OM Solar — A Passive Solar-Based Concept
| Renewable Energy Sources |
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| Sun |
Biomass |
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| Earth (geothermal) |
Wind |
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| Water (hydropower) |
Tides |
For at least the last half-century, most people's way of thinking about what constitutes a desirable living environment has included, as an underlying assumption, the use of fossil fuels. Today, dependence on fossil fuel-derived energy virtually without interruption is the dominant mode of existence in advanced industrialized societies.
This is a new and radically different paradigm from what prevailed throughout most of mankind's history.
Houses built in traditional, indigenous styles were done so for the very good reason that those time-tested styles were utilitarian. They served a real and useful purpose, which was to optimize the human habitat within the context of its own specific environment. Native building styles reflect a practical wisdom acquired by the local inhabitants with respect to their natural surroundings and climatic conditions and their coexistence with them.
Coexistence with the surrounding environment is a guiding principle in passive solar architecture. In any given area or location, there will be unique design solutions to be arrived at in response to the particular environmental conditions prevailing there.
The use of natural resources should not be equated with abuse and depletion. The OM Solar philosophy is also to work with the surrounding environment to make optimal use of local conditions with minimal environmental impact; and the OM Solar system does exactly that, while at the same time incorporating new architectural concepts and new methods of data analysis.
"Passive" Design in Building Technologies (PDF: 820KB)
Traditional home structures making the most of natural resources
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