BIPV solar glass: Stopray Active seamlessly matches Stopray Vision glazing across entire facade
As an architect or designer, have you ever dreamed of creating a glass curtain wall where the glass not only helps save money, but also generates energy? All without compromising on aesthetics? Stopray Active, an opaque BIPV1 solar glass for spandrels, can be combined with Stopray Vision glazing to make that dream come true!
Energy-saving glass combined with BIPV solar glass
Stopray Vision – for the vision part of the facade – is a colour-neutral range of solar control glass products developed by AGC Glass Europe. Thanks to an outstanding selectivity2 of around 2, it combines excellent protection from excessive heat (low solar factor3) with high light transmission. In addition, Stopray Vision features a particularly low Ug-value, preventing heat loss. In both winter and summer, Stopray Vision delivers substantial energy savings.
To further improve a building’s energy efficiency, consider using BIPV solar glass for the spandrels. Stopray Active – part of AGC’s SunEwat range – features photovoltaic (PV) cells embedded behind a Stopray Vision coating and can seamlessly match the facade’s vision elements (windows) to deliver an aesthetically superb project while also generating electricity. This kind of fully integrated facade contributes towards compliance with nearly zero-energy building standards and helps earn credits for green certifications, such as BREEAM and LEED. Moreover, the payback period for the BIPV solution should be less than 10 years, as demonstrated in the article entitled BIPV Glass and Carbon Neutrality. If the BIPV solution is not cost effective for a poorly oriented facade, a uniform appearance can be maintained across the entire project by specifying the same glass panels without built-in PV cells.
Curtain walls: electrical components
In a curtain wall, you must take into account the fact that double or triple BIPV glazing requires some space for the electrical components. The box housing the glazing’s electrical components along with the connectors and cables cannot emerge from the back of the insulating glass unit as is the case in a conventional photovoltaic panel, since that would allow the insulating gas inside the glazing unit to escape. As a result, the small electrical components should ideally be positioned on the upper edge of the glazing unit. Bear this in mind when designing your facade so as to integrate the electrical components seamlessly into the curtain wall.
1. Building-integrated photovoltaics glass with built-in PV cells.
2. Ratio of light transmission to solar factor.
3. Percentage of solar energy transmitted through the glass. The lower the solar factor, the better it protects against heat.
