A solar, daylighting and night cooling system comprising:
- an array of elongated panels with each panel having a daylighting section at one or more places along its length, a continuous thermal plane of component materials at an upper side of said panels, except in the areas of said daylighting sections, a structural plane of component materials at a lower side of said panels and a group of insulating, fire retardant, and structural materials between said thermal plane and said structural plane,
- said thermal plane and said daylighting sections oriented to receive solar diffuse or beam insolation during the day and emit long wave radiation to the sky at night,
- with said panels joined edge to edge along their lengths to form said array with thermal conduit assembly means, said conduit assembly means in physical and thermal contact with said thermal plane and enclosing air passage channels,
- said air passage channels communicating with said daylighting sections and with a set of plenum means for directing an air flow in a building mounted array to either outside a building envelope, inside said building envelope or stopping said air flow from moving toward said plenum means,
- each of said conduit assembly means including a weatherstrip assembly at its upper side, angled elements of said conduit assembly means at corners thereof, a thermally insulating material at its lower side and said fire retardant and structural materials of said group at lateral sides of said conduit assembly means,
- with each said daylighting section having a central compartment with a transparent exterior glazing at said upper side of said panels and an interior pane with infrared light rejection and visible light transmission properties located roughly parallel to and spaced apart from said exterior glazing, said interior pane located in close proximity to the lower side of said panels,
- said daylighting section additionally having adjacent to said central compartment a first compartment with an open bottom communicating with an area below said array, said first compartment sealed at a top by said component materials of said thermal plane, and
- a second compartment adjacent to said central compartment having at least one blower connecting it to said central compartment on one side and a plurality of holes connecting said second compartment to said air passage channel at the other side,
- said second compartment housing a drying agent cartridge and having at least one actuated, nominally closed movable gate located at a bottom of said second compartment, said movable gate in an actuated position communicating with said area below said array,
- said second compartment having a separating wall between said central compartment on one side and a structural, insulating wall between it and said air passage channel on the other, said separating wall having said at least one blower mounted thereon,
- said solar and night cooling system additionally including control system means for:
- starting and stopping said blowers to selectively draw said air flow from below said daylighting section,
- operating in a Summer Day mode with said air flow being heated above said interior pane by said solar insolation passing through said exterior glazing and expelling said air flow from said plenum means to the outside of said building envelope,
- operating in a Fire mode having the same actions as said Summer Day mode,
- operating in a Winter Day mode with said air flow being heated above said interior pane by said solar insolation passing through said exterior glazing and returning said air flow to below said panels by means of said at least one gate,
- operating in a Summer Night mode with said air flow passing into said conduit assembly, said air flow being cooled by means of said thermal plane and returning said air flow to the inside of said building envelope,
- operating in other modes configured for energy sourcing and conservation in said building mounted array.