The more sunlight solar panels receive, the hotter they get. The hotter they get, the more inefficient they become at converting energy into electricity. A new modular solar panel currently under development at Brunel University London solves this issue by using heat pipes to gather this excess heat and use it to produce a building’s hot water.
PVadapt aims to perfect a flexible solar powered renewable energy system that generates both heat for hot water and electricity. “With our system, there is no waste heat,” said Technical Co-ordinator, Professor Hussam Jouhara, who invented the multifunctional Flat Heat Pipe. The panels cost about $340 each and can be used in social housing, public buildings and offices, and even in developing countries and off-grid.
See Also: Certified Green Buildings may have an advantage in capital markets
The panels can be installed quickly on-site thanks to the design that allows them to clip together as a weather-tight roof. The project team describes this process as being as simple as clipping together LEGOs or laminate flooring. For a more detailed look at how the product is clipped together on-site, take a look at the diagram below.
PVadapt will soon be used in multiple pilot projects across eight buildings, both residential and commercial, in Spain, Greece, Austria, and Portugal. Horizon 2020 is funding the project.
Related Stories
Codes and Standards | Apr 8, 2024
First federal blueprint to decarbonize U.S. buildings sector released
The Biden Administration recently released “Decarbonizing the U.S. Economy by 2050: A National Blueprint for the Buildings Sector,” a comprehensive plan to reduce greenhouse-gas (GHG) emissions from buildings by 65% by 2035 and 90% by 2050.
Green | Apr 8, 2024
LEED v5 released for public comment
The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) has opened the first public comment period for the first draft of LEED v5. The new version of the LEED green building rating system will drive deep decarbonization, quality of life improvements, and ecological conservation and restoration, USGBC says.
Codes and Standards | Apr 8, 2024
Boston’s plans to hold back rising seawater stall amid real estate slowdown
Boston has placed significant aspects of its plan to protect the city from rising sea levels on the actions of private developers. Amid a post-Covid commercial development slump, though, efforts to build protective infrastructure have stalled.
Sustainability | Apr 8, 2024
3 sustainable design decisions to make early
In her experience as an architect, Megan Valentine AIA, LEED AP, NCARB, WELL AP, Fitwel, Director of Sustainability, KTGY has found three impactful sustainable design decisions: site selection, massing and orientation, and proper window-to-wall ratios.
Sustainability | Apr 4, 2024
Skanska Elevates Commitment to Sustainability
Skanska, a global leader in sustainable building, has restructured its Sustainability Team to better serve client and company goals. Co-led by Steve Clem and Myrrh Caplan, who together bring decades of experience, the team will allow Skanska to continue to set the bar for the industry.
Mixed-Use | Apr 4, 2024
Sustainable mixed-use districts: Crafting urban communities
As a part of the revitalization of a Seattle neighborhood, Graphite Design Group designed a sustainable mixed-use community that exemplifies resource conversation, transportation synergies, and long-term flexibility.
Sustainability | Mar 29, 2024
Demystifying carbon offsets vs direct reductions
Chris Forney, Principal, Brightworks Sustainability, and Rob Atkinson, Senior Project Manager, IA Interior Architects, share the misconceptions about carbon offsets and identify opportunities for realizing a carbon-neutral building portfolio.
Sustainability | Mar 21, 2024
World’s first TRUE-certified building project completed in California
GENESIS Marina, an expansive laboratory and office campus in Brisbane, Calif., is the world’s first Total Resource Use and Efficiency (TRUE)-certified construction endeavor. The certification recognizes projects that achieve outstanding levels of resource efficiency through waste reduction, reuse, and recycling practices.
Codes and Standards | Mar 18, 2024
New urban stormwater policies treat rainwater as a resource
U.S. cities are revamping how they handle stormwater to reduce flooding and capture rainfall and recharge aquifers. New policies reflect a change in mindset from treating stormwater as a nuisance to be quickly diverted away to capturing it as a resource.
Sustainability | Mar 13, 2024
Trends to watch shaping the future of ESG
Gensler’s Climate Action & Sustainability Services Leaders Anthony Brower, Juliette Morgan, and Kirsten Ritchie discuss trends shaping the future of environmental, social, and governance (ESG).