Testing the future of energy generation.

Can prefab construction be combined with design energy generation? Solarix strongly believes in this efficient and sustainable combination and is investigating the possibilities of integrated prefab design facade solar panels at the research location of the Eindhoven University of Technology.

Since June 2021, the setup has been successfully exhibited atSolarBEAT (Solar Building Elements Application Testing), the internationally recognized research faculty for testing innovative solar energy systems. In this demonstration project, Solarix is testing the integration of design solar panels in prefabricated facades with different construction principles and solar panel applications.

Prefab facade elements are made in the factory and then quickly linked together to form a facade on site. This makes building faster, more efficient and more sustainable!

Applicability in existing building elementsstrong
The facade solar panel arrangement investigates the integration of the Solarix solar panels in two different existing building elements: an aluminum facade (in collaboration with TGM) and a wooden facade (in collaboration with Emergo).

• With the wooden facade element, the Solarix solar panels can be quickly placed in the correct position on the construction site.
• With the aluminum facade element, the panels are even fully integrated into the prefab element and the whole can be delivered to the construction site.

With both solutions, Solarix looks at how the solar panels fit well with the facade elements in terms of dimensions and detailing.

Aesthetically beautiful setup.
Solarix not only looks at the applicability in existing building elements, but also at the aesthetic appearance of the facade panels. An important part of our mission is that making the built environment more sustainable is also attractive to the eye.

During the research we therefore look at different applications of the facade solar panels. In addition to the regular colored glass panels, we also looked at an application with a color film and the integration of thin film in composite (produced with Flexipol).

To measure is to know the yield
After a successful installation and the aesthetically pleasing arrangement, TNO is currently testing and monitoring a number of invoices. Naturally, the yields are measured, as are the light intensity and temperature. This allows us to validate the previously created models.

The setup will remain in place until November 2022 and will be measured, so that we have collected a total of more than a year of data. However, the first results are already positive: the integration of our Solarix solar panels in a prefab aluminum curtain wall shows only a very limited temperature difference compared to a more ventilated non-prefab application.

Would you like to know more about our developments? Keep up to date with Solarix on the various social media via @solarixsolar.