Solar House
The sun is pretty ubiquitous so we should be taking advantage of it. Not the bulky, after-thought, what’s-that-on-the-roof PV panel. This is membrane based. Except for the shiny color it looks like a regular roof. This company has been in the news before and now for being built into new homes. Passive solar design has been evolving for a few decades now so it’s time to incorporate that with active systems. Why waste all those joules?
Open Energy Corporation (OTC BB: OEGY), a renewable energy company focused on the development and commercialization of solar energy solutions, has been selected by McCullough-Ames Development, Inc. as the sole provider of solar roofing tiles being used as a standard feature for a 29-home development located in San Diego, California.
Each home is designed to have a 1 kW system that can be easily expanded to allow each home to be energy-customized” to meet the needs of its residents.
We look forward to the time when solar is ubiquitous in residential construction.”
Don’t we all. Commercial construction as well.
But what about those pesky windows? We have had “glazing” for a few years but it doesn’t seem to have caught hold. More recently, another company is trying to perfect a process of spraying nanoparticles onto glass.
Octillion Corp, through a sponsored research agreement with the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign, is developing a new patent-pending technology using nanosilicon photovoltaic solar cells that have the potential to convert normal home and office glass windows into ones capable of converting solar energy into electricity.
When thin films of silicon nanoparticles are deposited (sprayed) onto silicon substrates, ultraviolet light is absorbed and converted into electrical current. With appropriate connections, the film acts as nanosilicon photovoltaic solar cells that has the potential of converting solar radiation to electrical energy.
Another recent approach (so new I can’t find anything about the product from the corporate website) is to capture solar heat via the window. Not much to comment on since there is no explanation but the company has been around for a while so perhaps this will get legs. I wonder what “perfect combination” means. Since heating our water is no small energy drain this could still help.
Velux is to sell solar panels, which in perfect combination with the windows will easily provide hot water for private homes, offices and swimming pools.
The company invested EUR 40 million in product development in 2005. But the corporation does not wish to disclose how much money they have invested in solar energy during the last couple of years.
I am going to presume that this product will also do away with the bulky collector and integrate it into the structure.
So what would it take for the new home to be entirely energy independent? Often there are contests by architects for new (read that radical) designs to incorporate new technology, perhaps they’ll be one for the energy independent category. Not just solar collection, of course, but storage. PV could create hydrogen for use in a fuel cell later in a CPH system. Wiring the building for DC power (as well as AC) to reduce the inefficiencies of conversion. Some new homes already come complete with wiring for the entertainment system, how much harder to include 24v DC?
Fortunately, it appears some builders aren’t waiting for the “perfect” home – they are starting with what they have now. The LEED effort is also a worthy program.
- Posted in : Environment, In the News, Pictures, Positive Change, Renewable Energy, Science
- Author :Rt
Comments»
Great round up of interesting solar tech, I really like the idea of turning windows and other surfaces into solar panels, sort of make everything into a part of the energy solution for the home. One thing to note however is that integrated PV panels look really great, and allow architects to build in solar power without the look of “bulky panels” but the current state of the technology for these IPV is not nearly up to par with the bulky version, and the cost is way more. The panels you would put up that are not integrated have much higher efficiency and much lower cost, and as such give you much more bang for your buck. That is not to say this will always be the case, some day I would hope building IPV would be as efficient as maybe even cheaper than other panels.
As I am the eternal skeptical optimist I feel that affordable IPV may be closer than you may think. Not only will the printing process of the silicon improve but there will be additions of things such a holographic lens will improve the output.
For now there are a few immediate benefits:
There is no additional load factor on the roof nor the need for mounting brackets (potential sources for leaks) and the wind will not catch the shingles as easily as a box.
The installation costs are reduced. Partly because of some of the above reasons, partly due to the reduced skill level required for installation (the roof part, anyway), and partly because you were going to put shingles on the roof anyway.
The shape can be changed to suit different roofs. Note the small island of regular shingles in the picture. I believe that is a plumbing vent exiting the roof.
It is easy to add extra area to make up for the lack of efficiency. The picture uses almost the entire roof.
The main factor/question is, can it be made and installed cheaply enough ot put on every house? Dollers per watt are important but in the building industry dollars per square foot are important as well.