Coming back home from work out in Green Park on the edge of Reading, I noticed one of the new office buildings that they have recently completed. No one has moved in yet but it seems finished.
The outside wall has a bunch of solar panels integrated into the design. Looks good but in mid-summer when the sun is directly overhead, it won't make much power using these polysilicon modules. Amorphous would have been better. Or forego the "look at me!" architects design and put the panels unobtrusively (and more efficiently) on the roof.
Still, they meant well.
You can see my Honda Insight parked outside the "Eco-Office" for added effect... Now all I need is a plug-in hybrid and somewhere to plug it into that free electricity the building is making...
It's good to know that solar energy can also be used on offices. It must be a big investment and so maximum use of energy can be expected.
ReplyDeleteAt 42 modules of maybe 185W, this building has something like 7.8kWp installed, but that's tiny compared to some of the arrays I saw installed on retail warehouses and even farm houses in Germany. The government in the UK has just scuppered all commercial PV installs by slashing the FIT rates and all but banning the big 5MW+ farm land & factory roof installs that were planned.
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