Renewable Energy Fact Sheet

This fact sheet from the Environmental and Energy Study Institute describes solar architecture, which involves designing residential and commercial buildings to utilize solar energy for heating, cooling, and lighting through both passive and active systems.

• Solar architecture utilizes various passive and active technologies to manage building environments. Passive lighting relies on south-facing windows, clerestories, glazed apertures, light shelves, and light pipes. Passive heating employs Trombe walls (absorptive materials in south-facing walls) and sunspaces, the latter of which can provide up to 60 percent of a home's winter heating. Active systems use mechanical components: active heating uses metal plates and fans to circulate warm air, while active cooling uses solar collectors to evaporate refrigerant and heat exchangers to cool ambient air.
• The adoption of solar architecture offers benefits including durability, pollution prevention, and increased energy security by reducing dependence on foreign oil and natural gas. Because many designs are passive and do not require electricity, they remain functional during brownouts and power outages.
• Solar architectural systems can be cost-effective. According to the US Department of Energy, new office buildings combining energy conservation and passive solar systems can reduce energy costs by 30 to 50 percent below national averages, saving between $0.45 and $0.75 per square foot annually. Active solar heating systems typically pay for themselves in 7 to 10 years. For an average single-family house, a solar space heating system costs between $5,000 and $10,000, compared to an average of $1,500 for a new electrical heating system.
• Two primary challenges for solar architecture are seasonality and summer heat gain. In northern regions, overcast skies and short winter days can limit available solar resources. To prevent overheating in summer, buildings can use trees, overhangs, advanced glazings, and ventilation, or seal off sunspaces and Trombe walls.

APA

Environmental and Energy Study Institute (2006). Renewable Energy Fact Sheet. https://www.eesi.org/files/solar_architecture_0506.pdf

Chicago

Environmental and Energy Study Institute. Renewable Energy Fact Sheet. 2006. https://www.eesi.org/files/solar_architecture_0506.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Environmental and Energy Study Institute |title=Renewable Energy Fact Sheet |date=May 2006 |url=https://www.eesi.org/files/solar_architecture_0506.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{environmentalandenergystudyinstitute2006renewable, author = {{Environmental and Energy Study Institute}}, title = {{Renewable Energy Fact Sheet}}, institution = {Environmental and Energy Study Institute}, year = {2006}, month = may, url = {https://www.eesi.org/files/solar_architecture_0506.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }