Chapter 6: Solar Geometry

Chapter 6: Solar Geometry

“A building cannot be energy efficient if it is not solar responsive.

Orientation is the most valuable energy-saving strategy.”

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 Chapter 6: Solar Geometry

1. The Sun
- The amount and composition of solar radiation reaching the outer edge of the earth’s
atmosphere are quite unvarying and are called the solar constant;
- The amount and composition of the radiation reaching the earth’s surface, however, vary
widely with sun angles, elevation, and the composition of the atmosphere;

2. Tilt of the Earth’s Axis

- Because the tilt of the earth’s axis is fixed,
the Northern Hemisphere faces the sun in
JUNE and the Southern Hemisphere faces
the sun in DECEMBER

Figure 6.3: The earth’s axis of rotation is tilted to the

plane of the elliptical orbit. The distance to the sun is
4.8mn km closer in January than in July

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3. Consequences of the Altitude Angle

- Vertical angle at which the sun’s rays strike the earth is called the ALTITUDE ANGLE
o ALTITUDE ANGLE is a function of the latitude, time of year, and time of day.
o It is equal to 90* minus the latitude

Figure 6.5a: On the equinox the sun’s altitude (A) at solar noon at any place on earth is equal to
90* minus the latitude (L)

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- There are two important consequences of this altitude angle on climate and the seasons:
o Frist Effect: at low angle the sun’s rays pass through more of the atmosphere 
consequently, the radiation reaching the surface will be weaker and more modified in
composition.

Figure 6.5b: The altitude angle determines how much of the solar radiation will be
absorbed by the atmosphere 5
 Chapter 6: Solar Geometry

o Second Effect: it is illustrated by using Cosine Law – which states that a given beam of
sunlight will illuminate larger areas as the sun gets lower in the sky.
 As given sunbeam is spread over larger areas, the sunlight on each square unit of land
naturally gets weaker.
 Amount of sunlight that a surface receives changes with the cosine of the angle
between the sun’s rays and the normal to the surface.

Figure 6.5c: a vertical sunbeam with a cross section of 1m2 will heat 1m2 of land. At a certain low-altitude
angle, however, that same 1m2 sunbeam will heat 2m2 of land. Consequently, each square meter of land
receives only half the solar heating. Thus, as the altitude angle decreases, so does the heating of the land.
This phenomenon is called the cosine law, because the radiation received by a surface is a function of the
cosine of angle measure from the normal to the surface
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4. The Sky Dome

- When all the points for one day are connected, we get a line on the sky dome called – SUN PATH
for the day;
- Since the solar radiation is quite weak in the early and late hours of the day, the part of the sky
dome through which the most power sunrays enter is called the solar window;

Figure 6.8a: The sky dome and the three sun paths of June 21, September/March 21, and December 21 are shown
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5. Determining Altitude and Azimuth Angles

- Component angles – easiest way to work with the compound angle of sunrays. During direct
radiation . . .

o Vertical Angle from this

projection to the sunrays is
called the ALTITUDE – it
tells us how high the sun is
in the sky;

o Horizontal Angle which is

measured from south on a
north-south line is called
the AZIMUTH.

Figure 6.9a: Definition of altitude and azimuth angles.

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6. Sun-path Diagrams
- Sun-path diagrams are very helpful in creating a mental model of the sun’s motion across the sky
– the diagrams can also be used for visualizing and documenting the solar window and any
obstacles that might be blocking it;
- Three-dimensional models of the sun-path diagrams are especially helpful in understanding the
complex geometry of sun angles
o Horizontal Sun-path Diagram | Vertical Sun-path Diagram

Figure 6.11C: Horizontal sun-path diagram. Figure 6.12a: Vertical Sun-path diagram 9
 Chapter 6: Solar Geometry

7. Drawing Sun Beams

- Ability to draw sunbeams accurately is extremely important, because only correctly drawn
sunbeams can prove that a particular solar responsive design actually works;
<GUIDELINES FOR DRAWING A SUNBEAM IS ILLUSTRATED ON PAGE 151>

Figure 6.13a: This figure illustrates the distortions that result when a sunbeam is out of the plane of the section
of the five sunrays shown in the plan; only one is in the plane of the section. Thus, only one sunbeam can be
drawn accurately in this section. However, if the sunbeam is less than 10* out of the section, the distortion is
insignificant, and if it is less than 20* out of the section, it can still be drawn without creating a significant error.

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8. Solar Site Evaluation Tools

- There are various tools available for analyzing a site with regard to solar access . . .
o Heliodons: it is used to
stimulate shade, shadows, sun
penetration, and solar access on a
scale model;
 In the heliodons shown in
Fig 6.17a, we can see the
light moving on a circular
track to stimulate time of
day. The track slides
forward and back to
simulate time of year, and it is
tilted to stimulate the
latitude;
 Heliodons are excellent
tools for creating solar-
Figure 6.17a: This type of heliodon was developed by Szokolay
responsive designs;
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o Sundials for Model Testing: the least expensive way to test models for shading,
solar access, and day-lighting is to use a sundial
 Sundial is used to rotate and tilt a model so that the shadows correspond to the time
of day and year to be analyzed;

 Sundial will be mounted on a model so that its south and that of the model align – the
model along with the sundial is then rotated and tilted until the shadow of the gnomon
(peg) points to the time and day to be analyzed;

 Sundial important advantage in regard to testing physical models – when sun is used as
a source of light, great accuracy is achieved in modeling shadows and sunbeams;

 Sundial disadvantage in regard to testing physical models – sun can be used only
during the day and some areas do not have sun on some times of the year. A slightly
less accurate but sometimes more practical use of the sundial is in conjunction with an
electric light source, such as a slide or video projector at the end of a corridor.

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9. Conclusion

…. With so many solar-responsive design strategies to choose from, which ones should be used
and is there any priority in the selection for the designer? The concept of “pick the low-hanging
fruit first” is always smart advice . . .

- Building Orientation: the lowest hanging and most important solar “fruit” is orientation. It is
critical for just about every other solar strategy, and it is free;

- Color: the greenest color is white, because it significantly reduces the heat gain of buildings,
cities, and the planet. White walls are 30 percent cooler than dark walls such as common brick,
and white roofs are 50 percent cooler than black roofs;

- Window placement and size: although some designers believe that each façade should look
the same, that belief is no sustainable, and of dubious aesthetic validity  Ideal window
placement design is responsive for the environment it is built in.

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- Shading: since air-conditioning is a major energy consumer and since it is becoming an ever
larger percent of the energy use of buildings on a global scale, shading is increasingly important
in creating a sustainable world;

- Passive Solar: this strategy adopts a design solution for a building design rather than any
mechanical heating system;

- Solar Chimney: it is a passive device for ventilating a building in the summer by using the heat
of the sun;

- Daylighting: it can significantly reduce that amount – the cost of a day-lighting system can vary
from zero to substantial depending on how it is done;
o It costs zero when the low-hanging fruits of building orientation, window placement and
window size are used appropriately;

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- Active Solar: use collector panels to harvest the heat of the sun for heating water or air, and
they use fans or pumps to move that heat indoors;
o Active system can also be used to heat a building, especially if the limited solar access
prevents the use of passive solar but is available high on the roof;

- Photovoltaics (PV): it is a wonderful method for harvesting the sun to create that most useful
form of energy – electricity. However, PV is the highest solar fruit because at present it is still
expensive.

“….. because heating, cooling, and lighting are major energy users, and
because they are all heavily impacted by the sun, a building or a city cannot
be sustainable unless, they are solar responsive!”

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