Geoscience Reference
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Seasonal shading to
south wall glazing
Louvred vent
Light colored
roof materials
Winter blinds
Ventilation
Summer
cooling
breezes
Bedrooms
Pergola
House designed
to minimize
over-shadowing
Study
Living room
Courtyard
Deciduous
planting
Maximum glazing
to south walls
Thermal mass
flooring
Screen planting
against winter winds
Figure 4.28 A well-designed home with effective passive solar heating. In the Northern Hemisphere, windows are
oriented south to allow low-angle winter Sun to warm living areas. Cross-circulation within the home carries warm air
upstairs. In the summer, high-angle Sun is blocked by overhang to keep the house cool.
the Sun shines twice as much as in other parts of the coun-
try. A number of solar plants have been built here since the
early 1980s, including nine Solar Energy Generating Systems
(SEGS) that collectively have over 936,000 trough energy col-
lectors (Figure 4.30) covering more than 6.5 km 2 (2.5 mi 2 ). In
contrast to less efficient flat mirrors, trough mirror systems can
focus the Sun at 30 to 60 times its normal intensity and contain
synthetic oil that captures heat, reaching temperatures of 390°C
(735°F). These plants can collectively produce 354 mW of
electricity—enough to meet the power needs of approximately
500,000 people a year. Despite the many advances in solar en-
ergy production, it remains a supplementary supply when com-
pared to energy produced by fossil fuels.
Figure 4.29 map of solar energy potential in the United
states. The Northeast is a poor place for solar energy produc-
tion because it is often cloudy, especially in winter. In contrast,
the Southwest has a very high potential for producing solar en-
ergy because it is a sunny desert environment. Map units are in
number of kilowatt hours of production per square meter per day.
Figure 4.30 The solar Energy generating system in Califor-
nia's mojave Desert. This photograph shows a portion of the
complex. Over 936,000 trough energy collectors are contained
within the entire system, producing enough electricity for 500,000
people per year.
 
 
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