As the cooling season is approaching, we decided to look into the problem of energy efficiency. In order to investigate the energy-saving potential of SolarGaps smart solar blinds, a multi scenario simulation was conducted. During this investigation, the influence of various factors both on the energy consumption of the premises, and on the energy generation was carefully studied and analyzed.

The scenarios included changing the glass area, the distance from the slat to the window, climatic conditions, the orientation of the building, the solar radiation transmittance and the tilt angle of the slats. 

The control scenario included the simulation results of a premise without shading systems for different locations, orientations, solar radiation transmittance and window sizes. Depending on climatic conditions and orientation, the component of energy consumption for cooling in the total balance of energy consumption can be from 25 to 50% for Kyiv and from 45 to 70% for Barcelona.

The results of the study:

1. The optimal angle of inclination of the slats, both in terms of shading effect and in terms of energy generation, is 70 °. On the other hand, the use of the SolarGaps smart blinds system during winter period leads to an increase in energy consumption for heating. This increase can be compensated by the generation of electrical energy from the panels. The optimal inclination angle can differ through the year, for instance, for Kyiv he optimal angle to the horizon in summer time will be 70 °, and in winter time it can be 50 ° 
2.  The use of the SolarGaps smart blinds system during the summer period leads to a significant reduction in energy consumption for cooling. At the same time, the greatest savings potential is observed for the southern, south-eastern and south-western orientation of the premises with large windows.   
3. Specific energy savings for cooling  with a slat angle of 70° can be about 120 kWh / m2 (Kyiv) and 190 kWh / m2 (Barcelona) of glazing for south, south-east and south-west orientation. For other orientations, this figure can be from 45 to 140 kWh / m2. 
4. Cost savings due to reduced energy consumption for cooling for Kyiv can be in the range of 370 – 300 euros for the optimal slat angle and south, south-east, south-west, east and west orientations, while for Barcelona it can be in the range of 600 – 400 euros. 
5. The electrical energy generation savings for Barcelona can be 410-290 euros, and for Kyiv it is 340-250 euros for the south, south-east, south-west, east and west orientations. 

Conclusions

According to this study, SolarGaps blinds have the biggest saving potential for the south-facing windows in humid warm climate zones. The angle of 70° is found to be the most favorable in most cases both for solar power generation and cooling potential. Cooling savings mostly depend on the location and on the electricity price, but with the constant growing energy costs, the saving potential will continue to increase correspondingly.