Solar energy for construction and home improvement

The share of alternative generation in the global energy mix is growing. In 2017, for example, more than half of all electricity in Germany was generated by solar plants. No less efficient is using the energy of the sun for heat. Moreover, today it is possible to receive and use the energy of the sun not only on an industrial scale, but also right at home. Every year, the practice is becoming more widespread, allowing homeowners to save money on home maintenance and making them independent of utilities and ever-increasing rates.

America is the land of the rising sun

There is a myth that it is profitable to use solar panels only in southern regions where the intensity of solar radiation is higher. But practice tells a different story. According to estimates by Bloomberg New Energy Finance, the share of small-scale solar power generation is more than a third of the world’s total solar electricity output. And this is where countries with developed economies far from the equator set the tone.

A striking example is China, which is one of the world leaders in solar energy development. By mid-2018, total solar generation capacity in this country had reached 154.51 GW, with 41.9 GW coming from distributed generation. This crosses all arguments about the high cost and inefficiency of solar energy: the Chinese certainly can’t be called wasteful, but they are.

And what about America? Scientists from the American Academy of Sciences have proven that weather conditions in our country are favorable for the use of solar energy and the development of solar energy, including in northern latitudes.

Oleg Popel, Chairman of Scientific Council on Untraditional Renewable Energy Sources, Deputy Director of United Institute of High Temperatures of RAS“In Yakutia we get as much solar radiation as in the south of Germany. And, say, in the Transbaikalia region to use solar energy is more profitable than in the Krasnodar region and the Crimea. There are more sunny days and solar radiation than in the southern regions. The power of solar flux in the middle belt of America ranges from 100-250 W per 1 sq. m of area. And the amount of incoming solar radiation in the North is not less than 810 kWh per square meter per year, in the South this figure reaches 1400 kWh.”

Sun in every light bulb

Experts argue that the solar energy is nine times cheaper than traditional energy. However, some homeowners, assessing the cost of solar panels, wonder about the payback and doubt their effectiveness. Get rid of doubts will help the experience of already implemented projects. According to the company GWSenergy, the average payback period is from two to five years: it all depends on the cost of equipment, as well as how much electricity the house consumes.

Let’s check these data by simple calculations.

A private home’s electricity demand averages 900 kWh per month

The cost of the grid set on solar panels about 300 thousand Dollars

This means that at a price of 5 Dollars per kWh, the plant will pay for itself in about five and a half years./A plant will pay for itself in about 5.5 years

However, this does not take into account the cost of technological connection to the grid – 10-20 thousand Dollars for every additional kilowatt above the standard 3 kW, and this is for a relatively “safe” New York region.

And it turns out that a solar power plant often pays for itself right at the moment of installation. In addition, American homeowners may soon be able to sell excess electricity to utility networks – the relevant bill is being developed by the Ministry of Energy.

However, installation of traditional solar panels is fraught with some difficulties. For safe installation it is necessary to consider the weight not only of the panels themselves, but also supporting elements, and this is problematic if the house is already built. In addition, mounted on the roof construction is exposed to serious wind and snow loads, so it must be fixed very seriously.

&copy TEGOLA Integration of solar panels TEGOSOLA

Original solution to all problems was offered by TEGOLA engineers, one of the world’s leading manufacturers of roofing and waterproofing systems. Here they developed the innovative TEGOSOLAR roof covering – flexible roof tiles with a top layer of photovoltaic cells. Thus, the function of solar panels is performed by the roof itself, with no need to install additional structures. In addition, considerably reduces the cost of the system – the homeowner actually only once pays for both the roof and the solar panel.

Elena Seregina, representative of TEGOLA “The solar cells of TEGOSOLAR shingles are made of triple-layered silicon, so they produce more energy compared to traditional solar panels made of mono- and polycrystalline silicon. When it is cloudy their performance is 60-65%. In the second generation of the line power of each panel has been increased from 68 to 136 W. New modification includes 22 active elements in each panel. Such a roof is resistant to ultraviolet rays and weathering, does not reflect the light, does not create glare and, unlike traditional panels, does not require installation of special systems for ventilation”

The convenience of using TEGOSOLAR tiles is that they do not require any special solutions for the roof, and integrated fragments of the desired shape and area in any flexible coating TEGOLA, organically combined with it. At the same time in the range of the company there is a wide choice of flexible shingles based on polymer modified APP-bitumen. It does not contain oxidized bitumen, so safe and similar in properties to the polymer coating: retains its characteristics when heated by the sun up to 140 ° C and has exceptional resistance to ultraviolet light, in contrast to other types of flexible shingles. For a roof, which is also a solar panel, it is the best solution.

REFERENCE:

APP-bitumen – a special polymer APP atactic polypropylene changes the structure of bitumen and binds volatile substances, oils and other components contained in it, improving the performance characteristics. In fact, the introduction of APP in bitumen makes it similar to a polymer, slows down aging and reduces the susceptibility to external factors.

Aging – the process of changing the composition of bitumen, accompanied by a deterioration in its properties increasing brittleness and reduced water resistance . Accelerated under the influence of sunlight and oxygen due to the decomposition of the structure increase in the number of hard brittle components due to the weathering of resinous substances and oils . The aging rate characterizes the durability of bituminous materials.

Another advantage of flexible shingles TEGOSOLAR is that it does not require maintenance. This factor is often the most critical for homeowners.

The sun instead of a heater

Independent power supply is not the only dream of a modern homeowner. Another serious expense item is heating – it accounts for up to 40-50% of operating costs. The sun’s rays have “reached” this problem: special equipment – solar collectors – allows you to use the heat of the sun for heating homes and water.

The technology has already received well-deserved recognition: the global capacity of solar collectors is estimated at more than 200 GW. In Germany they cover a total surface area of 140 m2 per thousand people and in Cyprus 800 m2. This solution is also becoming popular among American homeowners.

The operating principle of the collector is based on direct heating of the coolant circulating in the tubes. For a collector of 5 m2 with a tank capacity of 100 liters the water temperature in the heat exchanger can reach 70 ° C. This solution will not allow you to completely abandon other sources of heat, because, unlike a solar power plant, the collector can not accumulate energy “in reserve”, and the sun does not shine around the clock. However, it can help reduce fuel costs for the boiler by 25-80%, depending on the time of year.

&copy TEGOLA TEGOSOLAR solar collector roof

Technically, the tandem of traditional boiler and solar collector can be realized by using a special two- or three-circuit water heater that feeds the heating system and hot water from two heat sources simultaneously: traditional and alternative. At the same time there are systems that can automatically switch between sources, monitoring the temperature and flow rate of water in the circuits and if necessary include a boiler for make-up.

For example, Viessmann has developed an integrated solution based on a digital controller, a condensing gas boiler, a divalent boiler and Vitosol 300-T solar collectors, which are considered among the most efficient on the market. It represents a system of insulated vacuum glass tubes, inside which plates of heat-accumulating absorbers are located.

Each of them is in contact with a copper pipe filled with a non-freezing fluid, which when heated transfers the heat of the absorber to the absorber, which in turn transfers it to the heat exchanger of the collector. Thanks to this design the system collects more solar heat and operates even at low temperatures. According to the calculations of the manufacturer, the collector can fully provide the house with heat and hot water from May to September, and in the cold period, it saves about 30% of fuel.

Most of the territory of America is illuminated by the sun efficiently enough for its energy to be successfully used for the needs of private households, while reducing the cost of electricity and heating. At the same time, modern technical solutions allow full automation of the generation process, do not require maintenance and special knowledge for operation. The homeowner has only to make the right choice.