Home      About      Contact      Submit an Item      
Passive    PV    Homes    Commercial    Wind    Projects    DIY    Resources    Tools    Materials    
Watch Highline Park NYC Thumbnail

Highline Park NYC Video


Watch Highline Park Design Thumbnail

Highline Park Design Video


Watch Highline Park Design Thumbnail

Highline Park Fly-Through Animation Design Video


  

 

 

 

Resource

Thin-film Photovoltaics and Their Impact on a Commercial Building’s Cooling Load (Article)

on Eco-Intel

This article on the Eco-Intel website investigates a white reflective roof that can significantly reduce the cooling load placed on a commercial building by reducing the solar-heat gain. When a thin-film amorphous-silicon photovoltaic system is installed on such a roof, 85 percent or more of the roof surface may be covered with a product that can have a lower solar reflectance, or SR, than the roof surface. Using United Solar Ovonic’s UNI-SOLAR product as an example, the rated SR coefficient is 0.26. The lower reflectance value results in a higher solar-heat gain and creates a “penalty” in the cooling load of an otherwise cooler roof. However, the PV system is itself converting solar energy into electricity. Read full article