THE IDEA OF “MAKING EVERY BUILDING A MINI SOLAR POWER STATION” IS PURE ECO-FANTASY..!
There has been a lot of media hype about putting PV panels on every rooftop so that “every home becomes a mini solar power station”. But the cloudy climates typical of NW Europe means the solar potential of most houses is very limited, and most roofs make unsuitable solar platforms for a number of reasons…
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- roof does not face the optimum sun-seeking direction
- over-shadowed by adjacent buildings or big trees
- “hipped” roofs, gables, chimneys, etc, get in the way
Paradoxically the most efficient solar roofs are on low-rise buildings in low density sprawl cities like Los Angeles – but low-density sprawl is THE VERY CONDITION WHICH CAUSES ENERGY WASTAGE IN THE FIRST PLACE..!

COULD SKYSCRAPERS AND OFFICE BUILDINGS BECOME SOLAR POWER STATIONS IF THEIR WINDOWS ARE FITTED WITH SOLAR GLASS..?
Skyscraper Green-Washing Skyscraper developers are trying to “Green-Wash” their projects by suggesting that they can double as “Solar Power Stations”. But facing skyscrapers with solar glass doesn’t make economic or practical sense due to 1) their vertical walls and 2) the sun is often obscured by adjacent buildings, and a large part of any building never even faces the sun. Solar Glass is also very expensive, and their conversion efficiency is far lower. You’re never going to achieve anywhere near the oft-quoted (and over-optimistic) 20% efficiency with vertical walls, as solar panels need to be slanted for maximum efficiency.

The only type of building where BIPV would make any real economic sense is a pyramid.
THE INCLINED WALLS OF A PYRAMID WOULD BE THE OPTIMUM SOLAR ENERGY GATHERING PLATFORM..!

- PYRAMID POWER
- ENORMOUS SURFACE AREA
- LESS LIKELY TO BE OVER-SHADOWED
- 3 OF ITS 4 SIDES FACE THE SUN DURING THE DAY
- WALL ANGLE CAN BE OPTIMISED ACCORDING TO LATITUDE
- EVERY SURFACE CAN BE UTILISED – EVEN WINDOWS AND PATIO SHUTTERS
Q & A
Q. How much of the exterior will be faced with solar collectors..?
A. Almost the entire surface can be made to be “solar-active”.
Q. If the entire wall surface is covered with PV, how can you also have open patios..?
A. Patios enclosed by shutters fitted with “Solar Glass”– an example of BIPV (see below)
Q. So no power will be generated when the shutters are open?
A. If windows/shutters are designed to open by jack-knifing upwards they would continue to generate electricity, albeit at a reduced level.