An innovative Trombe wall with a solar concentrating function

Abstract

The Trombe wall, recognized for harnessing solar energy to heat buildings, has become a focal point in energy conservation research. However, its low heating efficiency in winter and increased cooling energy consumption in summer have hindered its broader application. To address these issues, this study proposes a novel Trombe wall with a solar concentration function. Compared to traditional Trombe walls, this innovative design features an added concentrating glass cover to increase solar radiation density, and a zoned configuration that enables the energy-capturing mechanism to automatically activate in winter and shut down in summer. Focusing on the typical winter and summer weather conditions in Jinan, a validated simulation model was developed to analyze the thermal performance and energy consumption of this innovative Trombe wall across both seasons. The results show that the novel Trombe wall offers significant energy-saving benefits. Compared to conventional designs, it improves heating efficiency by 11.7% in winter and enhances thermal resistance efficiency by 85.2% in summer. Consequently, energy consumption is reduced by 28.6% in winter and 75.7% in summer. The introduction of this system provides a new pathway for building energy efficiency and contributes to the realization of zero-energy buildings.