Rotating Homes That Follow the Sun and Produce 5 Times the Energy They Use
Everybody heard about solar panels and their benefits, but how about entire rotating homes that follow the Sun to make the most of its energy? The specialists from Casas in movimento designed several prototypes of these solar-powered homes. The whole photo-voltaic system and the home are capable of moving in pursuit of the sun and produce 5 times the energy they use.
Guilherme Silva who has been working for this project, said he wanted to bring to life the buildings in which we live, work and spend most of our time and that his design was inspired by sunflowers.
Here is a video that demonstrates how these revolutionary homes work.
Rotating homes that follow the Sun. How do they do that and to what effect?
“The sunflower effect is created by combining two motions: the rotation of the building itself, of 180 degrees throughout the day, and the rotation of the photo-voltaic roofing hood…”, Silva says.
These combined rotations generate 25,000 kW/year of electricity, or 5 times as much energy as a home this size would require. To rotate, this house uses the equivalent of six 60 watts light bulbs running for one hour each day – a negligible quantity considering how much energy it generates.
Rotating homes that follow the Sun. Ever-adapting
Moreover, the mobile hood was designed to control the effects of light and shade. Therefore, in summer, it provides protection against excess heat, reducing the cooling costs at 80% and in winter, moving along an axis in the upper part it ensures maximum solar gain.
Rotating homes that follow the Sun. Interior dynamics
The rotation affects home’s interior dynamic as well. “For instance, in the morning, the kitchen can be smaller, as daily routine seldom allows everyone to have breakfast together; at night, it can fuse with the living, allowing the family to dine and spend time together”, Silva adds.
The rotation doesn’t start abruptly, it requires at least 12 minutes and it won’t create disruption inside (your dishes won’t go crashing to the floor each time the house moves to chase the sun).
Rotating homes that follow the sun. Price
When they presented the project, the price for square meter was 6,387 euros. Casas em movimento wish to bring down this impediment, to optimize the technology and all processes to reach fair prices, their long-time objective being to reach the same price per square meter as in the case of conventional buildings.
Credits: Inhabitat.com
