Cooled soil as a cooling source for buildings

Two approaches have been tested by the author for cooling soil in a given location to temperatures well below the ‘‘normal’’ temperatures in that location. The first approach has been tested in Sde Boqer Campus, in the Israeli Negev desert. The soil was covered with a layer of pebbles, about 10 cm. thick, and watered in the mornings. Substantial cooling of the soil was achieved. This cooling system was tested in test cells in Sde Boqer, Israel, and in a full scale room in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and has provided effective cooling. The second approach was tested at A&M University in Tallahassee, Florida. Temperature measurements were taken of moist soil under a wooden shack on stilts raised about 60 cm above the ground. Thus the soil under it was permanently shaded. The cooled soil temperatures were below the outdoors’ minimum temperatures, even during the peak of the summer, providing a potential heat sink for cooling buildings. The thermal performance of an earth covered building in the Negev arid region of Israel is also summarized. 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.