The dual fan, solar powered fan for a portable enclosure, like a portable toilet structure includes: a first upper fan unit that includes a first main housing for mounting to a sidewall of the portable toilet enclosure. The first main housing consists of: a first backing plate for attaching to an upper section of the sidewall, a first vent hole surround that passes at least partially through a first fan hole in the sidewall, an electrically powered, first motorized fan for positioning over the first vent hole surround to serve as an exhaust fan for the portable toilet enclosure, and a solar panel for affixing to the first backing plate, said solar panel being electrically connected to the first motorized exhaust fan.

The second lower fan unit for this invention includes a second main housing for mounting to the same sidewall of the portable enclosure a set distance away from the first fan unit. That second main housing includes: a second backing plate for attaching to a lower section the sidewall the set distance from the first fan unit, a second vent hole surround that passes at least partially through a second fan hole in the sidewall, and an electrically powered, second motorized fan for positioning over the second vent hole surround to serve as an intake fan for the portable toilet enclosure. Lastly, there is included an electrical connection from the solar panel in the first main connection to the second motorized fan of the second main housing.

Disclosed are methods and functional elements for enhanced thermal management of predominantly enclosed spaces. In particular, the invention enables the construction of buildings with reduced power requirements for heating and/or air-conditioning systems since under certain conditions less energy for heating or cooling is required to maintain, within certain boundaries, desirable temperatures inside such buildings, habitats, or other enclosed spaces.

In some instances the invention is in part based on dynamically changing functional elements with variable properties, or effective properties, in terms of their electromagnetic radiative behavior and/or their thermal energy storage properties, or the spatial distribution of the stored thermal energy, which permits the application of methods and algorithms to control the overall thermal behavior of the entire structure in such a way that desired levels of inside temperature can be reached with reduced consumption of external energy (typically electricity, gas, oil, or coal).

In some instances no conventional heating of cooling is required at all, whereas in other instances the expenditure of external energy for conventional heating or cooling is reduced. In some instances the invention enables the reduction of the time to reach desired temperatures inside such buildings, habitats, or other predominantly enclosed spaces.

The invention relates to a method for operating a heat pump system, a heat pump system and an HVAC system measuring a solar irradiance, wherein the operation of the heat pump is adjusted based on the solar irradiance.

A pumpless solar energy-based air heater includes a body housing a chamber surrounded by a heat conducting medium; an intake pipe to draw cool air into the chamber; and one or more exit pipes to push warm air out from the chamber, the one or more exit pipes having one or more structures within the interior of the one or more exit pipes to create a low friction factor for the air flowing upwards in the exit pipe while creating a high friction factor for the air attempting to move downward, thereby ensuring air flow in an upward direction; a pressure difference is created between an entry point of the intake pipe and an end point of the one or more exit pipes, thereby eliminating the need for a pump or a fan.

An HVAC renewable energy management system and components to enable the efficient use of locally produced power from an onsite nanogrid and interconnected nanogrids of a cohesive direct current microgrid network. The system comprises a central controller for controlling one or more intermittent distributed energy resource (DER), source converter, distributed storage device, energy storage converter, power bus, internal load, and interface gateway to one or more external grid for bi-directional power control, sharing, and consumption. System hardware and software elements are configured for internetworking communication, management, control, demand side management, and power balance, using maximum power point tracking to shift power consumption, dynamic matching of local DER production, power quality assurance, system protection, power interconnection management, interface management, metering, revenue settlement, system optimization, and security. The system can match local power production with an individual household's power consumption to reduce intermittency and ultimately total microgrid consumption.

Some aspects of the invention provide an air cooling system. The air cooling system may include a solar energy gathering component that drives a cooling system. The air cooling system may include an absorption cooling system or a thermoelectric cooling system. The cooling system may include a solar collector matched with an air venting system. The cooling unit may hang on the inside of a window or on another vertical surface and utilize the heat and/or radiation from the sun to activate a cooling mechanism that, in turn, provides cooling via the cooling system.

A cooling system includes one or more cooling panels for affecting a cooling load in an environment. The cooling system also includes a heat exchanger coupled to the one or more cooling panels. Each cooling panel includes a film, a panel body, an inlet port, an outlet port, and a fluid path. The film's radiative properties allow it to achieve a temperature less than an environment temperature. The heat exchanger includes ports that are coupled to the fluid paths of the one or more cooling panels. A control system is used to control flow rates, flow paths, fluid temperatures, component temperatures, cooling rates, component operation, or other aspects of a cooling system. For example, the control system controls or monitors pumps, compressors, fans, valves, sensors, actuators, or a combination thereof.

A solar window system for a building is provided. The solar window system includes multiple heat generation encasements. Air inside each heat generation encasement is heated by solar energy. The solar window system further includes a storage tank for storing heat from the heated air. The solar window system also includes a set of connection pipes, wherein the set of connection pipes draw cold air from an indoor space inside the building into the plurality of heat generation encasements, connect each of the heat generation encasements to at least two other heat generation encasements, and transfer the heated air from the set of heat generation encasements to the storage tank.

A solar thermal control system includes a membrane configured to receive solar energy, wherein the membrane is configured to form a cavity between the membrane and an outer surface of a structure by coupling to the outer surface, and wherein the solar energy is configured to heat air within the cavity. The control system also includes a thermal collection unit configured to connect to the cavity and receive and direct air from the cavity, and a ducting system coupled to the thermal collection unit and configured to direct air from the thermal collection unit to at least one of the interior of the structure and a vent.

A modular solar air heater comprises an extruded metal frame having fingers operable to secure a glazing, an absorber, and an insulating back sheet to the frame. The heater may also operate as a cooler. The heater further comprises an active air circulation system, such as a fan, which may be coupled with an air inlet of the heater. The heater has an air outlet and may further include a bypass channel to direct the airflow alternatively through one or both the bypass channel and the air outlet. A heating element and a cooling element may be coupled with the air outlet to further heat and also cool the air through the air outlet, respectively. A photovoltaic panel may be included to provide electrical power to the heater.