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Prof M Keith Sharp ScD PE

Emeritus Professor

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Emeritus Professor
Louisville, KY 40292
United States

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RE: Should ASES be educating more about efficiency-first building strategies?

Posted By M Keith Sharp 09-02-2025 10:42 AM
Found In Egroup: Everything Solar Forum \ view thread
ASES could and should do more to promote ambient-conditioned buildings. Just got the "Highlights and Insights from Solar 2025" newsletter. No mention of passive solar, passive cooling or anything related to ambient energy for buildings. What do we need to do to change this? ------------------------------ ...

RE: Should ASES be educating more about efficiency-first building strategies?

Posted By M Keith Sharp 09-02-2025 10:32 AM
Found In Egroup: Everything Solar Forum \ view thread
It is also true that builders tend to charge more for things that they are not familiar with and are not particularly interested in doing. Insulation is not one of the expensive building materials. With training and buy-in from builders, the whole job does not have to be expensive. ------------------------------ ...

RE: Should ASES be educating more about efficiency-first building strategies?

Posted By M Keith Sharp 09-02-2025 10:25 AM
Found In Egroup: Everything Solar Forum \ view thread
We should acknowledge that Green Home Institute is doing good work engaging designers and builders with their videos, including some on ambient heating and cooling. We just need more! ------------------------------ M Keith Sharp Emeritus Professor Louisville KY ------------------------------

RE: Should ASES be educating more about efficiency-first building strategies?

Posted By M Keith Sharp 09-02-2025 10:19 AM
Found In Egroup: Everything Solar Forum \ view thread
ASES would seem to be an appropriate place for an archive of examples of successful ambient-conditioned buildings. Complete specs and construction details are necessary, but performance results would make the archive more useful. We need examples across all climates. ------------------------------ ...

RE: Should ASES be educating more about efficiency-first building strategies?

Posted By M Keith Sharp 09-02-2025 10:06 AM
Found In Egroup: Everything Solar Forum \ view thread
Luther, Thanks for mentioning NAEBRS. It is shaping up to be an epic meeting. We have MANY of our passive solar pioneers attending. Really looking forward to it, including your presentation on solar cookers. ------------------------------ M Keith Sharp Emeritus Professor Louisville KY ---------- ...

RE: Should ASES be educating more about efficiency-first building strategies?

Posted By M Keith Sharp 09-02-2025 10:00 AM
Found In Egroup: Everything Solar Forum \ view thread
It is important to remember that fixed slope PV only produces strongly for a few hours around solar noon. At other times, you are likely using utility electricity, which is on average 60% from fossil fuels in the US. Utility PV also only produces when the sun is out, so this percentage is probably higher ...

RE: Should ASES be educating more about efficiency-first building strategies?

Posted By M Keith Sharp 09-02-2025 09:43 AM
Found In Egroup: Everything Solar Forum \ view thread
While some retrofits are more challenging than others, the broad generalization that ambient conditioning is only possible for new construction is not true. In fact, Phius has a program specifically for retrofits https://www.phius.org/standards/retrofit. Phius does super insulation really well, so thermal ...

RE: Passive

Posted By M Keith Sharp 05-05-2025 10:25 AM
Found In Egroup: Everything Solar Forum \ view thread
Wow! ------------------------------ M Keith Sharp Emeritus Professor Louisville KY ------------------------------

RE: 2025 National Ambient Energy for Buildings Research Symposium (NAEBRS)

Posted By M Keith Sharp 05-01-2025 12:39 PM
Found In Egroup: Everything Solar Forum \ view thread
The deadline for abstract submission has been extended to 1 June 2025. There are still a few spots available for free registration, room and board, but they are going fast. We now have commitments from Bruce Hunn, Ken Haggard, Pliny Fisk and Bristol Stickney. The collective passive solar wisdom at ...

RE: 2025 National Ambient Energy for Buildings Research Symposium (NAEBRS)

Posted By M Keith Sharp 04-28-2025 10:45 AM
Found In Egroup: Everything Solar Forum \ view thread
Thanks, Ella and Debbie. We have commitments from some passive solar luminaries already. These include David Wright, who designed some of the most iconic passive solar buildings in the Southwest. Mark Chalom and Quentin Wilson, who worked with Peter van Dresser on the SunDwellings at Ghost Ranch, will ...

2025 National Ambient Energy for Buildings Research Symposium (NAEBRS)

Posted By M Keith Sharp 04-04-2025 09:48 AM
Found In Egroup: Everything Solar Forum \ view thread
To non-PV solar buildings researchers, architects, builders, educators, and policy makers, We are excited to announce this conference 7-9 September 2025 at Ghost Ranch, NM, generously supported by the NSF https://engineering.louisville.edu/naebrs/ . Ghost Ranch is the historic site of the first passive ...

RE: Pagosa Springs Ambient House performance for 2024

Posted By M Keith Sharp 01-21-2025 09:22 AM
Found In Egroup: Everything Solar Forum \ view thread
Timothy, We have to keep in mind that early IR cameras cost thousands of dollars (back when a thousand dollars was a LOT of money) and required a liquid nitrogen fill just prior to use. Today's technology is better and cheaper, and we don't have to bring a nitrogen tank along. The phone attachments ...

RE: Pagosa Springs Ambient House performance for 2024

Posted By M Keith Sharp 01-18-2025 11:18 PM
Found In Egroup: Everything Solar Forum \ view thread
Yes, it all begins with insulation. Passive House does this part really well. But it is more than that. The other things are just enough solar gain, but not too much, sufficient thermal mass, and passive cooling. Yes, codes could make all the difference. It is encouraging that Passive House standards ...

Pagosa Springs Ambient House performance for 2024

Posted By M Keith Sharp 01-17-2025 10:33 PM
Found In Egroup: Everything Solar Forum \ view thread
It has been a while since I have posted data from our house. Below is hourly indoor temperature for 2024. January was the most challenging month, with the lowest outdoor temperatures and also many cloudy days. 2024 performance was overall pretty good (see the histogram), with only 134 hours below our ...

RE: Will history repeat itself? - Carter's Legacy

Posted By M Keith Sharp 01-17-2025 10:09 PM
Found In Egroup: Everything Solar Forum \ view thread
Good point about the rest of the world. Technology and progress are moving targets. ------------------------------ M Keith Sharp Emeritus Professor Louisville KY ------------------------------

RE: Will history repeat itself? - Carter's Legacy

Posted By M Keith Sharp 01-13-2025 11:16 AM
Found In Egroup: Everything Solar Forum \ view thread
Thanks, Mike, for this insightful history of solar energy policy, and thanks, Debbie, for posting it. I encourage everyone to read it. I would like to emphasize that in the 1970s and 1980s, solar energy meant largely active and passive solar heating of buildings and hot water. Photovoltaics were something ...

RE: Jimmy Carter's environmental legacy set the foundation for today's climate action

Posted By M Keith Sharp 01-08-2025 02:35 PM
Found In Egroup: Everything Solar Forum \ view thread
David, You are still using nameplate efficiency, which studies have shown to be optimistic. Not sure exactly where you are, but this link (https://www.appalachianpower.com/savings/home/temperature/temperature-monthly-history?station=TRI&stationname=Bristol%20TN&year=2024) shows that Bristol, TN had ...

RE: Jimmy Carter's environmental legacy set the foundation for today's climate action

Posted By M Keith Sharp 01-07-2025 09:32 PM
Found In Egroup: Everything Solar Forum \ view thread
Good job keeping it short! I will try to do the same. To compare to 50% system efficiency for ST, we need system efficiency for PV. With panel efficiency of 20-24% and balance-of-system efficiency of 80%, that is 16-19%, so higher than my original estimate, but still lower than for ST. David, The ...

RE: Jimmy Carter's environmental legacy set the foundation for today's climate action

Posted By M Keith Sharp 01-07-2025 03:00 PM
Found In Egroup: Everything Solar Forum \ view thread
Agree about generalities. It is a part of trying to make points in paragraphs, rather than writing a book. Let's compare a specific example - PV and thermal water heating. The solar thermal system has one active moving part, the pump, and possibly a passive moving part, the backflow preventer. The ...

RE: Jimmy Carter's environmental legacy set the foundation for today's climate action

Posted By M Keith Sharp 01-06-2025 12:20 PM
Found In Egroup: Everything Solar Forum \ view thread
Thanks, Timothy, for the pictures and links about Jimmy Carter. His heart and mind were always in the right place. An inspiration to us all. It is such a shame that our domestic solar thermal market crashed. Yes, PV produces electricity that can be used for just about anything, but solar thermal is ...