HEATING SMALL & MEDIUM-SIZE REMOTE BUILDINGS

USING WIND-POWER AND SOLAR ENERGY

Jean-Louis PAPEL
July 2016
[email protected]

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Contents:

1. Introduction ..................................................................................................................................... 3
2. Technical considerations ................................................................................................................. 4
2.1 Foreword: Back in the history ... ............................................................................................. 4
2.2 Wind power ............................................................................................................................. 4
2.3 Solar energy ............................................................................................................................. 5
3. General considerations on the heat-production system design ..................................................... 6
3.1 General architecture of the wind-power system ................................................................... 6
3.2 Multi-blade windmill ............................................................................................................... 8
3.3 Water-stirrer.......................................................................................................................... 11
3.4 The water-tanks..................................................................................................................... 16
3.5 The metallic tower................................................................................................................. 18
3.6 The building's architecture .................................................................................................... 21
3.7 The solar system .................................................................................................................... 24
3.7.1 Heating solar panels ...................................................................................................... 24
3.7.2 Photovoltaic solar panels .............................................................................................. 24
4. Preliminary design of the project .................................................................................................. 25
4.1 Wind-power........................................................................................................................... 25
4.2 Solar energy ........................................................................................................................... 25
4.3 Building's heat losses............................................................................................................. 27
4.4 Photovoltaic production ........................................................................................................ 28
4.5 Summary table ...................................................................................................................... 29

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1. Introduction

The purpose of this project is to demonstrate the feasibility of heating a small or medium-size
building using renewable energies such as wind power and solar energy. It implements a completely
new concept: wind-power will be used directly, without going through generation of electricity, by
mere friction of paddles rotating continuously into water during hours and days of windy periods.
This constitutes the most efficient and most economical way to transform wind-power into heat.
Solar power will be implemented mainly with heating-solar-panels in large quantities, but also with
photovoltaic-panels to run the several water pumps feeding the solar panels and the heat-pumps
occasionally operated when the temperature in the seasonal water-tank storage is not sufficient to
be used directly.

A windmill of reasonable size (around five meters in diameter) and with a specific multi-blades design
(around 30 blades: a lot more than the three-blades wind-turbines that are widely used to produce
electricity at small or large scale), will be implemented on a 20-meters mast on top of the building.
This building will be designed to include in its foundations a fairly large tank of water (about six
hundred cubic-meters), thermally insulated to constitute a heat-storage of sufficient capacity to offer
a large autonomy of heating over a whole winter.

The top of the building to be heated will integrate a large and plane area facing full-south, with a
slope at an angle versus horizon optimized for the latitude of the installation place. It will house the
heating-solar-panels in sufficient quantities. The contribution of the solar-heating-panels in the
overall heating of the building might be marginal according to the country, compared to the wind-
power contribution.

In reality, since it is obviously easier and more economical to implement solar-heating than heating
through wind-power, the present solution is certainly more dedicated to windy-regions where sunny
periods are seldom even in summer, and where severe temperatures in winter require heating the
buildings during several months. High latitude regions (north and south) like for instance Scotland or
Scandinavian countries are particularly concerned, all the more in remote places where easy-access
to the electricity network or gas-supply is not available. Nevertheless, the wind-power system being
designed to be very low-cost, an economical model may be found in regions with less extreme
conditions.

This project makes use of a large number of different technologies in the field of renewable energy,
then it is suggested that a first demonstrator be installed in the commercial zone of an industrial city
in the north of Europe, where many industrials in the field could expose their products in operating
conditions to a large audience of professionals and particulars. It would constitute an extraordinary
and spectacular flagship attracting people from the whole region.

This project will result with a low-cost design, validated by a real testing in situation. The windmill
and the water-mixer are low-technology machines easy to reproduce at large scales by medium-
range workshops or small industries. The building is also accessible to local civil engineering
companies. It may be used for a wide variety of purposes: housing, commercial or social premises.

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2. Technical considerations

2.1 Foreword: Back in the history ...

Let us remind our courses of physics, when we were taught how the famous physicist James Prescott
Joule demonstrated in 1843 the perfect equivalence between the mechanical work and the heat. His
experiment used a calorimeter thermally insulated, filled with water and stirred with paddles
activated via pulleys, by heavy loads falling down.

This project reproduces the Joule’s experiment at a much larger scale, replacing the mechanism by a
windmill to produce the required work. The heat generated and stored in the water-tanks allows the
heating of the building.

The whole energy available on the shaft of the windmill and transferred to the calorimeter, is bound
to be integrally transformed into heat. By definition, there cannot be a more efficient way to use
wind energy, all the more that there is a perfect matching between the level of produced and
required temperatures. Also, the mechanism to produce heat is obviously simple and easy to
implement.

2.2 Wind power

Contrarily to wind-turbines requiring high rotating velocities before starting to produce electricity,
water-stirring does not necessitate this. Instead, a high torque is required at low velocity to stir large
quantities of water.

The multi-blades-type windmills widely used during years in the farms to pump underground-water,
is perfectly suited for our application. They start even with very low wind-speeds ensuring wide
percentages of time of operation. Also, due to the reduced rotational speed, this type of windmill is
very silent, which is of interest since it will be implemented very close to the occupants of the
building.

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The most important point in the operation of a windmill (or of an electricity-generating wind-
turbine), is the yield of the machine. The design of the blades and particularly the specific angle of
incidence made by the blades with the air-flow, results in the necessity to permanently and strictly
respect a specific and constant ratio between the instantaneous velocity of the wind, and the
rotation-speed of the windmill (U/V=λD). If this ratio is not respected at every moment, the efficiency
rapidly collapses as well as the power produced. So the rotational-speed of the machine will be
controlled by varying the load on its shaft. When generating electricity, this control is made by
varying the current drained from the generator, which is not an easy task since the wind variations
may be very sudden contrarily to the reactions of the electrical network. In our application the load
on the shaft will be controlled by automatically adjusting the quantity of water in the stirrer. The
means to implement this control will be detailed in the next paragraph. A patent has been obtained
from the INPI organization in France, for such an operation.

2.3 Solar energy

Solar energy will be the second contributor for the production of heat. The area of implemented
panels will be worked-out and adjusted according to the country. It is very difficult to predict the
yearly heat production of a system of solar panels since the yield depends greatly of the temperature
of the circulating water and therefore of the load-status of the storage water-tank, and of the
instantaneous irradiation. The green curve on the following diagrams shows that the yield may even
shrink to zero when the temperature of the water-tank is high and the irradiation low (overcast
weather or hours slightly away from mid-day).

Some assumptions have been done with the temperature of the storage varying cyclically more or
less on a sinusoidal rhythm between 80°C in September (end of reload period) and 60°C in March
(end of discharge period). The yield has therefore been evaluated and the production estimated.

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 This project will allow to put in place a method to better size the various elements versus the
meteorological conditions. In the meantime, the solar panels being modular, it will be easy to
adapt the number of implemented heating solar panels or to exchange them with photovoltaic
solar panels, in order to reach as much as possible a complete autonomy in terms of heating the
building all over the year.

Initially up to 180 m² of heating solar panels and 64 m² of photovoltaic panels could be installed.

Note: Contrarily to the one of the heating solar panels, the production of wind power is very well
predictive. The yield does not depend at all of the water temperature in the storage tanks. 100%
of the produced power will be converted into heat and transferred to the storage.

3. General considerations on the heat-production system design

3.1 General architecture of the wind-power system

An explicit drawing showing the various parts of the wind-power heating system assembled in a
working configuration is presented hereafter.

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The multi-blades windmill is coupled to the water-stirrer by means of a vertical transmission shaft.
The water-stirrer is installed into the highest part of the hollow reinforced-concrete column, the rest
of which constituting the 128m3 primary water-tank. This column supports the metallic tower of the
windmill and also constitutes the skeleton of the multi-storey building.

After a long period without wind, the water-stirrer is empty. As soon as the wind begins to blow, the
windmill will start easily since no resisting torque is applied to its shaft.

The water is pumped from the water-tank into the stirrer by means of a pump which is mechanically
coupled on the windmill's shaft via a kit of pinions and chain, and then the water is permanently
pumped upwards proportionally to the rotational speed. Alternatively electrical water-pumps may be
implemented.

The level of water inside the stirrer is controlled via a specifically designed valve equipped with a
step-by-step electric motor that opens progressively, and lets the water back to the primary tank
down-below.

After a few hours of operation, the exit water by the water-gate is significantly hotter than the input
water.

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The electronic circuit is fed by the current generated by an external wind-gauge and a tachometer
coupled on the shaft of the windmill.
Both signals are processed by an electronic integrator that filters and averages the quick
instantaneous variations of the wind over about one minute, in order to avoid oscillations of the
system.
The signal resulting of the combination of those signals is processed to make it representative of the
instantaneous U/V ratio of the windmill, and to make it linear.
The output is compared to a target representative of the optimum D tip-speed ratio, and a control
signal is issued to feed the step-by-step motor of the water-gate, so that its opening angle is
increased or decreased in view of cancelling the previous differential signal (positive or negative).

In the absence of wind, or for very low wind velocities, the intensity of the current generated by the
anemometer remains below an adjustable threshold, which results in the complete opening of the
water-gate. As soon as a sufficient signal appears at the output of the anemometer, the water-gate is
completely shut-down till the above mentioned regulation starts (when the differential signal crosses
from negative to positive).
The optimum yield is therefore permanent. When the wind blows during a long period at the same
speed, once the equilibrium is reached, then the input flow from the pump equals the output flow by
the valve.

Some skills have to be invested into the

development of an optimized servo-mechanism
with a control-loop reactivity taking into account
the instantaneous variations of the wind-speed as
generally observed on the site on one hand, and
Anemometer
the inertia of the system in terms of controlling the
level of water in the stirrer and therefore the
Integrator
V resulting brake-effect, on the other hand.
Specific Integrator Tachometer
speed
calculation Ω This development could be sub-contracted to an
λ
university classroom, expert in the design of servo-
12V mechanisms.
Target λD

Water-gate The resulting electronic device could be based on a

control
very cheap "Arduino-like" printed-circuit using
Linux as operating system.

3.2 Multi-blade windmill

The blades of the proposed windmill, due to the required low rotational-speed do not need
to be designed with a sophisticated aerodynamic airfoil section, like for the wind-turbines
generating electricity. Instead, mere steal-sheets will be used. They will be slightly bended

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longitudinally according to calculations to reflect the optimum incident angle required versus
the distance to the central hub.

The size, bend and twist of the blades have been carefully worked-out using the Schmitz
formulas of the wind-turbines theory, so that the optimum efficiency will be performed.

The consequence is a low-weight and low-cost windmill, and its construction and assembly
made possible in local workshops, in case the model proves to be economically viable for
implementation at large scales. Only the central hub and the intermediate ring, equipped
with pre-formed pieces to maintain the bended blades in place, could have to be
manufactured by major industrial actors.

In order to be more economical, it is proposed to benefit from existing parts of the car-
industry and to use the rear-axle with differential of a rear-driven car for the transmission.
This sturdy device is very reliable and perfectly adapted for our application. The windmill will
be attached on one end, the other end being immobilized in rotation, while the 90° depart
will be connected to the vertical shaft via a standard shaft-drive. A massive and sturdy rubber
silent-block absorber will be inserted in the transmission shaft in order to accommodate for
the sudden wind-speed variations.

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The rear-axle assembly will be secured on a platform equipped with a large motorized ring
and ball-bearings, the same type as the ones that are widely used with small tower cranes.
The electric motor/brake drives the windmill facing the wind, using the information of the
external wind-gauge. The braking effect is required to avoid the windmill natural tendency to
turn around the tower, by counteracting the stirrer mechanism.

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 The motor is also used to automatically drive the windmill in the bed of the wind in case of
violent storms that could otherwise be destructive for the machine.

The center of the hub is kept hollow to minimize the aerodynamic drag that is supported by
the tower. Anyhow the participation to the overall power, of the portion of the blades near
the center is negligible.

3.3 Water-stirrer

The water-stirrer is the place where the heat is effectively generated. So it is a masterpiece of
the system design. It is constituted by an assembly of rotating paddles and fixed-inversed
paddles in order to create a maximum of hydrodynamic turbulences, generating the heat by
water friction. The stirrer acts like a huge hydraulic brake, and the resulting heat can be

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compared to the one observed around the brakes of a vehicle after a long ride down a steady
hill.

An example of the possible inner-mechanism of the stirrer is shown here-below.

The exact shape of the paddles could be determined empirically first, and then finalized by
sub-contracting to experts specialized in hydrodynamics and able to perform simulations
using dedicated softwares. In fact the resisting torque must be as much as possible linearly
proportional to the level of water within the stirrer, in order to smoothen the operation of
the servo-mechanism.

It must offer a sufficient torque to fully counteract the power produced by the
windmill at the strongest expected winds, but as soon as this is verified, one can
be sure that 100% of the produced power will be transformed into heat in the
stirrer, whatever the design of the paddles (dixit Mr Joule !).

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 1/4 Insulating cover
Welded
fixation of Bicycle chain
the tower on
Lightning rod
the octogonal
IPN Water pump
framework
Stirrer cage

Fixed paddle

High pressure
inflatable shock
absorber

Concrete
primary
réservoir

Reflecting film

Stirrer Rotor

Square-base
entangled towers
Anchoring bolt
Step-by-step
motor Overflow pipe

Insulating panel (30cm)

Water-valve
Octogonal iron welded IPN framework

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The design must allow the stirrer to be completely and easily disassembled for maintenance
reasons.

The various ball-bearings must be waterproof-type since they will be permanently operating
under water. The metallic parts will be thoroughly protected against rust and corrosion.

The manufacturing of this type of stirrer does not need highly sophisticated machine-tools. It
might be realized in local workshops using precise plans and recommendations.

The horizontal intermediary octagonal partition sits on a shoulder of the concrete wall inside
the central column. The sealing has not to be perfectly waterproof since the stirrer is
permanently fed by the pump and the water must anyhow flow more or less permanently
through the control-valve. The bottom of the pipe feeding the water-pump must be always
immersed in the water primary tank down below.

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 Windmill shaft

Gears and chain

Step-by-
step motor Rotor
Motorized
water-gate water outlet

Variable level of
water in the stirrer
Fixed
paddle
Slight widening of the
reservoir structure to sit
the partition
Partition
Water-pump

Water reservoir

The stirrer is secured against the inner-walls of the column by means of several inflatable
shock-absorbers all around it, thus preventing vibration noises being heard by the occupants
of the building. Although they are redundant in numbers, their pressure is constantly
monitored for security reasons. The octagonal inner section of the column prevents the
stirrer to self rotate under the windmill's force.

The top of the column is sealed with an insulating cover in four parts, that can be easily
removed for access to the stirrer for maintenance reasons.

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 Silent bloc

Chineese
hat Drive
shaft

Insulating cover

Octagonal framework

Anchoring bolt
Ventilation
shutter
Mobile paddle Cage Fixed paddle
Photovoltaic
Solar panel

Concrete
reservoir

Inflatable
bag

A comparative study between the use of water or oil for the operating fluid of the system has
been performed. It analyses as well the thermal efficiency point of view, and the other
operation and maintenance aspects. Finally water has been selected for our project.

3.4 The water-tanks

The primary water-tank as said before, takes advantage of the hollow structure of the
column made of reinforced concrete supporting the tower and the building. It is 2.5m inside
diameter and about 15m high. Its cross-section is octagonal inside and outside. It must be
heavily insulated inside the building to prevent undesired heating in summertime, although
the produced heat will be directly transferred to the underground auxiliary tanks in summer.
Massive shoulders in form of thickness variations of the outer-walls are arranged at each
storey-level to support the floors-structure of the building. They are not shown on the
sketch. They give a slightly pyramidal shape to the column, increasing its stability.

In the drawing here-below, the four auxiliary tanks are shown at various steps of their
implementation. Insulation is represented in yellow.

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The auxiliary water-tanks are fitted in the basement of the building. They constitute the most
important volume of heating storage. Four independent rectangular tanks are arranged
around the central column-tank as shown on the above drawing. Each individual tank is
poured in place and made of plain reinforced concrete floor and walls about 15cm thick,
"floating" on and between layers of dense polystyrene panels. This is to avoid cracks in their
structure and subsequent leaks that could immobilize the complete system, all the more if
there were a single auxiliary tank. They are about 2-meters high. Their number gives some
flexibility to the system and in particular to the possible heating strategies. The water may be
circulated from a tank to another, according to the strategy.

In this preliminary project-design, the basement is a square with sides of about 20 meters.
The resulting overall storage volume is about 660 cubic meters in total (128m3 for the
primary and 4 times 133m3 for the auxiliaries), after subtraction of the insulation thickness.

The outer structure of the basement is made of thick plain reinforced-concrete walls and
floor, that will support the external walls of the building above. The lateral insulation
thickness around the auxiliary tanks, is a little more than one meter. It is realized for
instance, by filling the gap between the basement walls and the external walls of the water-
tanks, with polystyrene foam-particles obtained by crushing recycled packaging stuff. This
important thickness has been worked-out to minimize the thermal leaks over the year. It is
confirmed by several existing implementations in the world, mainly in Switzerland and
Canada. The insulation under the tanks is 20cm extruded XPS polystyrene selected for its
capability to support heavy loads.

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3.5 The metallic tower

The metallic tower supports the windmill and must be sized to resist the important drag load
when the wind is storming. Therefore, two entangled square-section towers will be
implemented as shown on the following top-view.

They are erected on a one-piece welded-iron ring of the exact size of the top of the plain
concrete column of the building. This ring will be firmly anchored together with the erection
of the column.

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The first section of the tower is about 10-meters high. This height will be governed by
aerodynamic reasons in order for the windmill to escape as much as possible from the wind
turbulences generated by the building.

Then a reduction of the section occurs and the final section of about 10 meters is straight
again so that the windmill can rotate freely around the tower according to the direction of
the wind. The rotating platform is firmly secured at the top of the tower.

The tower is designed so that the octagonal resulting section (as seen on a top-view), slightly
exceeds the section of the structure of the water-stirrer, with the shock-absorbers being
deflated, so that it can be extracted and removed easily for maintenance reasons. Some main
structure beams on the southern face must also be able to be removed temporarily (in the
absence of wind) without jeopardizing the integrity of the tower, the time to pass the water-
stirrer out of the tower and get it down to the terrace on the roof. Then the beams are
restored, till the reinsertion of the new (or maintained) stirrer.

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The tower must therefore integrate a permanent retractable winch able to put down to the
roof-terrace heavy components like the entire windmill, the water-stirrer or the solar panels.

Depending on the nature of the fault, the faulty component may be repaired directly on the
terrace or removed via a truck-mounted winch of sufficient extent and transported along to a
workshop.

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3.6 The building's architecture

The building is erected around the vertical reservoir, which is both the heating core and the
main structure.
The general shape of the building is ruled by the importance to minimize the created
turbulences that could disrupt the smooth operation of the windmill. Optimized
aerodynamics is required, whatever the direction of the wind.

The cross-section of the building is therefore octagonal in our project. The building being
preferably erected on top of a hill with gentle slopes to reinforce the wind, a nice scenery can
be expected all around. Large windows and balconies will then be implemented on the
periphery.

A very important point is to reserve a large and plane area (about 180 m²) facing full-south
for the installation of the heating solar panels, with a slope versus horizon, characteristics of
the latitude of the site-location. Hence the specific form of the proposed building's roof as
shown on the various drawings.

The junction between the central column and the roof is with a pyramidal shape in order to
integrate three large triangular photovoltaic panels of 21 m² each, facing south, south-east
and south-west. The top of the pyramid will be equipped with electrically-driven shutters,
allowing a natural ventilation of the building, in association with a Canadian-well, in summer.

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The rest of the roof is made of an accessible flat terrace that will ease the maintenance of the
various equipment. This terrace will also be accessible to the public visiting the installations
or for enjoying the scenery. It will be equipped with a safety guardrail all around.

The square basement of the building containing the auxiliary water-tanks will be completely
underground for aesthetic reasons, but also to benefit from the nearly constant 15°C
temperature of the soil all over the year. Above the auxiliary tanks an underground
technical-room houses the various water pumps, heat pumps, battery plants and spare parts
stores. Four hatches are reserved in the ground of the technical-room to easily access the
four auxiliary water-tanks, for inspection and maintenance.

The floors at each storey of the building will integrate a low-temperature heating-system fed
from the water-storage directly or through the heat-pumps.

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3.7 The solar system

3.7.1 Heating solar panels

Modular heating solar panels will be installed on the roof of the building to complement the
wind-energy capacity in terms of heat reload in summer and winter, and therefore increase
the autonomy of the system. They will be arranged to fill-up aesthetically the shape of the
semi-octagonal inclined-roof and will constitute an assembly of about 80 standard units.
Maintenance will be eased by the reduced-size of the resulting individual panels. The panels
under maintenance will be safely handled using the winch permanently integrated in the
metallic tower supporting the windmill.

The water will be circulated through the panels via several electrical pumps controlled by a
servo-mechanism deciding whether or not to activate them and at which flow-rate, according
to the prevailing sun radiation and the temperature of the water in the various tanks.

According to the season, it might be preferable to circulate the water with lower
temperature in the panels to increase their yield, or to concentrate the heating into one
particular auxiliary tank in order to get a sufficiently hot water without going through the
heat-pumps.

3.7.2 Photovoltaic solar panels

As mentioned earlier, three large 21 m² triangular photovoltaic panels will be installed on the
pyramidal part of the roof. They will feed large-capacity stationary battery plants installed in
the underground storey of the building for easy access to the maintenance and replacement.
An inverter of sufficient capacity will be implemented close to the battery-plant to produce
the 220V alternating current for feeding lighting, water-pumps and electronic appliances in
the building, as well as the heat-pumps used occasionally in winter, when the temperature of
the water of the four auxiliary tanks is not sufficient to feed directly the heating-floors of the
building. The heat-pumps being reversible may be used to air-condition the building in
summer, their hot-source elements returning the calories to the water-tanks. Nevertheless, a
system based on the natural circulation of fresh air taken from a Canadian-well, will be
preferred.

Wind

Opening « under-
the-wind »

Porous jars
with water

Canadian well

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4. Preliminary design of the project

A preliminary design has been performed using the meteorological data of the city of
Dunkerque in the north of France, where strong winds are permanently experienced all over
the year, and where sunny periods are very seldom, even in summer.

4.1 Wind-power

The expected wind-power participation all over the year is calculated using the Weibull
method and the main results are reported in the following table:

Dunkerque Weibull Vmoy (m/s) Weibull Scale Mensual

(North of France) shape according to parameter wind energy
parameter documented (Beta) 5-meter windmill
(k) report (kWh)

January 2,2 7,3 8,24 2 313

February 2,2 6,6 7,45 1 599
March 2,2 6,7 7,57 1 788
April 2,2 6,2 7,00 1 371
May 2,2 5,7 6,44 1 101
June 2,2 5,8 6,55 1 123
July 2,2 5,6 6,32 1 044
August 2,2 5,6 6,32 1 044
September 2,2 5,9 6,66 1 182
October 2,2 6,1 6,89 1 349
November 2,2 6,6 7,45 1 654
December 2,2 7,2 8,13 2 219
17 786

4.2 Solar energy

The table below, presents the maximum yield of the solar panels (in the fourth column),
occurring in the initial starting phase when the temperature of the water in the storage tanks
is low (about 15°C). As discussed in paragraph §2.2, in operational conditions, the yield and
therefore the global heat production is significantly less. A preliminary estimation of the
actual production taking into account the high temperature of the storage is presented in the
fifth column.

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Dunkerque Solar potential Solar potential at 30° Max solar Estimated solar
(North of France) on horizontal tilt angle contribution contribution in
plane (kWh/m²) with DT=0°C operational
(kWh/m²) (kWh/month) conditions
(kWh/month)
January 22 30 4 050 2 352
February 38 49 6 615 4 106
March 77 93 12 555 7 981
April 117 128 17 280 10 988
May 152 156 21 060 12 721
June 166 165 22 275 12 734
July 158 159 21 465 11 691
August 133 141 19 035 9 861
September 95 112 15 120 7 560
October 56 74 9 990 4 882
November 26 37 4 995 2 462
December 17 24 3 240 1 714
Total: 1 057 1 168 157 680 89 051

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4.3 Building's heat losses

A preliminary calculation of the heat-losses of the building taking into account the
characteristics of the materials has been performed. It has been supposed 10 hours per day
of heating, for a building dedicated to offices.

Types Area Number Cumulated Total area per Type of materials 1/K K heat losses
(m²) areas types (W/m².°C) (W/°C)
(m²) (m²)
Walls # 1 42,8 3 128,4
1cm coated plaster +
Walls # 2 45,8 2 91,6 20cm banché concrete
421,6 2,35 0,43 179,4
Walls # 3 64,1 2 128,2 + 8cm insulation + 1cm
Walls # 4 73,4 1 73,4 coated cement

Horizontal terrace 79,4 1 79,4 1cm coated plaster +

20cm banché concrete
260,1 2,32 0,43 112,1
+ 8cm insulation + 1cm
30° inclined roof 180,7 1 180,7 coated cement

Cones # 1 21,6 3 64,8

1cm coated plaster +
Cones # 2 14,4 2 28,8 10cm banché concrete
115,0 2,26 0,44 50,9
Cones # 3 7,7 2 15,4 + 8cm insulation + 1cm
coated cement
Cones # 4 6,0 1 6,0

20cm banché concrete

Down floor 283,0 1 283,0 283,0 + 10cm insulation on 2,9 0,34 14,6
heated underground

Interior perimeter 62,0 62,0 0,07 4,3

Rectangular windows 7,8 30 234,0

Double glazing
Small rectangular
4,5 2 8,9 259,3 7 to 9 mm air 3,9 1 011,1
windows
metal frame
Large rectangular
8,2 2 16,3
windows
Main entrance door 16,3 1 16,3 Double glazing 3,3 53,6
Living volume (m3) 3396,0 Rate of air renewal 0,75 0,34 866,0
(0,34 x N x 3396 m3)
Building's heat losses: 2 292,1 W/°C
Nb heated hours per 10 hours

The resulting heating requirements over the year are as follows:

Dunkerque Heating Heating

(North of degrees days requirements
France) (ref:18°C) (kWh/month)

January 436 10 001

February 393 9 016
March 336 7 690
April 225 5 168
May 152 3 483
June 70 1 597
July 37 840
August 44 1 016
September 86 1 973
October 185 4 231
November 308 7 050
December 434 9 951
Total: 2706 62 016

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4.4 Photovoltaic production

Dunkerque South-East Full South South-West Global photovoltaïc

(North of France) triangular triangular triangular energy
photovoltaïc photovoltaïc photovoltaïc (kWh/month)
panel panel panel
(kWh/month) (kWh/month) (kWh/month)

Peak power 3000 Wp 3000 Wp 3000 Wp

Area 21 m² 21 m² 21 m²
Orientation versus North 135° 180° 225°
Tilt angle versus horizon 54° 54° 54°
January 97,5 120 97,7 315
February 134 159 134 427
March 259 292 260 811
April 344 363 345 1 052
May 346 349 348 1 043
June 339 335 340 1 014
July 345 344 346 1 035
August 309 322 311 942
September 268 296 270 834
October 184 215 185 584
November 95,8 115 96 307
December 79,3 98,3 79,4 257
Total: 2801 3008 2812 8621

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4.5 Summary table

Dunkerque Wind energy Estimated solar Heating Global photovoltaïc

(North of France) contribution contribution in requirements energy
(kWh/month) operational (kWh/month) (kWh/month)
conditions
(kWh/month)

January 2 313 2 352 10 001 315

February 1 599 4 106 9 016 427
March 1 788 7 981 7 690 811
April 1 371 10 988 5 168 1 052
May 1 101 12 721 3 483 1 043
June 1 123 12 734 1 597 1 014
July 1 044 11 691 840 1 035
August 1 044 9 861 1 016 942
September 1 182 7 560 1 973 834
October 1 349 4 882 4 231 584
November 1 654 2 462 7 050 307
December 2 219 1 714 9 951 257
Total: 17 786 89 051 62 016 8 621

This summary table shows that the overall wind-energy contribution is about 17% of the
inputs and is hopefully predominant in December and in January, when solar energy is
scarce.

The overall produced wind and solar energy is about 70% in excess comparatively to the
yearly heating requirements. This excess will largely compensate the dissipation in form of
heat-losses through the walls of the seasonal storage tanks. This is coherent with
international studies mainly in Switzerland and in Canada, where such heat-losses have been
experienced with thickness insulation of the storage-tanks in the range of 1-meter.

It is therefore expected that a complete autonomy for the heating of such a building could be
reached in Dunkerque. Nevertheless this assumption needs to be documented by more
precise calculations and/or by a demonstrator.

In Scotland or Scandinavian countries, the wind power contributions might be slightly

improved, while solar-energy contributions should be significantly decreased. A
demonstrator should allow to get a better idea of the sizing parameters: diameter of the
windmill, dimensions of the storage tanks etc ...

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