Displacing Electrical Energy for Drying Domestic Laundry by Practical Solar Upgrades – Proposed Glasgow Housing Case Studies
Abstract
Recent surveys in Glasgow carried out as part of a project ‘Environmental Assessment of Domestic Laundering’ have provided figures for electrical consumption for drying washing loads by tumble drier. Case studies include communal provision for drying, varying from covered areas (passive drying) to full laundrette facilities (active drying) and equivalent individual facilities. This paper will propose theoretical upgrades that evaluate how much of the average electrical consumption for tumble driers (communal and individual) can be displaced by solar energy. In the case of communal tumble driers, the objective is to install as much building-integrated PV as practical and compare its total predicted annual electrical output with demand. In the case of communal passive drying spaces, the objective will be a hybrid solar upgrade such that such passive drying becomes significantly more efficient than at present with some active solar assistance; thus motivating greater usage and displacing electricity that might otherwise be used for individual tumble driers in dwellings. The underlying aim is to eliminate the need for energy-sapping drying in the home by whatever means, thereby also lowering internal humidity. In this quest, the paper also outlines practical solar techniques to improve the potential to dry some washing passively within the footprint of the dwellings. It concludes that such solar upgrades are technically feasible, could displace significant amounts of grid electricity and at the same time enhance internal domestic environments.