It is a common sight to see roofs covered in black or blue solar panels. This is a result of the silicon crystallites that make up the solar cells. However, this does not necessarily have to be the case. Sunovation has already implemented several ambitious architectural solar solutions – in colours specified by customers.
Such as green in the case of one the most holy places of Islam in Mecca. Heribert Ley of Sunovation explains the challenges that had to be overcome: "We manufacture the modules according to the customer's demands. The glass is tinted using the tried and tested screen printing process.
Green cells and curved modules
In this specific project, Sunovation even supplied green solar cells. The company produced curved modules for the roof of one of the most important mosques in the Middle East, with a total area of almost 13,000 square meters. Each module has an area of around two square metres. "The cells were coated in such a way that they perfectly match the green-printed glass," Ley explains. "Certainly, a particularly exclusive product. Such a thing can hardly be achieved with conventional processes of solar module production."
Modules filled with silicone gel
Sunovation no longer uses the usual films to laminate their cells. The modules are filled with a specially developed silicone gel. "This is a technology that is also being used in the space industry for the solar cantilevers of satellites," says Ley. "This process does not require vacuum, pressure or high temperatures, which in turn protects the solar cells. We have a patent on our filling process, and the modules are also protected as registered designs or utility models."
