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

在寒冷的气候条件下，窗户对能源效率构成了最大的挑战之一，因为期望的高透明度和耐久性要求窗户由固体玻璃或塑料板制成，而这些玻璃或塑料板几乎没有隔热作用。在受控环境农业中尤其如此，在寒冷的气候下，传统的透明温室中维持足够温度所需的能源是令人望而却步的。与低成本、高能效、寒冷气候温室相关的创新有可能大幅改善加拿大北部的粮食安全，使粮食能够在社区附近的非耕地上生长，从而提高新鲜水果和蔬菜的质量，降低成本。UBC开发的一种新的可变绝缘技术有可能解决这一挑战。在这个项目中，UBC和北方门窗公司将共同开发一个密封的窗户系统，使寒冷气候的温室具有成本效益和节能效益。如果成功，这种窗户系统可以使新的北方温室产业蓬勃发展，并可以适应加拿大其他地区的需求，特别是在冬季主要寒冷和阳光充足的地方，以及其他可能的应用，包括天窗和日光，太阳能热捕获结构和冷库设备。

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.