Hybrid Vehicle / Building Thermal and Electric System Combination

The topics of fossil fuel energy supply, CO2 emissions and climate change have created an active area of development in both the automotive and energy generation sectors. This paper aims to take a total system approach to the problem of personal energy consumption. A novel system design is presented and analyzed which offers a new method to combine distributed generation, home energy and personal transportation. A balance between seasonal ambient energy availability, heating demand, and transportation needs is found using a combination of a modified hybrid electric vehicle and a passive solar home. It is hoped that this approach can be expanded to its goal: that being a system whereby the home is capable of collecting, storing, and consuming all the energy needed for a household. This approach incorporates sustainable energy concepts directly rather than implementing incremental changes to an essentially un-sustainable system.