Solar
Solar, so fine
Rooftop solar is in demand as builders and owners look to increase energy performance and reduce CO2 footprint. But as Martyn Johnson reports, aesthetic appeal is a growing consideration
water rather than generated electricity. How perceptions have changed. In under three
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decades solar has morphed from a suburban oddity into a key driver in the provision of reliable, sustainable and economical energy supply. Solar power is now cheaper than energy from
coal in some parts of the world. In less than a decade, PV could be the lowest-cost option almost everywhere, according to Bloomberg. Last year Britain led Europe in solar growth, with 29% of new capacity, followed by Germany (21%) and France (8.3%). Nearly half of the total solar power installed worldwide last year was in China, with Asia as a whole representing two-thirds of new capacity. The age of solar has arrived and the market is entering a new phase.
Solar used to be about function – does a proposed
investment make sense commercially and financially? Similar factors have driven other rapid advances – from transport to healthcare. Who cared what it looked like if it worked? Then, as products performed better and grew popular, design came to the fore. People liked listening to music on a personal
stereo until the iPod came along – then they loved it. iPhones did the same for mobile, turning Apple into the world’s most valuable company. Style – that mix of appearance,
design, usability and aesthetic appeal – can quickly transform a product, even an industry. The trend applies as much to buildings as to watches and bicycles. As suppliers compete, products
improve and manufacturing costs decline, so technical advances benefit bigger populations. At this stage customers start to look for something different. That’s now happening with solar. Technical advances including solar PV
present architects and builders with new challenges and opportunities. A look at the best recent designs shows not only the extent of
May 2017
nce people complained that solar panels were a blot on the landscape. They were often glass-fronted flat-plated ‘boxes’ that heated
creativity involved, but also the sheer diversity of approach.
This is hugely bound up with popular thinking. The
growing focus on building aesthetics is evident from popular TV shows such as Grand Designs and Amazing Spaces to newspaper property sections. People like good buildings. They want to live in them and they want to work in them. Responsible managers know that productivity relates directly to how happy employees are in their environment. Offices, factories, distribution centres and civic buildings are a brand extension – they say much about their occupier to visitors, customers and passers-by. Showing concern for the environment by using solar sends out a positive signal. Making that technology attractive adds impact.
Combining excellent solar energy yields with functional aesthetics and simple installation, Solrif has become one of the market leaders first in Switzerland and Europe and increasingly worldwide. The patented roof-integrated mounting system is a true alternative to conventional covers. The photovoltaic innovation turns roofs into power generators Increasingly, manufacturers are offering their PV modules with the Solrif frame. Some three million Solrif-framed PV panels have been installed across Europe and the company supplies this product in the UK through brands such as Romag. At Schweizer, we put design at the heart of everything we do. The company has been active in solar since 1978 when it launched its first flat-plate thermal collector, then producing its first PV mounting systems in 1993 and in 1999 launching the Solrif in-roof solar PV system. Our drive for attractive, functional design
stretches back four decades. In 1974 the company commissioned Andreas Christen to develop a new letterbox. Working with management and using an innovative design and new materials, the Swiss artist produced the B74 which sold well over 100,000 units over four decades. The letterbox remains popular today for its design, recyclable parts and modular, weld-free construction. When Solrif won the Swiss Solar Prize for Best
Integrated Solar [in 2006], judges noted the future- proof, innovative design and complete integration, the roof consisting solely of PV panels, with nothing but Solrif from edge to edge. The integration of the [agricultural] building and PV plant with the landscape was ‘remarkable’.
Not only is Solrif highly effective in generating solar electricity, it helps reach minimum carbon compliance standards without the need for costly special insulation or expensive windows often required to reach ‘passive building’ energy standards. This provides builders and developers with a suitable carbon offsetting tool for securing planning approval. More and more leading PV module manufacturers are offering their products with this frame, as it
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