Source: Web page  Canadian Consulting Engineer (http://www.canadianconsultingengineer.com/)
Designers are taking advantage of government incentives to integrate photovoltaics into the very fabric of their buildings.
Photovoltaic researchers at the British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT) designed an integrated photovoltaic system for a new building on the institute's Burnaby campus. Technology Place has a 3.5 kW array of thin-film solar panels integrated into the glass facade overlooking the southwest entrance. The system produces enough power to sustain almost all lighting in the building.
Image courtesy ATS/Matrix Solar Three-dimensional digital graphic of the ATS/Matrix Spheral Solar? cell. The technology uses silicon solar cells bonded into an aluminum foil matrix. Its flexibility promises to open new opportunities for integrating photovoltaics into different building structures.
Computer rendering of photovoltaic sunshades to be installed on the facade of Goodwin Hall, Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario this spring. Halsall Associates are the prime consultant, working with Solar Design Associates. The system will produce up to 30 kW of power under full sun.
The opaque and semi-transparent, thin-film, amorphous silicon modules blend seamlessly with the standard window glass. From inside the viewer sees laser-scribed dots, which allow the modules to transmit up to 30% of the light. Wiring is concealed in the mullions, and the array is connected to two grid-tied inverters. The system was designed by BCIT's Photovoltaic Energy Applied Research (PEARL) team led by Eric Smiley, with Schenke Bawol as electrical engineers.
Governments are supporting renewable energy technologies like photovoltaics for several reasons. First, a growing proportion of voters is changing their attitudes about sustainability, moving from asking, "Is this a problem? to, "What can we do about it?"
As well, the economic gap between renewable energy technologies and "old" technologies is closing, while the supply of petroleum energy resources is becoming less secure.
Meanwhile, environmental policies are becoming global in scope. Reducing CO2 emissions is a major concern, as nations look for ways of meeting their international obligations to reduce greenhouse gases.
Photovoltaics currently account for less than half of one per cent of the world's power generation. However, the global business volume for this solar technology has doubled over the last three years, while costs are dropping. The expansion of photovoltaics is concentrated in regions where energy is expensive, such as California, Europe and Japan.
In the U.S., more than 200,000 homes have photovoltaic power, mostly due to government incentives. The federal government offers grants that amount to about 40% of the photovoltaic investment. Canada has no national program of this scale, but various sources of funding are available for special types of projects. | 