Evaluation of a passive solar system applied to Korean school buildings

Since the early 1980s some Korean primary school buildings have been built with passive solar systems under the guidelines set up by the Korean government. An applied passive solar concept was double-skin wall integrated into the south facade of the building, which was designated to take advantage of convection through the space between the walls and classroom. Some randomly selected buildings were surveyed. The survey results identified some problems in terms of its design, maintenance and operation. The effect of the passive solar system on energy conservation was investigated by monitoring temperatures in a solar classroom and a nonsolar under same conditions. The energy performance of the system was further examined with space temperatures measured in the passive system. It was observed that the applied passive solar system could not achieve its optimum efficiency due to the lack of natural air circulation round the system and the classroom during the heating season.