Building-integrated photovoltaics are a recent progress made in the area of solar panels. The basic principle is to integrate them in the façade, but also in the skylights and in the roof so that they become a part of the building. On the one hand, the photovoltaic modules fulfill the normal function of glass in terms of isolating the building and being translucent. On the other hand, they serve as a source of energy for the whole building.
The advantages of solar energy are well known: the unlimited availability and use of the solar radiation, the sustainability of this technology and the reduction of carbon dioxide emissions. One of the biggest advantages of this construction is that the solar panels serve directly as material. In this way construction material can be saved.
One of the most impressing building-integrated photovoltaics is the Torre de Cristal (Tower of Glass) in Madrid which was directed by the company Martifer. It is the second highest skyscraper in Spain and the world’s highest building-integrated photovoltaics since the work was completed in 2008.
Martifer is ranked 5th largest player at the European level and 16th in the World’s PV Integrators ranking by IHS. Working together with them means counting with a Full Service EPC (Engineering, Procurement, Construction) and a Good Value Martifer O&M Cost. The aim is to maximize the performance ratio of the client’s photovoltaic system.
Another building-integrated project of Martifer from the year 2009 was the Culture Hall Carlos Muñoz Ruiz in Alcobendas, Madrid, where the solar panels are integrated in the façades and skylights. It is a construction with a huge sense of art and architectural concinnity. The photovoltaic modules which were used in the façade and in the skylights consist of glass-glass. The integration of the modules is complete as it is important to preserve architectural integrity of the building.