NOVEL INTEGRATED DESIGN STRATEGIES FOR NET-ZERO-ENERGY SOLAR BUILDINGS(NZESBS)IN NANJING,CHINA

The connotations and denotations of the term net-zero-energy solar buildings(NZESBs)have been in constant flux because of continuous developments in solar heating technology,solar photovoltaic(PV)technology,building energy-storage technology,regional energy-storage technology,and energy-management systems.This paper focuses on innovative strategies for implementing NZESBs in Nanjing,China.These strategies include integrated architectural design,including passive solar design(respecting climatic characteristics and conducting integrated planning based on the environment,building orientation,distance between buildings,build-ing shape,ratio of window area to wall area,and building envelope)and active solar design(integration of the solar-energy-collecting end of the system–collectors and PV panels–with the building surface–roof,wall surfaces,balconies,and sun-shading devices–and the integration of solar-energy transfer and storage equip-ment with the building).Some Nanjing-specific recommendations and findings on NZESBs are proposed.The results illustrate that NZESBs can be realized in Nanjing if solar energy technologies are appropriately integrated with the character-istics of Nanjing’s geography,climate and buildings.

CASE STUDY OF THE OPERATIONAL ENERGY CONSUMPTION AND CARBON EMISSIONS FROM A BUILDING IN NANJING BASED ON A SYSTEM DYNAMICS APPROACH

Buildings are responsible for more than forty percent of global energy consump-tion and as much as one third of global greenhouse gas emissions.Meanwhile,the energy conservation and exhaust reduction of a building can be easily understood by accurately calculating a building’s carbon emissions during its operational stage.In the present study,a system dynamics(SD)approach to calculate the energy consumption and carbon emissions from a building during its operational stage is quantitatively developed through a case study on an office building in Nanjing.The obtained results demonstrate that:a)the difference between the results of SD and that of EnergyPlus is so small that a SD approach is acceptable;b)the variation between the real monitored data and that of simulation by SD and EnergyPlus is reasonable;c)the physical meanings of the variables in the SD model are clear;d)the parameters of the SD model and the relationships between the variables can be determined by a qualitative-and-quantitative combined analysis.

Survey of thermal comfort in residential buildings under natural conditions in hot humid and cold wet seasons in Nanjing

Comfort standards(ISO 7730,ASHRAE 55)specify the exact physical criteria for producing acceptable thermal environments,such as temperature,air movement,and humidity limits.These,however,are often difficult to comply with,particularly in hot humid and cold wet seasons in Nanjing,China.Changing expectations of comfort is important in evaluating comfort,since naturally conditioned buildings in Nanjing are not typically airconditioned.For this objective,a field study was conducted during the summer of 2000 and the winter of 2001.A total of 600 participants each answered a subjective questionnaire.Analyzing these field data shows that in natural conditions,the influence of gender and age on people’s thermal sensations is insignificant compared with six main variables.In addition,people’s thermal discomfort rapidly increases along with growth in relative humidity.Further,the variation of people’s hot or cold sensations is in proportion to that of air movement,and the effect in winter is greater than that in summer.The range of acceptable temperatures in hot humid and cold wet Nanjing is between 14.14℃and 29.42℃.