Abstract
The natural resources of the Earth are being exploited beyond its sustainable capacity. The building industry consumes nearly 40 % of the global energy requirement. A major portion of this is used in meeting air-conditioning requirements. The present scenario demands increased energy efficiency, i.e., indoor thermal comfort with minimal energy consumption in buildings. Thus, the development of new green technologies, which allows the use of sustainable alternative sources of energy, is the need of the hour. Earth-air heat exchangers (EAHE), which make use of a passive means for the heating and cooling of buildings, are becoming a promising technology in the construction of green buildings. EAHE utilizes the thermal energy contained in the soil at certain depths for meeting the cooling/heating requirement of buildings, reducing the consumption of conventional energy for built environments. The present paper addresses issues of applicability of EAHE in Chandīgarh (India) based upon literature review particularly in Indian context and keeping in mind the nature of soil and climatic conditions of the city.
Highlights
Buildings contribute over 40 % of the total global primary energy use corresponding to 24 % of the CO2 emissions of the world (IEA 2008)
The nearly constant ground temperature at a certain depth has been regarded as a passive means for the heating and cooling of buildings by several researchers (Goswami and Dhaliwal 1985; Mihalakakou 1997; Paepe and Janssens 2002; Ozgener et al 2013)
This paper addresses issues of applicability of Earth-air heat exchangers (EAHE) in Chandīgarh (India) based upon literature review in Indian context and keeping in mind the nature of soil and climatic conditions of the city
Summary
Buildings contribute over 40 % of the total global primary energy use corresponding to 24 % of the CO2 emissions of the world (IEA 2008). The earth-air heat exchangers (EAHE) is basically a series of pipes buried underground at a particular depth through which fresh atmospheric air flows and gets cooled in summer and warmed in winter. Considering the soil type of the Tricity, in Chandīgarh, sandy silt is observed up to a depth of 3 m with the water table at 5–15 m below ground level. The determination of soil thermal properties, such as thermal resistivity, thermal conductivity, thermal diffusivity, and specific heat is of great importance for installation of EAHE systems, where heat transfer takes place through the soil mass. Applicability of EAHE in Chandīgarh In sub-tropical climates like India, the electricity demand during peak season of summer and winter goes up due to operation of air-conditioning devices in buildings resulting in a wide gap between demand and supply.
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