The Impact of Color and Shading on Temperature in Solar Cubes by

Solar cube layout in Latvia

vilmaalberinga — 2025-10-20 05:15:40 UTC

vilmaalberinga — 2025-10-20 05:32:40 UTC

The Solar Village in an educational research project that explores how shading, orientation, and climate influence the indoor temperature of buildings. Using small insinuated cubes with windows, students measure and compare temperature data across different configurations: no shading, internal shading, and external shading.

These cubes are placed facing north, south, east and west, and are installed in various countries - Slovenia, Portugal, Latvia, Serbia, Turkey and Italy, to observe how different climates affect energy performance.

The goal is to understand how smart shading solutions can reduce the need for cooling and contribute to sustainable, energy-efficient building design.

Students analyze real-time data via www.sovil.si and apply physics, energy and environmental concepts in a practical, hands-on way.

Short Description:

vilmaalberinga — 2025-10-20 05:38:43 UTC

Students investigate how surface color and shading affect indoor temperature and energy efficiency using real-time data from 3 Solar Village cubes. Three cubes are wrapped in white, black, and green plastic wrap to simulate different surface absorptivity. Students analyze temperature data collected at hourly intervals, compare thermal behavior across colors, and evaluate the role of shading in passive cooling strategies.

Learning Objectives:

vilmaalberinga — 2025-10-20 05:41:19 UTC

Understand the principles of solar radiation absorption and reflection,
Analyze how surface color and shading influence indoor temperature,
Apply heat transfer formulas to calculate heat gain and thermal energy balance,
Develop data literacy through graphing and interpreting temperature trends,
Propose energy-efficient building practices based on findings.

Materials & Data

vilmaalberinga — 2025-10-20 05:43:52 UTC

Real temperature data from 12 Solar Village cubes (including shaded and unshaded cubes with white, black, and green wraps),
Access to Solar Village dashboard for real-time data,
Graphing tools (Excel, Google Sheets, or other).

Data Collection:

vilmaalberinga — 2025-10-20 05:45:27 UTC

Extract hourly temperature data from the Solar Village cubes (Temperature),
Identify cubes with white, black, and green food wrap

Data Analysis:

vilmaalberinga — 2025-10-20 08:47:59 UTC

Plot temperature vs. time graphs for white, green and black cubes,
Calculate average daily temperature and peak temperature for each cube.

Calculations:

vilmaalberinga — 2025-10-20 08:49:16 UTC

Comparative Evaluation:

vilmaalberinga — 2025-10-20 08:51:54 UTC

Compare heat gain and temperature profiles across different colors,
Discuss how color and shading influence thermal comfort and energy efficiency.
Answer the following questions:
- What color would you use for roof of facade of the building/home to reduce energy? And why?
- Would your answer be the same in the summer and winter? Explain!

Technical Preparations

vilmaalberinga — 2025-10-20 08:54:00 UTC

Solar Cube Setup:

• Select unshaded cubes and wrap them in white, black, and green plastic wrap.

• Ensure consistent wrapping coverage and orientation for accurate comparison.

Sensor Calibration:

• Verify that temperature sensors inside each cube are functioning and calibrated.

• Confirm data logging intervals (e.g., hourly) and synchronization across cubes.

Data Access:

• Ensure students have access to the Solar Village dashboard or exported datasets.

• Provide historical data if needed for longitudinal analysis.

vilmaalberinga — 2025-10-20 08:54:39 UTC

Visit Sovil.si Home - Sovil - for measurements and observe 3 cubes oriented WEST wrapped in plastic wrap!

COLLECT DATA:

Country: LATVIA

Orientation: WEST

Type of wrapping: (green, white, black)

Time of measurement: __________

Sensor 10 Indoor temperature (Ti): ______ °C

Sensor 11 Indoor temperature (Ti): ______ °C

Sensor 12 Indoor temperature (Ti): ______ °C

Outdoor temperature (To) - find online: ______ °C

Sensor 10 ΔT: ______ °C

Sensor 11 ΔT: ______ °C

Sensor 12 ΔT: ______ °C

Q calculation Sensor 10: ______ W/m²

Q calculation Sensor 11: ______ W/m²

Q calculation Sensor 12: ______ W/m²

COLOR of the cube Sensor 10: ______________

COLOR of the cube Sensor 11: _____________

COLOR of the cube Sensor 12: _____________

Video

vilmaalberinga — 2025-10-21 11:20:16 UTC

Winter data

vilmaalberinga — 2026-01-22 08:46:11 UTC