A 163-kilowatt solar curtain wall is powering the new building of the Office of Environment and Energy in Basel, Switzerland. Swiss manufacturer Megasol provided special modules on 3D molten glass for vertical BIPV installations.
The solar curtain wall extends over 1,140 square meters of building envelope.
The new building of the Basel Environment and Energy Office in Switzerland is 25 m high and is completely wrapped in a solar curtain wall of more than 1,140 m2. The façade has an installed capacity of 163 kilowatts, and the glittering golden solar modules used in the project add a unique appearance to the building.
The idea can be traced back to 2013, when the local construction company Jessenvolleweider won a competition with its design proposal. In 2016, the referendum enabled the construction of sustainable buildings, which officially opened in early November. The initial project envisaged the use of solar modules made up of golden solar cells; however, a different approach was eventually adopted, namely the use of new solar modules made of special molten glass from Megasol Energie AG.
"The ability of this kind of glass to present different appearances under different lighting conditions is the basis of our research," said Sven Kowalewsky from Jessenhlenweider. "Free design options for molten glass are the decisive factor." The solar modules are designed in such a way that they form the outer skin of the new building. From a distance, the exterior wall presents a golden luster, which is formed by thousands of dots embedded in solar modules. In addition, the module has a three-dimensional appearance.
“We developed these solar modules in close cooperation with the architects,” said Michael Reist, a spokesperson for Megasol Energie. The solar module installed in the building is made of back glass, encapsulation layer, solar cells, another encapsulation layer and 3D front glass. Megasol then assembles the components into a unit in a laminator. "Each solar module was developed specifically for this project, which requires appropriate adjustments and readjustments during the manufacturing process," Reist said.
Another challenge in the production of solar modules is that the 3D molten glass has a 3D structure on both the front and back sides. "The standard process is designed for'flat' glass and cannot absorb this modification, especially in lamination," he continued. "Lamination is a sensitive process, and the smallest changes in temperature, pressure, processing time, or material properties can lead to undesirable results."
Megasol has applied a process specially adapted to 3D glasses, and adopted appropriate lamination techniques in terms of temperature, pressure and processing time. This process is critical to the quality, performance and life of solar modules.
In addition to its unique appearance, Basel’s solar curtain wall has another advantage: According to Megasol, it can also generate a lot of solar energy in winter. This is because the surface of the solar façade is very suitable for low winter sunlight, because the light hits the solar cells almost vertically. "Along with the cold air that improves battery efficiency, these conditions are very good," Reist said.
This content is protected by copyright and cannot be reused. If you want to cooperate with us and want to reuse some of our content, please contact: editors@pv-magazine.com.
More articles from Sandra Enkhardt
Please pay attention to our community standards.
Your email address will not be published. Required places have been marked *
Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time you comment.
By submitting this form, you agree that pv magazine will use your data to publish your comments.
Your personal data will only be disclosed or otherwise transmitted to third parties for spam filtering or technical maintenance of the website. Unless this is justified in accordance with applicable data protection regulations, or pv magazine is legally obliged to do so, no other transfers will be made to third parties.
You can revoke this consent at any time and it will take effect in the future, in which case your personal data will be deleted immediately. Otherwise, if pv magazine has processed your request or achieved the purpose of data storage, your data will be deleted.
For more information about data privacy, please refer to our data protection policy.
Legal Notice Terms and Conditions Privacy Policy © pv magazine 2021
This website uses cookies to calculate the number of visitors anonymously. Check our privacy policy. X
The cookie settings on this website are set to "Allow Cookies" in order to provide you with the best browsing experience. If you continue to use this website without changing the cookie settings or click "Accept" below, you agree to this.