My project arises out of a larger interest of mine in achieving self-sufficiency and living with the least impact on the environment. The glass is south facing because during the colder months the sun arcs low in the sky. The most direct sunlight is received during mid-day when the sun is directly south. Thermal mass located inside the space is heated during the day. The mass releases the heat slowly through out the night keeping the space inside warm.
Effective insulation is needed to keep the heat in.
The greenhouse that I built is heated completely by passive solar energy. The larger application of this is to build a house that is heated and cooled using passive solar energy. Twenty-percent of our energy needs are for space heating and cooling. That makes this technology useful in reducing our dependence on non-renewable, environmentally damaging fuels. In some cases individuals are offered incentives, by government, to install this type of technology in an effort to conserve energy.