Browsing by Author "Stasinopoulos, Thanos N."

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Citation - WoS: 2
Citation - Scopus: 2
Comparing Insolation on Building Facades in Five Different Climates
(Emerald Group Publishing Ltd, 2023) Stasinopoulos, Athanasios; Stasinopoulos, Thanos N.
Purpose The objective is to provide a quantitative insight on the dynamic nature of insolation on the building perimeter according to location, season and orientation. Such understanding is necessary for deciding on solar control strategies in diverse climatic environments, from low to high availability of insolation. Design/methodology/approach This study explores the seasonal changes of solar irradiation on building facades of various orientations at five locations with diverse climates (Reykjavik, London, Athens, Riyadh, Lagos). Solar data collected from the European PVGIS database is used to study the monthly distribution of global solar radiation incident on building facades at cardinal and ordinal orientations, as well as the proportions of its components. Findings The results illuminate the effects of the various factors on insolation. Among others: In all locations, horizontal surfaces receive more annual irradiation than any facade. In summer, east/west facades receive more radiation than south, hence solar protection on those directions is more important than on south. The beam fraction varies seasonally on south and north facades, but not so on east/west. Local atmospheric conditions can offset the importance of latitude on insolation levels and composition. Originality/value The paper utilises commonly available data to correlate insolation values and types under different factors across the globe, offering a better understanding on insolation for the design of greener buildings.
Citation - Scopus: 2
Geometric Forms and Insolation Ii a Reassessment of the Relation Between Shape and Solar Irradiation
(University of A Coruna and Asoc, 2020) Stasinopoulos, Athanasios; Stasinopoulos, Thanos N.
This work re-evaluates the results of an old research on the relation of solar energy received by various forms and their geometric properties. In that past work, measured data of horizontal radiation was used to calculate the insolation on various forms in London, Athens, and Riyadh according to the solar model by J.K.Page et. al. of 1986. The ratio between the average insolation on a given form and on horizontal is named 'Form Insolation Index' [m-index], showing the percentage of the available solar energy received by the form. A major finding was the linear relationship between the m-index of a form and the ratio between its base size and its exposed surface [B/F]. The present research is a simplified repetition of the old one, extended also to Reykjavik and Lagos. The main difference from the past is that solar energy data on inclined planes was not calculated from horizontal but taken from datasets provided by the Photovoltaic Geographical Information System (PVGIS). The new output confirmed the linear relationship between m-index and B/F ratio. An unexpected finding was that new radiation values are higher than those measured 30 years earlier, an increase attributed mainly to the stronger direct component. © PLEA 2020 - 35th PLEA Conference on Passive and Low Energy Architecture Planning Post Carbon Cities, Proceedings. All rights reserved.