Design Buy Build Issue 46 2020 | Page 12

EDITORS CHOICE PASSIVE COOLING THERMAL ENERGY STORAGE WHY BUILDING ENVELOPE TES? PCMs can be selected so that they freeze and melt at the appropriate temperature to ensure that the building doesn’t overheat or overcool. By introducing PCM into the building envelope it is possible to vastly increase the thermal mass of a building, helping ensure that rooms are maintained within the thermal comfort zone. By installing PCM modules inside the building fabric itself, the end-users gain the thermal and performance benefits of PCMs without even being aware that they are in place. As the PCM module is a static system with no moving parts the passive cooling concept is considedred to be a maintenance and energy free option for improving the internal conditions of any built environment applications. BUILDING APPLICATIONS • Air Conditioning • Free Cooling • Passive Cooling • Fabric TES • Solar Systems • Tri-generation • Electronic / Shelter Cooling Passive cooling takes advantage of the naturally occurring temperature swing caused by day & night. The excess coolth available in the night can be stored in the PCM, which is then released during the day, absorbing internal and solar heat gains. "Passive cooling takes advantage of the naturally occurring temperature swing caused by day & night." 12