SolarWall PV/Thermal hybrid technology wins Renewable Energy World Award

Conserval Engineering, Toronto, has been awarded the 2009 Renewable Energy World Award for Best Building Integrated Renewable for their SolarWall PV/Thermal (PV/T) technology installed at the new John Molson School of Business at Concordia University in Montreal. The award was presented to Conserval at the opening ceremony of the Renewable Energy World Conference in Austin, Texas on February 23. The SolarWall PV/T system is a hybrid technology that produces four times the amount of energy in the same space as standalone PV – for approximately 25% additional cost. The system produces two types of energy – electricity and heat – from the same footprint. It also improves the PV electrical output by up to 10% by reducing the module operating temperature up to 20°C. The thermal component uniformly removes the heat from the back of each PV module and then that heated air is delivered to the building ventilation system. The combined technologies greatly improve the cost benefit of a standalone system and address more of the building’s energy needs. “We are delighted that our SolarWall PV/T technology has been selected to receive this award” says Conserval Engineering CEO John Hollick. “Hybrid technologies are at the forefront of the solar industry because of their ability to generate two types of energy from one building-integrated system. Technology convergence will be a dominant trend in the renewable energy space, and it will yield tremendous benefits for clients in terms of maximizing energy production and bringing down the paybacks on PV systems.” The SolarWall PV/T system at Concordia University is a 100 kW system that features 75 kW of thermal heating and 25 kW of PV. Three hundred and eighty-four custom designed 65-Watt DAY-4 Energy PV modules are mounted onto the SolarWall air heating system (which doubles as the PV racking system) with a small air gap. The installation covers 288 m2 (3,100 ft2) and is expected to have a combined solar efficiency near 60%. The John Molson School of Business at Concordia is LEED Certified and the SolarWall PV/T system was seamlessly integrated into the south-facing façade of the new high-rise building. It is currently the largest SolarWall® PV/T system in the world, and the first of its kind installed here in North America. Conserval Engineering worked in partnership with Natural Resources Canada, the Solar Buildings Network, and Day4 Energy of Burnaby British Columbia on the project. Additional information is available at www.solarwall.com. View the video by Renewable Energy World.com about the SolarWall PV/T project and award www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/video/building-integrated-winner-jmsb-solarwall-project.