Thermal Energy Storage and Management in Water-based Trombe Walls

Trombe walls use solar energy to reduce energy consumption in buildings. However, Trombe walls can cause overheating during summer. The objective of this thesis is to design aesthetically pleasing Trombe walls that use solar energy for space and water heating more effectively. The water-based Trombe wall design consists of a semi-transparent sheet that absorbs sunlight which is immersed in water. Results from performing simulations and lab-scale experiments show that water-based Trombe walls can reduce building heating loads to the same extent as conventional Trombe walls during winter months. Furthermore, to prevent overheating during summer, heated water extracted from the top of the Trombe wall can be used as pre-heated water and supplied to a hot water tank. Results show the Trombe walls designs proposed in this research can produce 3.5 times more than the amount of heated water required during summer in an average household in Toronto, Canada.