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Courses/Engineering/Energy Management

Passive Solar Heating Basics

The principles of passive solar heating, such as basic types of systems, their description, and the components making up any passive system are presented in this course.

Created byHarlan Bengtson, PhD, PE
5.0
(19 reviews)
BeginnerUpdated Jan 12, 2025
Passive Solar Heating Basics

What You'll Learn

check_circleUnderstand the principles, components, and types of passive solar heating systems.
check_circleLearn methods for estimating heating requirements, solar radiation, and heat loss to design efficient passive solar systems.
check_circleExplore sizing, performance calculations, and the selection of appropriate passive solar system types for specific locations.
check_circleAnalyze construction details, solar storage, and controls, including summer shading techniques for passive solar glazing.

About This Course

The principles of passive solar heating, such as basic types of systems, their description, and the components making up any passive system are presented in this course. Sources of data for heating requirements and available solar radiation throughout the U.S are identified and discussed along with a method for estimating the rate of heat loss from a home. The use of these three inputs in a method for estimating performance of a passive heating system of specified size at a specified location is presented. The data retrieval and calculations are illustrated with numerous examples.

Topics: Passive Solar Heating Definition Components of a Passive Solar Heating System Basic Passive Solar Heating System Types Direct Gain, Thermal Storage Wall, Attached Sunspace Thermal Storage Roof, Convective Loop Inputs Needed to Estimate Size/Performance of a Passive Solar Heating System Heating requirements (degree days) during the heating season at the site of interest Information on the rate of heat loss from the house Available solar radiation at the site of interest Size and Performance Calculations for a Passive Solar System Choice of the Type(s) of Passive Solar Systems to Use Sizing Solar Storage Controls – Summer Shading of Passive Solar Glazing Construction Details.

Intended Audience: electrical, mechanical, civil, energy, chemical, environmental, construction,and industrial engineers. However, this course could appeal to engineers of other disciplines as well. 

Publication Source: Harlan H. Bengtson, PhD, PE

Your Instructor

Harlan Bengtson, PhD, PE
Harlan Bengtson, PhD, PE
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star2,706 reviews

Dr. Harlan Bengtson is an online PDH course provider of continuing education courses for professional engineers. Dr. Bengtson is a graduate of Iowa State University with B.S. and M.S. degrees and of the University of Colorado with a PhD. He is a licensed Professional Engineer in Missouri. Dr. Bengtson has spent 30 years in engineering education in teaching and administrative positions, including six years as Dean of Engineering at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. Dr. Harlan H. Bengtson, PE 33 Grainey Drive Glen Carbon, IL 62034 Phone: (618) 406-6892 E-mail: hnkbengtson@yahoo.com PROFESSIONAL PROFILE Dr. Bengtson is a graduate of Iowa State University with B.S. and M.S. degrees and of the University of Colorado with a PhD. He is a licensed Professional Engineer in Missouri. He has spent 30 years in engineering education in teaching and administrative positions, including six years as Dean of Engineering at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. His areas of expertise are environmental engineering, hydrology and hydraulics, engineering science and renewable energy systems. He has done regular consulting work while holding the academic positions. Prior to entering academia, Dr. Bengtson worked for Minnesota Mining & Manufacturing as a Product Development Engineer and for E. I. duPont deNemours as a Process Development Engineer. Dr. Bengtson has authored numerous publications, presentations and technical reports. He is currently active as a freelance technical writer, author of continuing education courses for Professional Engineers, and is the founder of www.engineeringexceltemplates.com and www.EngineeringExcelSpreadsheets.com, sites with the objective of providing inexpensive, easy to use Excel spreadsheets for a variety of engineering calculations.

Credit Information

Do these courses count toward my professional development requirements?

This portal is provided as a training and development resource for City of Markham employees. Every course is delivered by a qualified subject matter expert or learning organization, is quantifiable in hours, and is verifiable — you receive a documented certificate of completion for every course you finish, stored on LearnFormula indefinitely.

If you hold a professional designation (for example in engineering, accounting, human resources, or law), courses may be counted as professionally relevant, verifiable learning activities toward your continuing professional development. Individual practitioners are responsible for confirming that an activity meets the requirements of their professional body. For questions about the City of Markham's training and development policies, please speak with your people leader or Human Resources.

What Students Are Saying

5.0
Student's Choice
19 reviews

Frequently Asked Questions

We are a registered provider with 327+ associations and regulatory bodies worldwide. We operate across 29 global markets including Canada, the US, Australia, and the UK. Every course page clearly displays its specific accreditations. Upon completion, you receive a professional certificate that can be validated online. Our certificates include all necessary accreditation details, credit hours, and completion dates, and are formatted specifically to meet the submission requirements of most global regulatory bodies.