Solar facades and BIPV: Here are first impressions from THE solar trade fair

06/22/2024 | Print view

In line with our focus topic of this week – BIPV – here are some impressions from the past three days at The smarter E Europe 2024 in Munich, Germany. Solar facades and the integration of PV into the building envelope are a growing market segment. And this year‘s trade fair reflected that. Here are some first impressions:

The Intersolar Europe is a leading international trade fair focused on the solar industry and renewable energy. It brings together manufacturers, suppliers, distributors, service providers and partners from around the world to showcase the latest innovations, products and services in solar technology. One of focus topics was building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV) and solar facades. The event lasted form June 19 to 21 and here are some impressions from our man on the ground:

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An example of what a solar facade can look like. Here a model of the assembly hall at the German Helmholtz-Centre out side of Berlin:

Conny Hahn, Product Manager in the business fields Facade and Interiors at building company Sto, in front of a demonstrator of a black facade incorporating solar modules from Sonnenkraft:

Fancy your solar facade a little more colourful? Ceramic Colors Wolbring have you covered. They offer a wide range of colours (also in a mat finish, if desired):

This system for mounting (smaller) PV modules on a vertical facade couldn‘t be easier to install: All that these patented brackets from fischer require is a hex key.

PV mounting system specialists K2 Systems are also offering solutions for vertically mounting solar modules to facades, such as the K2 WallPV for facades made of solid masonry or concrete. This variant also works for curtain wall facades with a thermal insulation composite system underneath:

For building envelopes (roofs or facades) where structural considerations make conventional solar panels impossible because of their weight, Chinese manufacturer Sunman offers a very thin and lightweight panel that is not compromised in terms of energy yield:

Another promising lightweight solution is still in the prototype phase: Researchers at Fraunhofer CSP are working on laminating solar cells directly to sheet aluminium.