The sun is both an asset and an enemy in green building.  Learn to use daylighting to your advantage while beating the heat.  Orient you new home, building, or addition to provide optimal access to daylight.  Minimize direct sun, and its associated heat, with smaller east and west exposures and larger north and south exposures.  Overhangs, shade trees and outdoor structures protect South and West facing windows during the hottest months, and can help save up to 20% energy use per year.

Support fundamental human needs for daylight and a connection to the outdoors, provide access to views and daylight from all primary occupied spaces within the building.  Design to minimize glare and heat from daylight through appropriate shading devices and reflective materials.  In an office building, install glass within interior walls and lower workstation panels to maintain views deep into the space.
 

What is Solar Power?

Solar power is the capturing of the sun’s ray and converting them into heat of energy.   The sunlight can be converted directly using photovoltaic cells, or indirectly and stored for later usage.

There are two (2) types of solar energy: thermal and electric.

• Thermal Solar Power is free and is found all around you.  It is what provides heat to everything we come in contact with, and heats up a medium that is used in its heated form.
• Electric Solar Power is created through photovoltaic cells (solar cells) which gain power from the sun to create electricity for our use. 

How Does Solar Power Work?

• Solar panels are mounted in a location where they can collect energy from the sun and converts it to direct current (DC) electricity.
• Direct Current (DC) energy can be stored in a battery system.
• Direct current energy can be converted by an inverter into alternating current electricity and fed directly into your home or business, just as if it were straight from the power grid.
• In some instances if you produce more electricity than needed to power your home or business, you are able to send the excess back to the power grid and in some municipalities receive credit from utility companies, call net. Metering.

• Benefits of Solar Power

  • Decreases pollution

  You will decrease the usage of fossil fuels, which in turn will reduce the amount of pollution and greenhouse gas emissions.  Greenhouse gases and pollution cause many environmental problems such as global warning and smog.

  • Reduces electricity costs

  Using solar power decreases your dependence on the grid, reducing your monthly utility bills, and in some cases eliminating your electricity bills completely.  For example, a 5 kWh system in Houston could generate 5800 kWh per year, and a new very energy efficient home could only require 500 kW hours per year, making it a net-zero energy home.

  • Increases the value of your home

  Homes with solar electric systems increase in value up to $20,000 for every $1,000 in annual utility savings.

  • Convenient and Reliable

  Solar panels have no movable parts, making them essentially maintenance free and no need to replace any components.  In addition, they are reliable for about 25 years.

  The City of Houston and Solar Power Energy has solar panels at the Green Building Resource Center, George R. Brown Convention Center, and the City Hall Annex.tion where they can collect energy from the sun and converts it to direct current (DC) electricity.
• Direct Current (DC) energy can be stored in a battery system.
• Direct current energy can be converted by an inverter into alternating current electricity and fed directly into your home or business, just as if it were straight from the power grid.

In some instances if you produce more electricity than needed to power your home or business, you are able to send the excess back to the power grid and in some municipalities receive credit from utility companies, call net. Metering.

George R. Brown Convention Center

100 kW solar-electric system on the rooftop is one of the largest installations in the region.

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• Wind Energy
  
   

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