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Program Introduction

The goal of the national solar energy program is to develop at the earliest feasible time commercially attractive and environmentally acceptable applications of solar energy. Solar radiation is readily converted into thermal energy, electricity, and clean fuels through conversion processes and systems that are accepted as technically feasible. The important next phase is to design and prove practical, reliable, economical systems.

There are important advantages in the use of solar energy. The sun is a large and continuing source of domestically available energy. It is widely distributed, and its use does not alter substantially the earth's overall heat inventory. The wide distribution of solar energy over the United States makes is possible to consider systems that provide thermal and/or electrical energy at the point of use. At the same time there are two disadvantages of solar energy that pose challenges to development of economical solar energy systems and to innovators in research and technology. First, sunlight provides a relatively small energy flux density compared to that obtained in power systems using fossil or nuclear fuels; that is, its natural intensity is relatively low, presenting a technological challenge to achieve economical conversion to more useful energy forms. In addition, some forms of solar energy are intermittent and variable due to daily, seasonal, and environmental effects; other forms, i.e. ocean thermal and photosynthesis, incorporate natural storage mechanisms to provide relatively steady energy sources. The variable solar energy systems must be designed either to utilize the energy when it is available, or in conjunction with storage and with backup systems using other fuel sources.

Solar applications supported as part of the national program include solar energy systems for heating and cooling of buildings, the generation of electricity from thermal and photovoltaic conversion of sunlight, wind energy, ocean thermal energy conversion systems, and the conversion of solar-produced organic materials and biological wastes into clean-burning fuels.

Emphasis will be continued and expanded to involve private industry and enterprise in all phases of the solar energy research, development and demonstration program in order to accelerate the transition of solar technology to the

commercial sector. The early involvement of potential users in the research process and in the formulation and monitoring of the program elements ensures that the proper questions are being addressed and answered and that specific energy systems or study results conform to market needs and constraints.

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The general assumptions development of solar energy systems are: there are no insurmountable technical barriers to their commercial application, and numerous conversion methods are known; there is promise of achieving cost competitiveness; and utilization of solar energy has minimal environmental impact. In particular, solar energy systems will conserve domestic fossil fuels, reduce imports of energy, create new exportable technology products, and thereby improve the nation's balance of trade.

As a result of research and development projects underway and planned it is anticipated that by the early 1980s, solar energy systems such as heating and cooling of buildings, wind energy, and bioconversion to fuels, will be commercially available at competitive prices for selected applications. Other technologies-solar thermal, photovoltaic, and ocean thermal-can be ready for large-scale private sector utilization by the late 1980s.

The major problem in each technology area is to develop systems that are economically acceptable to the public and commercial sectors. This requires innovative engineering as well as new and improved approaches to solar energy collection, energy storage, transport and conversion; new system approaches; and, perhaps most importantly, investigation of new and cheaper materials to improve system performance, reliability, and economic attractiveness.

Important problems must be solved also dealing with social, legal, regulatory, environmental and economic factors associated with widespread utilization of solar energy systems.

Solar Heating and

Cooling of Buildings

The goal of this subprogram is to achieve the widespread utilization of solar heating systems and heating and cooling systems for all purposes that are economically viable as well as socially and environmentally acceptable. These purposes apply to all types of buildings in all regions of the U.S.

and include agricultural applications such as crop drying, greenhouses, animal shelters and water heating for a wide range of domestic and industrial needs. To accomplish this goal the major emphasis will be on activities associated with the implementation of the Solar Heating and Cooling Demonstration Act of 1974, including a research and development (R&D) program to complement the demonstration program.

The demonstration and R&D activities in this subprogram are structured to achieve the following specific objectives:

1. to employ climatic and insolation data in feasibility determinations, system analysis and optimization, and system designs;

2. to perform analyses of the performance and operational data resulting from solar heating and cooling systems installed in a variety of buildings;

3. to prove the practical viability and reliability of promising new concepts and system

configurations;

4. to acquire performance and cost data and document design, construction, and operational experience;

5. to establish a viable range of system applications and compile extensive performance, reliability, aesthetic, safety and life cycle cost data;

6. to demonstrate the economics of solar systems for industrial, building, and banking

communities;

7. to expedite widespread utilization of solar energy heating and cooling by involving the user community in the demonstration programs; and

8. to reduce technical and financial risk associated with the introduction of a new technology.

The special projects, e.g. school heat augmentation experiments, mobile laboratory, and agricultural experiments, and the other experiments resulting from the National Solar Energy Program activities in FY 1974 and FY 1975 are being integrated into the first phases of the demonstration projects under the Heating and Cooling Demonstration Act of 1974. The activities and results of these experiments will provide a solid technology and experience base for the acceleration of construction under the phased planning of the Demonstration Act. First phase solar system design studies initiated in FY 1975

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under the new Act will be followed by additional system design studies and selection demonstration projects in FY 1976.

A program of research will be continued in cooperation with the private sector to meet the primary needs for the widespread application of solar energy in the heating and cooling of buildings, to reduce acquisition costs and improve performance, and to prove advanced subsystems and systems. Innovative system and subsystem concepts will be studied and evaluated through experiments conducted where warranted. Improvements over existing technology are required to obtain economic viability in the varied applications required to make a significant energy impact. These improved materials, subsystems and systems will be incorporated into demonstration projects as soon as practical in the continuing new cycles of demonstrations.

The support of technology transfer activities will be continued. Such activities include the preparation of technical material for professional, semiprofessional and specialized journals of various user groups, as well as the dissemination of research results through information systems, public media, educational institutions, workshops, symposia, and demonstration centers. The American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air Conditioning Engineers will continue to incorporate research material into the "ASHRAE Guide for the Use of Engineers Engaged in Designing Solar Heating and Cooling Systems". The development of handbooks will be continued with organizations such as the American Institute of Architects, American Society of Mechanical Engineers, and the National Association of Home Builders.

Technical developments required for the application of solar energy include component and system improvements, system optimization, and cost reduction. Major cost reductions are expected based upon engineering innovation, technology breakthroughs, and development of new concepts. Research will be focused on specific areas, such as: 1. collectors,

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Also, investigations will address material selection; service life; ease of maintenance; safety; reduction of energy losses; increased collector losses; increased collector temperatures (particularly to improve cooling cycle efficiency); reduction of manufacturing, distribution, and installation costs; integration of collectors with roofs and walls; use of collectors as shading devices; and suitability for addition to existing buildings as well as new structures. Improved methods of energy storage will be investigated. Systems and subsystems including controls, heat pumps, heat exchangers and fluid circulating systems will be optimized for solar applications.

Research and development is being supported and will be expanded on relatively passive systems for utilizing solar energy to reduce needs for fossil fuels in heating and cooling buildings and facilities. Demonstrations of these systems in suitable regions of the U.S. will be expanded. These systems involve the design, optimization and control of exterior surfaces of buildings along with suitable heat storage and heat transfer building system functions to stabilize temperatures inside of buildings. Cooling can be effected by means of natural radiation or other types of radiation controls.

The planning under the Heating and Cooling Demonstration Act of 1974 is projecting a large number of projects over the five-year period beginning with FY 1975, including residential, single and multi-family, and commercial and industrial building systems. Phased construction of these projects over a period of about four years allows the introduction of improved systems based upon results from research projects and from earlier experiments.

The first phase of design activity associated with the Heating and Cooling Demonstration Act of 1974 will be initiated in FY 1975 and will be completed early in FY 1976. Upon completion of this design activity a sufficient number of candidate sites/building types/systems will be available to enable selection of demonstrations for initiation in late FY 1975 and in FY 1976. Several of the projects initiated in FY 1975 will become operational in FY 1976 and will provide operational experience and data necessary for the design of improved systems to be initiated in FY 1976. Further consideration will be given to the use of Federal buildings for projects, tests, and evaluations of solar heating and cooling systems.

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