Let’s go Active!
or Why passive solar architecture is just not enough!
Introduction:
In solar sustainable architecture we have two terms: Passive and Active. Passive architecture is based on absorbing energy using the walls, roofs and the basic elements of the building itself. But in Active architecture we use tools like solar cells to absorb energy. In a Passive design we are mostly focused on optimizing the building. Which in active design we are adding components for it.
usually on a normal passive building, You are saving up to 50% of the energy in the best setting. It's never reaches 100%. even though a 10% reduction in energy use is great itself, But for an ideal sustainable house we should try to go for 100% and even more! (look into plus energy concept)
More to that, When you are optimizing a building on a high and deep level, you are making the energy circulation of that place, more delicate and complex. In which a small change may cause a huge effect on the whole system and make the building worse than other buildings with no passive design thinking behind them.
So it's needless to say that passive solar architecture can only be part of the whole solution and we should start using other systems too.
