UK replaces windows with glass solar panels to turn skyscrapers into solar power plants

With the rapid development of solar energy technology, solar panels are increasingly integrated into the overall design of buildings. In the future, what may seem like a normal skyscraper may actually be an energy-saving zero carbon building covered with glass solar panels.

Polysolar, a British solar photovoltaic company, is committed to combining buildings and solar panels, using organic polymer thin film solar technology to develop Building Integrated Solar Energy (BIPV), allowing glass solar panels to replace existing windows. A 1200 × 600mm glass solar panel can produce 5kWh of electricity per month, and the company also claims that its solar panel will not distort the scenery. There are options such as adjustable color changing and orange shading glass solar panels, and the desired transparency glass can also be selected through glass solutions.

Polysolar pointed out that if the glass windows of The Shard in London, which are enough to cover eight football fields, were replaced with solar panels, it could produce 2500 MWh of electricity per year, providing electricity for 1000 households throughout the year. In addition to greatly reducing air conditioning and electricity costs, it could also turn a typical building into a zero carbon green building.

Although the current cost of standard glass solar panels is relatively expensive, which can be said to be twice that of traditional windows, the company has stated that once mass production begins, prices will significantly decrease. And the price of solar panels can be spread over the original building materials, and the installation cost can also be included in the construction work. Combined with design and aesthetics, this technology has many development opportunities in BIPV.

Polysolar CEO Hamish Watson stated that due to the global environmental awareness of "reducing carbon emissions", renewable energy is becoming increasingly important and can make good use of the potential market and business opportunities of BIPV while contributing to the planet. The company hopes to build 500 green buildings for London in the future.

Independent's previous analysis pointed out that the business opportunity of integrating solar photovoltaic buildings could reach 26 billion US dollars in 2022. Although this only accounts for a small part of the building glass market, it is still a development opportunity. In addition, glass solar energy applications, like other solar panels, can also be installed in homes and garages to provide power for homes and electric vehicles, which is another consideration for consumers.

The company has previously conducted small-scale tests in the UK, such as installing glass solar roofs at Sainsbury gas stations in 2013, building solar bus stations at Canary Wharf in London in 2017, or installing solar panels on the exterior rain shelters of Network Rail.

This is not the only manufacturer developing glass solar panels or integrating windows with solar technology. In December 2017, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in the United States also invented a solar color changing window. When the window is exposed to sunlight, it will darken. In addition to insulation, it also has power generation function, and the photoelectric conversion can reach 11.3%.

If you don't have a large roof and want to use solar power to pay for electricity, solar windows and exterior walls are good choices. In 2005, CISSolarTower in Manchester, England, laid 7000 solar panels on the exterior wall of the building, which is the largest vertical solar building in Europe and also a BIPV innovation.