Metal Building Developer Metal Building Developer
Search all articles, news and more.
MSFT 23.94 0.00

Energizing the Industry: Building-integrated PVs Take Commercial Metal Roofing to New Level of Sustainability


Author: Rick Mowrey
Date: Jan 1 2008 12:00AM
URL: www.centria.com
URL: www.energypeak.com


As the green movement continues to increasingly influence our everyday lives, from hybrid automobiles to more efficient light bulbs, the building and construction industries have joined in the push for more sustainable sources of energy. To that end, faith in the future of energy sources such as solar power is growing. The fundamental question for builders remains whether the technology and costs associated with integrated solutions involving solar energy have progressed enough to deliver sufficient returns on the investment.

Just 10 years ago, commercial solar energy in the United States was limited to bulky and fragile crystalline panels. These panels provided energy but at a price that put them out of reach of commercial enterprises seeking a reasonable return on their investment. Nevertheless, this pioneering technology began to pave the way for commercial applications incorporating solar power. More recent advances, however, have created options that truly transform how solar can be directly integrated into a building’s structure.

One of those options has advanced the technology behind the original crystalline panels and reshaped it into a much more user-friendly form. New thin-film photovoltaic laminates are flexible, rugged and long lived. This breakthrough has led to the creation of the first economical building-integrated PV standing-seam system.

Thin-film solar laminates, only 0.157- to 0.196-inch (4- to 5-mm) thick, absorb sunlight and convert it into an electrical current. The laminates can be applied to many different surfaces but most recently have been designed and engineered for both new and existing standing-seam metal roofing applications. Electrical power generated by the laminates can be used on-site or sold to the utility by pushing the current out through the meter and into the electrical grid.


As the next step in commercial solar energy, BIPV systems not only provide building owners with unmatched energy savings, they also improve on all facets of previous systems. When most people think of solar energy, they picture nonintegrated, large blue panels intrusively mounted on a structure above the roof.

BIPV, on the other hand, reinvents this picture completely. With BIPV, energy comes from solar laminates incorporated into the structure, rather than being mounted, which required additional installation material, time and cost.

In sloped or curved standing-seam roofing applications, the laminates are fit comfortably in the flat pan between seams. The ease of factory or field installation saves time and cost, requiring no additional structural support. Laminates are simply rolled into place and affixed to the new or existing metal roof using a laboratory-tested, high-bonding adhesive. Taking into account low-cost installation and the numerous rebates and tax credits offered by all levels of government, ROI times have become half that of previous solar energy options.

Additionally, one of the biggest obstacles to implementing earlier systems was the lack of any standardized method for designing, specifying or installing a solar energy system. Each new application often required the creation of new designs and specifications from scratch. Today, thanks to a new collaboration, BIPV standing-seam systems have the technical foundation necessary to both streamline and provide an assurance of success with each step.


Recently, a leading global manufacturer of thin-film amorphous PV products, United Solar Ovonic LLC, Auburn Hills, Mich., formed an alliance with CENTRIA Services Group, a division of Moon Township, Pa.-based CENTRIA, a manufacturer of architectural metal wall and roofing systems used in commercial/industrial projects.

Unlike the manufacture of most crystalline solar panels, United Solar Ovonic applies its PV thin-film onto a 5-mil (0.13-mm) stainless-steel substrate and laminates it in a high-tech plastic. This difference makes the UNI-SOLAR brand modules significantly lighter, more flexible and durable than polysilicon and a superior solution for rooftop solar applications. This technology also easily integrates directly into building materials.

Additionally, UNI-SOLAR laminates produce more total energy per rated watt than crystalline PV because of their triple-junction technology that captures three different wave lengths of sunlight. This additional energy output helps speed up the payback time of the system by generating a higher ROI.

CENTRIA’s goal was to create a mass-customization solution that would provide all data and information necessary for the design, specification and installation of viable and economical BIPV standing-seam systems. In addition to standardizing the critical path, the alliance also encourages all standing-seam roof manufacturers to adopt the system, dubbed EnergyPeak, as their own. Manufacturers are not only provided with all the technical information needed to implement the EnergyPeak system but also with the sales and marketing tools essential to promoting their new solar energy product. Finally, to ensure that EnergyPeak systems are installed to their optimum potential, CENTRIA Services Group offers installation training.
Placing the EnergyPeak system in the hands of the manufacturer promotes competition, allowing consumers considering solar energy to base their decision on the experience and reputation of an established standing-seam manufacturer and not price alone.

Perhaps more importantly, this partnership practices what it preaches. Not only does the end product promote sustainability and provide a source of alternative energy, but the industry-wide availability of the EnergyPeak system saves an incalculable amount of energy, as well. Instead of each standing-seam manufacturer expending the energy and resources researching, developing and releasing an EnergyPeak system, one standard system has already been created on their behalf. The architects also benefit from standardized specifications for the BIPV standing-seam panels and the electrical controls and wiring.

By giving all standing-seam manufacturers access to the energy savings of a BIPV system, everyone–not just owners and managers who implement the system–benefits from the emissions and energy saved by using alternative energy.
Ultimately, an increasing presence of BIPV systems among commercial applications raises the overall awareness of solar energy’s potential to become a primary contributor to alternative energy, establishing metal roofi ng as a building and construction industry leader in sustainable technology.

“Our hope is to improve our industry’s green profile by bringing a great technology to metal roofing,” said Mark A. Thimons, CENTRIA senior product research associate. “This collaboration will enhance our status among competing industries, giving standing-seam metal roofing an edge in the growing green building market.”

For more information about the EnergyPeak system and how standing-seam manufacturers can become EnergyPeak providers and market their own solar roof product, visit www.energypeak.com or call me at (412) 299-8101 or Thimons at (412) 299-8189.
Rick Mowrey is director of marketing and business development for CENTRIA Services Group. Based in Moon Township, Pa., CENTRIA Services Group is a division of CENTRIA.
copyright 1994-2010 Modern Trade Communications Inc. No data on this website may be downloaded or copied for use on other websites or in other publications without prior written consent from this site's webmaster. Violators will be prosecuted.