The demand for PV solutions in new building and refurbishment projects, and the energy optimization of existing buildings, is growing worldwide.
The great potential of sun2wall® solutions
In multi-storey buildings, where roof space in often limited, facades offer additional surfaces with huge potential of generating electricity. With strict planning and design regulations along with carbon-tax, having power generating facades and windows is hugely advantageous. The meeco Group developed the sun2wall® vertical PV system, flexible energy solutions that are completely suitable for customization.
Use height to generate energy
Although vertical solar panels receive less solar radiation than roofs and horizontal surfaces, facades feature high areas; in a building with 4 floors, the area of the facades is about 4 times the area of the roof. If the whole available area of such building was used for solar panels and shadings from neighboring buildings neglected, the total annual electricity production would triple that of the roof. This ratio will obviously increase further for taller buildings. meeco sun2wall®solutions open a window of opportunity for this type of applications to generate clean and reliable energy.
A wider peak of power production
Additionally, sun2wall® solutions of vertical PV facades will produce relatively more power in winter and less in summer, and more in the early and late hours of the day, when the sun is lower in the sky. This leads to a widening of the peak of power production throughout the day and hence a closer match to the load diagram, which can then result in significant savings in electricity storage and/or fossil fuel-based backup power.
sun2wall® solutions: benefits of PV facades
The benefits of the solar facade compared to the glass facade are increased by minimizing the heat input in the summer due to the shading effect, which in turn saves a lot of energy for the cooling of the rooms. Furthermore, the air flow behind the solar modules reduces their temperature improving the system efficiency and longevity. Another approach could be also the use of semitransparent building-integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) which allows daylight to enter the interior spaces. Another critical advantage of wall- mounted arrays is that they will be effectively immune to snow losses. Areas that see significant snowfall can often see monthly production losses of 40-100% for a roof- mounted array but sun2wall® customized solutions have been developed and designed to solve also this unpleasant problem by guaranteeing constant and continuous energy production.
meeco sun2wall® PV facades systems improve the aesthetic value and energy self-sufficiency of the building, which turns them into the ideal solution for both new buildings and renovation projects.
For more information visit our website or email to info@meeco.net .
