Once considered an eyesore by some, photovoltaics are looking and working better
Last year, Barrie Cload, a former managing director of Volvo Trucks living in Warwick, England, was ordered to remove solar panels from his roof because local planning officers said they were “inappropriate and unsympathetic” additions and “unacceptably distracting” from his residence. This action was done because photovoltaics (PV), while appreciated for being a positive environmental impact, are still seen by some as “spoiling skylines” and “just plain ugly” due to their ominous dark panes and extended framing. Traditionally, PV system designs have been most influenced by PV performance considerations, not aesthetics. But creative solar panel companies and innovative architects are fixing this with better building PV integration and more dynamic designs to create systems that harmonize with the building.
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“We incorporate solar panels generally in two ways,” says Lawrence W. Speck, principal at Austin, Texas-based PageSoutherlandPage. “We either make them invisible and inconspicuous, or we make them an architectural feature. I would say photovoltaics pose more of an opportunity than a challenge. They are just like any other building element/material. They need to be integrated into a larger design framework.”
Because of these better designs, ordinances that once banned PV are slowly being removed as demand for-and education about-solar energy has increased. In fact, several states have enacted laws that would trump any local or subdivision rules that prohibit panels for aesthetic reasons. As an architect, Charles Hendricks, AIA, CSI, CDT, CAPS, LEED AP BD & C, sustainability director at The Gaines Group, Harrisonburg, Va., uses photovoltaic panels to enhance a design, make a statement about clean energy, or be hidden from sight altogether. “Our firm works hard to understand a client’s motivations and use PV as appropriate to meet their design and energy aspirations,” he says. “I love the idea of using a solar PV array as a façade treatment that allows views through your energy source while shading the building (ventilated façade), or even as a rainscreen treatment. Solar PV panels can be integrated into the roof material, mounted to the roof or create the structure’s roof entirely.”
Remove the rack
One way the solar power industry is improving aesthetics is by removing PV’s obtrusive rack. Solar panel roof installation mandates cutting the rails (which can come in lengths of 204 inches and 240 inches), then splicing them together to match the length and width for the solar panels. This involves an array of nuts, bolts, mounting hardware and specialized tools. There is also the problem with grounding the panels and rails to adhere to local and regional codes to ensure safety. Because of their unwieldy length, rails are not only architecturally inelegant, but also expensive and difficult to install, warehouse and ship.
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To remedy this, ZepSolar, a solar panel mounting manufacturer in San Rafael, Calif., has a system (or series of systems) to mount panels to roofs without rails. The LM system flush mounts via an adjustable-height L-bracket. The FM system is designed for flush-mounting solar panels via an adjustable-height flashed assembly. They both utilize tapered channels and specialized interlocking, leveling and grounding “feet.” The Zep system reportedly installs six times faster than conventional rail mounting and offers the added advantages of reducing material waste with no more 8-inch rail pieces left over. It addition to improving the aesthetics of roof-mounted solar arrays, it even makes them theft-resistant.
“The typical system is arrays set on a frame, which affects building aesthetics,” says Alan Burnett, LEED AP, associate at Gale Associates Inc., Mountain View, Calif. “(Rackless) PV arrays will lay flat on the roof and will not be visible from the ground. They will still need to be anchored to the roof and have wind resistance.” Colorado Springs, Colo.-based S-5’s PV clamp system requires no separate racking or rail systems, and its new PV mini-clamp reduces the footprint and panel’s elevated profile. The module is simply anchored with a kit and is automatically bonded. No lugs or wire are required except to connect one string of modules to another, and to ground the system.
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“The rackless systems that have emerged onto the market are reducing the installation times, creating a cleaner looking finished product and reducing installation costs,” says Hendricks. “Fewer parts in the field will result in fewer errors during installation. We are big supporters of simple and efficient parts to create a beautiful balanced design.”
Thin film is in
To boost PV aesthetics, thin film laminates have emerged over the past few years that maintain the appearance of a traditional roofing surface. “Crystalline panels mounted on a sloped roof are very obvious,” says Jerry Heininger, coordinator of environmental products at Englert Inc., Perth Amboy, N.J. “PV laminates applied directly to standing seam panels with dark colors are hardly discernible from ground level. Just as Henry Ford once told American consumers they could have a car painted any color they wanted so long as it was black, the same American consumer can have a thin film laminate any color he or she wants so long as it is dark blue.
Consequently, the laminate PV is less noticeable and more aesthetically positive with dark-colored roofs like dark blues and greens, black, dark bronze and charcoal gray. But like its blue crystalline cousin, will be obvious from ground level with roof coatings like reds, whites and tans.” Another aesthetic development is the manufacture of crystalline panels with a black frame, replacing the aluminum color dominant in the industry for years. “The black frame and the deep blue crystalline surface are less noticeable, particularly when affixed to a steep slope roof,” Heininger says.
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BIPV = better integration
Building integrated photovoltaics (BIPV) are solar cells incorporated into materials to be used to replace conventional building materials in parts of buildings, such as the roof, skylights or façades. They are increasingly being integrated into buildings at the conceptual stage as a principal or ancillary source of electrical power, although existing buildings may be retrofitted with BIPV modules as well. BIPV’s advantage over more common non-integrated systems is that the initial cost can be offset by reducing the amount spent on building materials and labor that would normally be used to construct the part of the building that the BIPV modules replace. These advantages make BIPV one of the fastest growing segments of the photovoltaic industry. With this improved integration and acceptance has come increased aesthetics and applications.
“BIPV affords the designer or architect the opportunity to be very imaginative and completely integrate the photovoltaic system into the building construction and architecture,” says Michael P. Nowicki, PE, LEED AP BD+C, associate, electrical engineer, SmithGroupJJR, Detroit, Mich. “The design possibilities are only limited by the creativity of the designer. I believe BIPV has great potential, but don’t think the market has matured to the point of widespread acceptance yet. Conversely, this doesn’t mean we stop trying to create new products. Progress is occurring and will continue to do so in the future.”
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In the future, innovative PV designs will make them not only far removed from an eyesore, but make boring facades look visually more attractive. “Obviously architects need to strive to create aesthetically pleasing designs, but the audience also has to alter their thinking and expectations,” Nowicki adds. “People need to realize buildings have to produce power as we move toward net zero energy buildings and the Living Building Challenge. There is always the option to hide the photovoltaic modules up on the roof. However, there is also the opportunity to architecturally express the system and be proud of the fact something good is being done for the environment.”