Development of a prototype glazing unit with variable insulation and light transmission

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

Windows pose one of the biggest challenges to energy efficiency in cold climates because the desired highclarity and durability require windows to be made from solid glass or plastic panes which provide little thermalinsulation. This is particularly true in controlled environment agriculture, where the energy required tomaintain adequate temperatures in a traditional transparent greenhouse is prohibitive in cold climates.Innovation related to cost-effective, energy-efficient, cold-climate greenhouses has the potential to substantiallyimprove food security in northern Canada by enabling food growth on non-arable land nearby the communitieswhere it is needed, thereby increasing the quality and reducing the cost of fresh fruits and vegetables. A newvariable-insulation technology developed at UBC has the potential to address this challenge. In this project,UBC and Northerm Windows and Doors will together develop a sealed window system to make cold-climategreenhouses cost-effective and energy-efficient. If successful, such a window system can enable a new northerngreenhouse industry to flourish and could be adapted to meet the needs of other locations in Canada,particularly where it is predominantly cold and reasonably sunny in the winter, as well as in other possibleapplications, including skylights and solaria, solar heat capture structures, and cold-storage appliances.