The sun beating down on your industrial building can cause excessive heat to build up inside over the course of the day. This heat, known as solar load, forces your cooling systems to work harder, driving up your energy costs. Strategically placed and sized industrial fans and ventilation components can significantly reduce the heat trapped inside and help make your building more energy-efficient.
We are experts in providing tailored solutions for industrial fans and ventilation in all types of industrial facilities across the country. Contact our team at Eldridge today for help with making your building more comfortable and reduce your operating costs long-term.
What is Solar Load?
Solar load refers to the heat gain within a building caused by solar radiation. When sunlight enters a building, its energy is absorbed by the roof, walls, and floors. This absorbed energy is then converted into heat, raising the indoor temperature.
There is no one single formula for how absorbed solar energy translates exactly into a temperature increase. This process involves many variables, including the surface area of your building, size and orientation of windows, solar radiation intensity, and whether your roof and wall materials absorb or reflect sunlight. For example, darker materials absorb more heat than lighter ones, and materials with low insulation properties allow heat to transfer more easily.
The most direct consequence of not addressing high solar load is the increased demand for cooling, which leads to higher energy consumption and utility bills. Elevated indoor temperatures also impact employee productivity and potentially their health and safety. Excessive heat can even compromise sensitive electronic equipment or materials, such as industrial chemicals, adhesives and sealants, wood products, and plastics.
Industrial Fans Help Mitigate Solar Load
Industrial fans are designed to move massive volumes of air, so a fan properly sized and placed can successfully help disrupt heat buildup in your building.
Exhaust fans remove hot, stagnant air from inside the building and expel it outdoors. This is particularly important in areas with high solar gain or internal heat generation from machinery or processes. Exhaust fans create negative pressure, which draws in cooler outside air or facilitates the intake of fresh air through other ventilation systems.
High-Volume, Low-Speed (HVLS) fans circulate air throughout a wide area creating a comfort cooling effect due to sweat evaporation. The drawback to HVLS fans is that they can pull down hot air from the ceiling putting additional heat stress on people. That is why it is important to have exhaust fans to remove hot air at the ceiling level before incorporating HVLS fans into a ventilation system.
Spot cooling fans are smaller, high-velocity fans that are strategically placed to create targeted airflow within a space. They help prevent hot spots and improve the mixing of air, ensuring that cooled air from HVAC systems is distributed evenly. These fans can also enhance the effectiveness of other cooling strategies, such as evaporative cooling.
Strategic Industrial Ventilation Offloads Heat Buildup
Effective ventilation uses industrial fans as well as other ventilation components to create an air movement system specific to your building size and operation type. The best industrial ventilation system combines two methods: natural and mechanical ventilation.
Natural Ventilation
This strategy uses natural forces like wind and temperature differences to drive airflow. Openings such as windows, louvers, and roof vents allow cooler outside air to enter while warmer inside air escapes. The size, location, and orientation of these openings are critical for maximizing airflow. Building shape, prevailing winds, and the height difference between inlets and outlets also need to be considered here.
The effectiveness of natural ventilation can vary depending on external weather conditions. It can work on a more limited basis if you are located in an area with low wind speeds or high outdoor temperatures.
Mechanical Ventilation
This method uses fans to control airflow rates and direction. Exhaust fans expel hot air, while supply fans bring in fresh air. This creates a controlled airflow pattern within the building.
Supply and exhaust airflow need to be balanced in order to maintain proper pressure within your building. If this is imbalanced, If this is imbalanced, it can lead to several problems. When more air is exhausted than supplied, the building experiences negative pressure. This causes unfiltered air to be drawn in through cracks in walls, windows, and doors. This can bring in dust, pollutants, and humidity. Negative pressure can also make doors difficult to open and may cause backdrafting in combustion appliances. Conversely, when more air is supplied than exhausted, the building experiences positive pressure. This can force air, along with any indoor pollutants, out through openings around the building. Positive pressure can also make doors difficult to close and may affect the performance of your exhaust systems.
Which Industries are Most Affected by Solar Load?
Many industrial buildings struggle with solar load, but some industries and operations may experience more severe consequences to consistently high indoor heat. Here are some examples:
- Warehouses and Distribution Centers: Large, flat roofs and minimal insulation make these buildings prone to significant solar heat gain. Industrial fans and ventilation are crucial for maintaining tolerable temperatures for workers and preventing damage to stored goods.
- Manufacturing Facilities: Industrial processes often generate additional heat, adding to the solar load. This is especially applicable to facilities for metalworking, plastics production, or food processing.
- Agricultural Buildings: Greenhouses, livestock barns, and other agricultural structures can trap solar heat, creating uncomfortable and unhealthy conditions for plants and animals. Proper industrial ventilation is essential here for temperature and humidity control.
In essence, any large-span building with significant roof exposure and high internal heat can benefit greatly from improved industrial ventilation and strategic fan placement to help offset solar load.
Take Advantage of Solar Energy with a Sol-Air Fan
A solar-powered industrial fan uses the powerful energy of the sun to provide efficient and sustainable ventilation in your building. This simple yet effective technology helps reduce your reliance on grid electricity and further lowers your operating costs. Our proprietary SolAir Fan delivers consistent, quiet airflow wherever it’s needed, whether you need to supply fresh air or exhaust stale air. It can be adapted easily to many different types and configurations of industrial buildings. It is also highly cost-effective, with zero utility costs and standalone operation. It’s a smart choice for large industrial facilities where ventilation is crucial to battle a high solar load and the goal is to minimize energy consumption as much as possible.
Industrial Fans and Ventilation Design Expertise
Industrial fans and strategic ventilation are key to mitigating heat buildup in your building, which reduces your energy costs and improves overall working conditions for employees. For expert guidance on industrial ventilation system design and installation, contact Eldridge. We have decades of experience in creating tailored solutions that meet the unique needs of any industrial facility. Reach out to our team today for a consultation.