A module frame includes two longitudinal, and two transverse, frame elements. A longitudinal cover fold, with two longitudinal cover fold end areas, extends from the first longitudinal frame element. A transverse cover fold has two transverse cover fold end areas. The second longitudinal cover fold, and second transverse cover fold, end areas, form a cover fold end area. The bottom surface of the longitudinal cover fold is the height of the top surface of the second longitudinal frame element. The bottom surface of the transverse cover fold is the height of the top surface of the second transverse frame element. The bottom surface of the first transverse cover fold end area is the height of the top surface of the first longitudinal cover end area, and the bottom surface of the cover fold end area is the height of the top surface of the first transverse cover end area.

A building envelope, in particular a wall, a floor, or a roof of a building with at least two shells spaced some distance apart from one another, which encloses an intermediate space, said space being essentially empty with the exception of weight-bearing and/or construction-engineering elements or being filled at least in sections with porous, open-celled material and sealed from the interior and exterior of the building, wherein controllable sealing means are provided for sealing the intermediate space from the interior and exterior and optionally separated building envelope sections from one other.

A frame for supporting a photovoltaic module (PV) includes a plurality of sidewalls, which are arranged to support the PV module at a spaced distance from an installation surface. The sidewalls define an interior volume having an open top and open bottom. One sidewall has a plurality of openings defined therethrough along a portion of a length thereof. A plenum is disposed adjacent to an exterior surface of the first sidewall and extends along at least the portion of the length of the first sidewall having the plurality of openings defined therethrough. The plenum has an inlet port for receiving a flow of warmed air from a source of warmed air, and is configured to distribute the flow of warmed air through at least some of the plurality of openings in the first sidewall and into the interior volume.

Disclosed is a building system for reducing energy consumption. The building system includes an exterior wall layer disposed on an exterior wall of building walls, a circulation pipe disposed inside the exterior wall layer and through which a heating medium for absorbing heat caused by solar radiant energy applied to the exterior wall layer flows, and a thermal energy storage connected to the circulation pipe and configured to store the heat transmitted by the heating medium.

A new system of solar construction, technology and methods for making off structure constructed panel blocks are disclosed.

Heat exchange system on a roof of a building, with an exchange volume comprising a substrate that is partly saturated by water and covered by a vegetated surface that enhances condensation and evapotranspiration and having a heat diffusion device comprising a circulation pump and a collection network for thermal exchanges with the exchange volume.

Systems and methods for a thermosyphonic water heating system for a storage tank. A DC heat pump receives power from a DC power source and heats water via a heat exchanger using a thermosyphonic piping system. A passive back-flushing having a cold water inlet pipe connected to the hot water return pipe draws cold water into the storage tank through the heat exchanger. A vertical array of temperature sensors distributed throughout the storage tank monitor temperature of stored water at multiple heights and a communication unit communicates monitored data to an external control device.

Disclosed are methods for at least approximating any one or any combination of system targets of a) reducing the average energy expenditure for keeping at least one primary compartment of a building within a desired temperature range by means of active

e air conditioning, or b) reducing temperature variations during a typical 24-hour cycle within said at least one primary compartment of said building, or c) reducing one or both of the average temperature or the peak temperature of said at least one primary compartment of said building.

The invention concerns predominantly enclosed spaces, typically buildings, which are at least exposed to directionally and temporally varying levels of solar electromagnetic radiation as well as temporally varying levels of ambient air temperature and ambient air flow velocity and direction. Such a building comprising at least one primary compartment and at least one secondary compartment, and wherein said primary compartment predominantly serves to achieve the primary purpose of the building.

The disclosed methods are furthermore at least in part based on at least one electronic controller, which is able to one or both of a) controlling means to modulate the amount of passive air flow to and from said at least one secondary compartment, and b) controlling means to modulate the amount of actively driven air flow to and from said at least one secondary compartment, and said electronic controller furthermore comprising at least one, at least partially descriptive, analytical and/or, numerical, and/or reduced order model to at least approximately compute, i.e. predict, the thermal behavior of said building, and said controller using said at least partially descriptive model to derive control signals suitable to at least approximate said at least one system target. In some embodiments the disclosed methods are at least partially incorporated in a home automation system, including optionally internet connectivity.

In some embodiments the disclosed methods are at least partially capable of increasing the typical lifetime of some components of buildings and thus reducing resources associated with maintaining at least some buildings functional.

A mounting device including a base having an open bottom, a longitudinal axis, and a linear guide on the base. The linear guide guides support hardware in linear movement along the longitudinal axis. An internal cavity is under the base for containing a sealant against and in cooperation with a roof when the mounting device is secured to the roof. An opening is though the base is for receiving a fastener when the mounting device is secured to the roof. The opening is in communication with the internal cavity. The linear guide extends beyond the internal cavity.

A solar concentrator comprising: a base; a framework, the framework being hingedly joined to the base such that the framework can be rotated relative to the base; and a plurality of mirrors arranged relative to a first axis of the framework, such that all of the mirrors are located on one side of a plane which contains the first axis, each mirror being fixed to the framework and each mirror being arranged to reflect light travelling parallel to the first axis towards a common focus which lies on the first axis.