Item MS-11-13, Box 14, Folder 10, Item 20 - Solar heating at the P.E.I. Ark : [manuscript]

Item consists of an offprint of the paper "Solar heating at the P.E.I. Ark", written by Kenneth MacKay, Director of the Ark Project, originally published in "Solar Energy: Bringing it down to Earth: The Proceedings of the Solar Energy Society of Canada Inc., 1979 National Conference".

Abstract: "Both active and passive solar heating systems are employed at the P. E. I. Ark. An active drain-down system, which stores heat in water located in 70,000 litre concrete tanks, supplies heat to the living area. Domestic hot water is heated by a thermosiphon drain-down solar system coupled to a wood cookstove. Environmental design of the Ark allows for maximum use of passive solar energy. The passive system supplies the majority of the heating load on sunny days, while wood stoves supply the back-up heat. The performance of the active system has required high maintenance because of problems in the mechanical and electrical systems. This, coupled with the high initial cost, has not made the system cost effective. The 178m2 commercial greenhouse uses a hybrid system with both active and passive systems. The active system employs a fan to draw air through rock storage. The passive system employs the high thermal mass of the deep soil beds, a concrete slab, and most importantly, 53,200 litres of water in translucent tanks. These tanks are then used for fish rearing and are the basis for a solar hatchery. The greenhouse has performed very well, producing crops year round since 1976."