How Does Solar Radiation Affect Building?

by | Last updated on January 24, 2024

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The objective of solar radiation control is

to decrease the cooling load on a building

. … Surfaces with low infrared emittances can be that much warmer than the outside air temperature, which can help to decrease the heating load on a building during the heating season.

What can solar radiation do to a house?

The sun’s ultraviolet rays can do more than cause sunburn and contribute to skin cancer. They can also damage your home, both outside and inside.

Sunlight can cause siding, roofing, furniture, fabrics, and flooring to change and deteriorate over time

.

What is solar radiation buildings?

Solar gain is

short wave radiation from the sun that heats a building

, either directly through an opening such as a window, or indirectly through the fabric of the building. … Overheating as a result of solar gains can be a particular problem in warmer climates.

How can we reduce solar radiation in buildings?

During cooling seasons,

external window shading

is an excellent way to prevent unwanted solar heat gain from entering a conditioned space. Shading can be provided by natural landscaping or by building elements such as awnings, overhangs, and trellises.

What are some harmful effects of solar radiation?

Excessive exposure to the sun is known to be associated with increased risks of various

skin cancers

, cataracts and other eye diseases, as well as accelerated skin ageing. It may also adversely affect people’s ability to resist infectious diseases, and compromise the effectiveness of vaccination programmes.

Which part of a house receives majority of solar radiation?

Solar radiation occurs predominantly through the roof and windows (but also through walls). Thermal radiation moves from a warmer surface to a cooler one.

Roofs

receive the majority of the solar radiation delivered to a house.

What controls how much radiation the sun emits?

Q1: What controls how much radiation the Sun emits? Sunspots are not the primary control. The distance from the Sun to the Earth is approximately 150 million kilometers; at this distance, Earth intercepts a tiny amount of the radiation emitted by the Sun. The law that explains this is known as the

Inverse Square Law

.

How are solar gains calculated?

The “solar input” in the 3M Sungain film brochure, also known as the solar heat gain coefficient, is the solar transmittance modified to account for re-radiated heat.

If you divide by 0.87 (the coefficient for 1/8-inch clear glass)

, you get the shading coefficient

How can we control solar radiation?


Use fixed overhangs on south-facing glass

to control direct beam solar radiation. Indirect (diffuse) radiation should be controlled by other measures, such as low-e glazing. To the greatest extent possible, limit the amount of east and west glass since it is harder to shade than south glass.

How can solar gain be improved?


Limiting the size and area of openings

such as doors and windows. Shading or orientating doors and windows from direct sunlight. Using reflective materials on the glass and building fabric. Insulating walls and roof spaces to prevent indirect solar gains into the building.

What are the 4 main effects of solar radiation on Earth?

  • atmospheric effects, including absorption and scattering;
  • local variations in the atmosphere, such as water vapour, clouds, and pollution;
  • latitude of the location; and.
  • the season of the year and the time of day.

Which is the most harmful solar radiation?

In recent years, due to ozone layer depletion, more UVB rays have been reaching the Earth, and such increases are correlated with an increase in skin cancer. Lastly,

UVC radiation

, which has the shortest wavelengths between 290 and 100 nm, and hence the highest energy, is the most harmful of the three radiations.

Where is solar radiation the strongest?


The equator

receives the most solar radiation in a year. The difference in the amount of solar energy the land receives causes the atmosphere to move the way it does.

Can you emit solar radiation?


Any body at any temperature, including the human body, emits radiation

. This is because it also absorbs energy from its environment (e.g. from the sun) and without emitting this energy back it would heat up infinitely. This emission is mainly long wavelength infrared (heat) radiation.

What are the 5 elements of passive solar design?

Working together, the five elements of passive solar design constitute a complete and successful passive solar home design:

aperture/collector (south-facing windows), absorber ([usually] hard and dark surface of wall or floor material), thermal mass (actual material that retains and stores heat), distribution (

How much solar radiation reaches the earth?

How much light actually reaches the Earth’s surface? Only

56% of

the solar radiation that reaches the atmosphere makes it through to earths surface. The sun’s radiation must make it through multiple barriers before it reaches Earth’s surface. The first barrier is the atmosphere.

David Martineau
Author
David Martineau
David is an interior designer and home improvement expert. With a degree in architecture, David has worked on various renovation projects and has written for several home and garden publications. David's expertise in decorating, renovation, and repair will help you create your dream home.