Abstract
The potential of miniature dielectric crossed compound parabolic concentrator (dCCPC) panel as skylights for daylighting control has drawn a considerable research attention in the recent years, owing to its feature of variable transmittance according to the sun position, but the viability of using it as skylights in buildings has not been explored yet comprehensively. This paper aims to study the feasibility of utilizing miniature dCCPC panel as skylight in different locations under various climates in terms of energy saving potential besides its daylighting control function. The transmittance of dCCPC panel varies at every moment according to the sky condition and sun position. Due to this specific property, this study novelly implemented a polynomial formula of the dCCPC transmittance in the Grasshopper platform, from which EnergyPlus weather data can be called to calculate the hourly transmittance data of dCCPC skylight panel throughout the whole year. An hourly schedule of transmittance is generated according to the hourly sky condition determined by the daylight simulation through Radiance and Daysim, and is then input to EnergyPlus simulation to predict the energy consumption of a building with dCCPC skylight. Fourteen locations around the world are therefore compared to find the most appropriate place for using miniature dCCPC panel as skylights. The energy saving in cooling, heating and lighting with use of dCCPC skylight panel are investigated and compared with low-E and normal double glazing. The results show that the dCCPC skylight panel can reduce cooling load by mitigating solar heat gain effectively although its performance is affected by several criteria such as sky conditions and local climates. It is generally more suitable for the locations with longer hot seasons, e.g., Log Angeles, Miami, Bangkok and Manila, in which dCCPC could provide up to 13% reduction in annual energy consumption of building. For the locations having temperate and continental climates like Beijing, Rome, Istanbul and Hong Kong, a small annual energy saving from 1% to 5% could be obtained by using dCCPC skylight panel.
Highlights
The energy consumption in buildings takes more than one-third of total global energy consumption (Lowry, 2016)
The particular characteristics of dielectric crossed compound parabolic concentrator (dCCPC) panel is that its transmittance can vary with the sun position and sky condition
This paper aims to provide an idea of the feasibility of using dCCPC panel as skylights in different locations with various climates, with a focus to show how the proposed mathematical model of transmittance can be incorporated in a building energy simulation
Summary
The energy consumption in buildings takes more than one-third of total global energy consumption (Lowry, 2016). Daylighting design is a popular choice in modern building design with the considerations of energy saving, visual comfort and occupant health. With an appropriate daylighting design, about 40% lighting energy could be saved (Dubois and Blomsterberg, 2011), and this could even reach 70% with the proper designs of space type and control type (Ahadi et al., 2017). As a passive solar energy application, daylighting is accompanied with solar heating which can reduce the heating load in winter to some extent. It was found by many researchers that daylight is good for human health by curing medical ailments and reducing psychological sadness related to the seasonal affective disorder (Hraska, 2015, Wong, 2017, Liberman, 1990). R. Kellert et al, 2008)
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