SOLAR ENERGY
Solar energy is an abundant energy source which is free, non-polluting, and renewable. The number of New Zealand home owners profiting from the installation of solar panels is growing rapidly every year, and AD Architecture promotes its use.
Yesterday afternoon Dennis Aarø from Gaia Solar introduced the company and their products to us and to the local ADNZ group.
Gaia Solar Energy is Scandinavia’s largest company within the field of building integrated solar modules that produce electricity. They focus on the fast growing market for building integrated solar electricity, where the photovoltaic modules aesthetically form the roof and walls of the building itself i.e they become part of the design of the building rather than an after-thought.
More information can be obtained from their website.
From the presentation we can deduce the pros and cons of their solar modules.
Pros:
Free power (once it’s been paid off) + generates income if an electricity provider buys back the surplus electricity you are producing
Environmentally friendly and quiet to run
Will last for 40+ years (with a warranty of 25 years), and once they stop working they remain part of the design
Reduces the double up cost of building materials as it is the roof/cladding material compared to the traditional installation of solar panels on top of the roof material
Cons:
Expensive to install – estimated at around NZ$28,000 for their 3kW system
Payback time is project –dependent and can vary from 5-20 years.
Not NZ designed or manufactured
Efficiency depends on the location of the sun
You can also check out the EECA’s solar programme and funding here.