The Solar House Project is an initiative of the Ministry to create greater awareness of renewable energy and the benefits of using various energy conservation technologies for enhanced energy efficiency.
The Solar House Project
The house has different kinds of insulation in the roof to act as a thermal barrier. Insulation is also strategically placed in the walls that will be heavily exposed to sunlight for the same purpose. The windows have a reflective tint to deflect sunlight allow for cooling, this is enhanced by overhangs at each window. In addition to the foregoing, ceiling fans are also included in four of the rooms to enable any warm air that gathers to circulate. To reinforce the idea of efficiency, the toilet chosen is a low flow model and the faucets have been fitted with aerators to reduce water wastage.
The house is powered by five (5) sets of four (4) photovoltaic (PV) panel arrays leading to 2 kilowatts (KW). These are used to maintain the charge in 12 deep cycle batteries which will actually power the house. The batteries generate a direct current (dc) and must be converted to and alternating current (ac) in order for it to be utilized by normal appliances, this is done using an inverter.
Within the house a number of other renewable energy devices are on display such as solar powered chimes, solar powered toys, solar powered fans and a sun-pipe skylight.