The transmission of solar radiation in a small east-west glasshouse glazed with diffusing glass

Abstract

The variation in the transmission of diffuse solar radiation was measured over the floor area of a 30 ft wide E.-W. glasshouse of metal construction without purlin posts, glazed with diffusing glass. The measurements were made on overcast days during the period of construction and the effects of the different components of the structure separated. On a cloudless summer day, simultaneous measurements of the proportion of diffuse radiation outside and the total of direct and diffuse radiation both outside and inside the glasshouse enabled the transmission of the direct component to be calculated. There was a high transmission of both direct and diffuse radiation, although the latter decreased near the edges of the house. The use of diffusing glass did not cause any appreciable loss in transmission, but the steel structure caused as much obstruction as that in another clear-span house of twice the width.