individual items are announced in this issue.

Wu, S. T.↗
NASA NTRS1982

Block 5 module design summary

The Flat Plate Solar Array Block 5 Module design efforts of six manufacturers are summarized. Residential designs and module designs for intermediate-load applications are described. It is planned that a few prototype modules of each design will be fabricated. The modules incorporate advanced concepts, are larger than earlier ones and have high power output.

Runkle, L. D.↗
NASA NTRS1978

Site dependent factors affecting the economic feasibility of solar powered absorption cooling

A procedure was developed to evaluate the cost effectiveness of combining an absorption cycle chiller with a solar energy system. A basic assumption of the procedure is that a solar energy system exists for meeting the heating load of the building, and that the building must be cooled. The decision to be made is to either cool the building with a conventional vapor compression cycle chiller or to use the existing solar energy system to provide a heat input to the absorption chiller. Two methods of meeting the cooling load not supplied by solar energy were considered. In the first method, heat is supplied to the absorption chiller by a boiler using fossil fuel. In the second method, the load not met by solar energy is net by a conventional vapor compression chiller. In addition, the procedure can consider waste heat as another form of auxiliary energy. Commercial applications of solar cooling with an absorption chiller were found to be more cost effective than the residential applications. In general, it was found that the larger the chiller, the more economically feasible it would be. Also, it was found that a conventional vapor compression chiller is a viable alternative for the auxiliary cooling source, especially for the larger chillers. The results of the analysis gives a relative rating of the sites considered as to their economic feasibility of solar cooling.

Bartlett, J. C.↗
NASA NTRS1982

Summary of flat-plate solar array project documentation. Abstracts of published documents, 1975 to June 1982

Technologies that will enable the private sector to manufacture and widely use photovoltaic systems for the generation of electricity in residential, commercial, industrial, and government applications at a cost per watt that is competitive with other means is investigated. Silicon refinement processes, advanced silicon sheet growth techniques, solar cell development, encapsulation, automated fabrication process technology, advanced module/array design, and module/array test and evaluation techniques are developed.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS1979

Solar-powered hot-air system

Solar-powered air heater supplies part or all of space heating requirements of residential or commercial buildings and is interfaced with air to water heat exchanger to heat domestic hot water. System has potential application in drying agricultural products such as cotton, lumber, corn, grains, and peanuts.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS1979

Development and Testing of Shingle-type Solar Cell Modules

The design, development, fabrication and testing of a shingle-type terrestrial solar cell module which produces 98 watts/sq m of exposed module area at 1 kW/sq m insolation and 61 C are reported. These modules make it possible to easily incorporate photovoltaic power generation into the sloping roofs of residential or commercial buildings by simply nailing the modules to the plywood roof sheathing. This design consists of nineteen series-connected 53 mm diameter solar cells arranged in a closely packed hexagon configuration. These cells are individually bonded to the embossed surface of a 3 mm thick thermally tempered hexagon-shaped piece of glass. Polyvinyl butyral is used as the laminating adhesive.

Shepard, N. F., Jr.↗
NASA NTRS1980

A hot-water system tested onsite--Togus, Maine

Performance close to design specifications was verified over one year study in solar hot-water system. Study looked at long-term operation of system installed in residential building in Togus, Maine.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS2004

Waste-Heat-Driven Cooling Using Complex Compound Sorbents

Improved complex-compound sorption pumps are undergoing development for use as prime movers in heat-pump systems for cooling and dehumidification of habitats for humans on the Moon and for residential and commercial cooling on Earth. Among the advantages of sorption heat-pump systems are that they contain no moving parts except for check valves and they can be driven by heat from diverse sources: examples include waste heat from generation of electric power, solar heat, or heat from combustion of natural gas. The use of complex compound sorbents in cooling cycles is not new in itself: Marketing of residential refrigerators using SrCl2 was attempted in the 1920s and 30s and was abandoned because heat- and mass-transfer rates of the sorbents were too low. Addressing the issue that gave rise to the prior abandonment of complex compound sorption heat pumps, the primary accomplishment of the present development program thus far has been the characterization of many candidate sorption media, leading to large increases in achievable heat- and mass-transfer rates. In particular, two complex compounds (called "CC260-1260" and "CC260-2000") were found to be capable of functioning over the temperature range of interest for the lunar-habitat application and to offer heat- and mass-transfer rates and a temperature-lift capability adequate for that application. Regarding the temperature range: A heat pump based on either of these compounds is capable of providing a 95-K lift from a habitable temperature to a heat-rejection (radiator) temperature when driven by waste heat at an input temperature .500 K. Regarding the heat- and mass-transfer rates or, more precisely, the power densities made possible by these rates: Power densities observed in tests were 0.3 kilowatt of cooling per kilogram of sorbent and 2 kilowatts of heating per kilogram of sorbent. A prototype 1-kilowatt heat pump based on CC260-2000 has been built and demonstrated to function successfully.

Rocketfeller, Uwe↗
NASA NTRS2002

Powering the Future

Stirling Technology Company (STC) developed the RG-350 convertor using components from separate Goddard Space Center and U.S. Army Natick SBIR contracts. Based on the RG-350, STC commercialized a product line of Stirling cycle generator sets, known as RemoteGen(TM), with power levels ranging from 10We to 3kWe. Under SBIR agreements with Glenn Research Center, the company refined and extended the capabilities of the RemoteGen convertors. They can provide power in remote locations by efficiently producing electricity from multiple-fuel sources, such as propane, alcohol, gasoline, diesel, coal, solar energy, or wood pellets. Utilizing any fuel source that can create heat, RemoteGen enables the choice of the most appropriate fuel source available. The engines operate without friction, wear, or maintenance. These abilities pave the way for self-powered appliances, such as refrigerators and furnaces. Numerous applications for RemoteGen include quiet, pollution-free generators for RVs and yachts, power for cell phone towers remote from the grid, and off-grid residential power variously using propane, ethanol, and solid biomass fuels. One utility and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory are evaluating a solar dish concentrator version with excellent potential for powering remote irrigation pumps.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS1980

Solar-heating system design package

Report describes solar heating system composed of warm-air solar collector, logic control unit, and switching and transport unit, that meets government standards for installation in residential dwellings. Text describes system operation and performance specifications complemented by comprehensive set of subcomponent design drawings.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS1977

Air/salt/gravity-flow solar heating

Low-cost, easy-to-maintain system uses air collectors, molten-salt energy storage, and gravity flow. System is applicable to residential, commercial, industrial, and agricultural structures.

Jensen, R. N.↗