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Tag Archive for: photovoltaic glass

Solar energy farms halted amid flying glass concerns

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Solar energy farms halted amid flying glass concerns

Solar energy farms halted amid flying glass concerns

Construction on a massive solar energy farm in Moyock, North Carolina has prompted Currituck County officials to temporarily halt new solar farm permits amid concerns about flying glass and other potential hazards that could arise from hurricanes, tropical storms and other inclement weather events. When complete, the 2,000 acre Moyock solar farm will be the largest array in the Eastern United States, and will extend more than 2 miles.

Residents in the area around the array are concerned about the potential for injury from flying debris, and the potential for exposure to toxic materials from the array. The farm, which is being built by Ecoplexus, says the residents’ concerns are misplaced. The Moyock array is the second Ecoplexus solar site in Currituck County. The company was denied permits for the construction of a third site last year in Grandy, but says that its solar panels do not contain toxic materials in any significant amount.

The Moyock solar farm will generate enough power to supply 10,000 homes, and will generate an additional $300,000 in tax revenues for the area. The plan to build solar farms in the area is not without significant opposition. The arrays under construction occupy former farmland, which some believe should be left intact. The Grandy project called for the conversion of a former golf course to solar energy production. That project was turned down after nearby residents, who opposed the new array, discovered an ordinance that prevented the proposed site from being used for energy production.

North Carolina is the second-largest producer of solar energy in the United States. A number of solar arrays have been built in eastern North Carolina in recent years, thanks in part to the availability of inexpensive land that offers significant sun exposure. Additionally, a state law requires 12.5% of the state’s power to come from renewable energy sources. The county says it will resolve its concerns about solar arrays within the next two months, but will not issue permits for new solar arrays in the meantime.

Glassprimer™ glass paint is a specialized glass coating that bonds permanently to glass surfaces. GlassPrimer also makes a glass surface molecular activator that is designed to work with UV-inkjet glass printing processes. For more information about Glassprimer™ glass paint, please visit the rest of our site. If you’d like to purchase Glassprimer™ glass paint, please visit our online store .

Photo Credit: Greens MP , via Flickr.com

BIPV and photovoltaic glass

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BIPV and photovoltaic glass

BIPV and photovoltaic glass

Even if you’ve never heard the term BIPV, you’ll probably understand its impact. Building-integrated photovoltaics are an up-and-coming element of new building construction. Its companion term – building-applied photovoltaics (BAPV) – is used in relation to existing construction. Together they encompass a wide range of glass and other components that replace conventional construction materials that you’d normally find in the building envelope.

BIPV are made for roof, façade and skylight installations. They offer the best economic advantage when they’re installed as part of initial construction. Increasingly, commercial buildings are being designed with energy-efficiency and sustainability in mind. In some cases, a BIPV installation is required by local building codes. In other cases, building owners who are seeking LEED certification use BIPV to help meet certification requirements.

As glass coatings and other technological improvements have been developed, the cost of incorporating BIPV has fallen. In addition, their efficiency has increased, which makes them more attractive from an operational perspective.

BAPV components are also attractive. Many older buildings are being retrofitted with high-efficiency photovoltaics to support local power consumption, reduce the cost of operation, or generate income. Energy-efficient retrofits also make commercial spaces more attractive, and may allow building owners to claim tax credits or rebates.

BIPV is expected to play a major role in European countries where Zero Energy Building (ZEB) targets are in place. Photovoltaic adoption in commercial buildings in the United States has lagged, however. The implementation of zero net-energy buildings is likely to gain traction here as power companies attempt to improve the efficiency of their existing plants.

Novel glass coatings and new photovoltaic designs are likely to increase the efficiency of BIPV components. That will reduce the cost for initial installation, as well as the cost of retrofitting existing construction. In addition, coatings like Glassprimer™ glass paint can also help reduce heat buildup while still permitting the transmission of visible light.

Glassprimer™ glass paint is a specialized glass coating that bonds permanently to glass surfaces. GlassPrimer also makes a glass surface molecular activator that is designed to work with UV-inkjet glass printing processes. For more information about Glassprimer™ glass paint, please visit the rest of our site. If you’d like to purchase Glassprimer™ glass paint, please visit our online store .

Photo Credit: Tai Viinikka , via Flickr.com

Photovoltaic glass rises to the top

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Photovoltaic glass rises to the top

Photovoltaic glass rises to the top

Designers are looking for ways to reduce energy consumption in commercial spaces, and photovoltaic glass is emerging as a viable solution. Photovoltaic glass converts sunlight to electricity, and is increasingly being used to reduce energy commercial energy demands.

Apple recently announced that it will install a photovoltaic glass floor into its San Francisco retail store. The floor is able to generate as much as 90,000 kWh of electricity annually. The company’s new headquarters are also fitted with photovoltaic glass, and is expected to generate an eye-popping 5 MWh of electricity each year.

Photovoltaic glass coatings and films increase solar efficiency

The efficiency of photovoltaic glass is generally below 20%, but new research is improving the efficiency of glass, and making effective solar installations possible in more locations. Heliatek, a German manufacturer, has just completed the second phase of a large solar project in Singapore, using HeliaFilm, a film intended to collect solar energy on building façades and rooftops. The film is designed specifically for use in Asia, as a way to boost energy collection and meet growing demands in urban areas. The installed film currently covers about 200 square meters of space and generates about 110kWh of electricity. A third stage, which will apply transparent films to the existing collector.

Other research aims to improve the transparency of photovoltaic glass. Typically, photovoltaic glass is dark – nearly opaque – to improve the collection potential of glass. A new approach to photovoltaic glass involves taking advantage of the large amount of glass surface available in modern commercial buildings. If films or other coatings could improve the efficiency of energy collection and the transparency of glass, solar energy could support a significant portion of the energy that each building consumes.

Another approach to reducing energy costs is to discourage solar heat gain. Coatings like paint can accomplish this. Glassprimer™ glass paint creates a permanent bond with the surface of the glass, and resists UV radiation. At the same time, the paint can permit natural light transmission.

If you’d like more information about Glassprimer™ glass paint, please visit the rest of our site. If you’d like to purchase Glassprimer™ glass paint, please visit our online store .

Photo Credit: Thomas Brown, via Flickr.com

Photovoltaic glass can generate real power

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Photovoltaic glass can generate real power

Photovoltaic glass can generate real power

Solar energy is moving to the forefront of the clean energy movement and photovoltaic glass may help bring the technology to more densely populated (and less sunny) areas. Until recently, the state of the solar energy industry was limited by the available collection technology. Solar energy was (and still is) most likely to be successful in areas that receive a lot of direct sunlight throughout the day.

Photovoltaic glass advances could change collectors

That tends to leave out regions like the Northeast, the Great Lakes and the Northwest, which are often under cloud cover. In these parts, solar energy is a passive, supplemental power source, and offers limited benefits.

One way to increase the amount of solar energy collected is to increase the size of the solar collector. In sparsely populated areas, large arrays can be constructed on the ground. This approach is not practical in urban areas, where the population is more densely concentrated.

Advances in the development of photovoltaic glass, however, are changing the established rules that governed where solar collectors are practical. In traditional solar collectors, the photovoltaic glass is dark, primarily to maximize the amount of non-visible light that gets collected. (It’s the non-visible light frequencies that are mostly responsible for heat generation.)

Unfortunately, to make the glass dark enough to harvest this type of solar radiation meant that the glass was too dark to transmit the visible light. This meant that the glass could not be used in windows and in other applications, where transparency is desirable.

New developments in photovoltaic glass include the development of glass that can absorb the invisible light spectrum and direct it toward the edges of the pane, where it can be converted to electricity. This material permits the transmission of visible light, so it can transform any window or glass surface into a solar energy collector. The material is currently about 20% transparent, which is still relatively dark. Further advances, however, could increase the transparency of this glass, and make photovoltaic glass practical for other applications.

In the meantime, another approach to reducing energy costs through glass is to block UV radiation from entering buildings. Glassprimer™ glass paint is specially formulated to bond permanently with glass. The paint is available in any color, and resists peeling, chipping and fading, even in direct sunlight. Reducing solar gain through selective obstruction can reduce energy costs year-round.

If you’d like more information about Glassprimer™ glass paint, please visit the rest of our site. If you’d like to purchase Glassprimer™ glass paint, please visit our online store .

Photo Credit: Pieter Edelman, via Flickr.com