An energy balance model for passive solar systems operation

Abstract

Passive solar systems (such as Trombe-Michel walls and their modifications) are a cost effective technology to reduce the energy demand for buildings' space heating. In the present paper an energy balance model for the description of the performance of a passive solar system composed of an opaque element with transparent insulation is presented. This energy balance model has the form of a closed system of equations that could easily be solved in an open source software by an engineer.