Look up in the Sky, It’s a Solar Panel: Solar Skyscrapers are on the Rise

Skyscrapers as symbols of solar prowess?

Ever since skyscrapers started to capture our imagination, they have been recognized as a city’s symbol of economic power and financial might. They have not, however, ever been accused of being particularly energy efficient. Skyscrapers are notoriously huge energy consumers, which is why we were impressed by some recent efforts for building owners to try to reduce the carbon footprint of their massive buildings.

Skyscrapers consume a large amount of energy when people are working. They consume a lot more electricity because potable and non-potable water have to be pumped to the highest occupied floors, mechanically ventilated design makes elevators generally used instead of stairs, and many lights are installed in rooms far from the windows and the windowless spaces. Furthermore, the gathered skyscrapers always contribute to the urban heat effect which urban residents suffer from.

With all of these inefficiencies, can a skyscraper be “green”? You no longer just need to dream of “green” skyscrapers or see them in the science fiction movies, eco-friendly solar skyscrapers are coming!

Solar panels on skyscraper roof top

In January 2012, Deutsche Bank completed the highest solar panel system in the world. The solar panels are perched at the top of its 50-story Americas’ headquarters building in Manhattan, 60 Wall Street.

The sun rises on the tallest solar energy system ever since the array was installed. The 122.4 kilowatt (kW) solar photovoltaic (PV) system on the rooftop is 737 feet above the ground, on the inclined south and east portions of the roof at 60 Wall Street. By commercial standards, the size is relatively modest, but the size of the roof it the major constraint on the size of the system.

The roof top solar panels will produce much energy for commercial use. The solar energy system can cut the building’s electricity bills by about 2 million dollars a year and decrease carbon emissions by 100 metric tons a year, 34% off. There is nothing particularly ambitious about this project—other than the height of the building on which the solar panels were installed. The building, however, is a symbol for a new frontier for solar panels—if you can get them up on a skyscraper, solar panels with a secure mounting system must have reliable performance.Solar glass is a type of glass integrated with thin-film PV panels. The glass has several layers or coatings. Thin-film materials are doped between two layers of the glass and form their own PV tilt. It makes windows, skylights, and doors use part of the glass to produce electricity and the rest let in light. The windows are transparent, so people can still see out, and diffused sunlight can still provide natural lighting inside the building. Moreover, the solar glass’s efficiency can reach a rooftop PV panel. So each solar glass with solar power is like a cell producing oxygen, together making a building’s living skin.

 In March 2011, Chicago’s tallest building Willis Tower began its solar experimental program. It now features high power density solar glass units on the south side of the 56th floor, replacing the existing windows. The new windows will preserve the scenic views while reducing heat gain and producing the same energy as conventional solar panels. The project could grow to 2 MW in size — which is comparable to a 10-acre field of solar panels — turning North America’s tallest building into a huge urban vertical solar farm.

Rooftop PV panels and solar glass, together with wind turbine, LED technology, and recyclable material, can make future skyscrapers more eco-friendly and save a huge amount of energy.