Three sites, which one?
We have three possible sites to build the passive solar home at, and must pick one. With gathered data from each site such as humidity, tempature, and sunlight intensity, we have decided to use site number two for the solar home. It recieves the most sunlight, would fill up the empty hill, and can be seen from outside the school for others to appreciate. Below are descriptions for all of the sites, along with Novato's weather and climate patterns. All of the data for the specific sites was taken on 2/13/13.
novato's weather
Novato is at 38 degrees north and 122 degrees west. We face the sun with it being in the south, and at a lower sky angle in winter. The average precipitation is about 25.5 inches of rain a year with no snow and occasional hail. Most rain falls in the winter, and little to none falls in the summer. Wind would normally travels southeast at this lattetude, but with the landscape Novato has, the hills can divert wind in other directions. Most of the time however, it blows east from Stafford Lake.
Site One
This is the first site, and closest to San Marin Drive at the front of the school. It is fenced in with the garden, giving this area a "neat and tidy" vibe. Partial shade covers it in the morning due to the oak tree on the eastern side, and is clear the rest of the day. This area had a tempature of 18 degrees celcius, and relative humidity of 50%. It would be a nice place for students to wait for ride home due to how close it is to both the parking lot and front of the school.
Site two
The second site is along the southern edge of San Marin, on Novato Boulevard across the horse farm. It is on a raised, flat hill with no trees casting shade, so it gets direct sunlight pretty much all day, which is what we want for a passive solar home. The temputure was 17 degrees celcius, with a relative humidity of 48%. This area is slightly less humid than site one due to the direct sunlight and open area. It is still fairly close to the front of the school, and a good place to wait for a ride home.
(Note: Site two is currently out of use, as it is being used as a driveway for construction. If this site won't be available, then we will use site one.)
(Note: Site two is currently out of use, as it is being used as a driveway for construction. If this site won't be available, then we will use site one.)
site three
Site three is in the very back of the school, by the tennis courts and the creek. It is in a relativly shady area with oak trees, cutting off most direct sunlight and therefore a bit cooler and more humid. The temputure was 16 degrees celcius with a relative humidity of 55%. While this is a good spot for the tennis players and a place to quietly relax after school, it is in a secluded area and it will take a while for others to see and appreciate it. There is only dappled sunlight hitting it at midday, so this may not be an ideal place for a solar home to be, especially during the winter weather when sunlight is vital for the home's function.