PV so cheap it can be used as structure

[Stan]

In Tony Seba’s energy disruption lecture he said that PV was so cheap that it could be used structurally and I spotted this house on his slide. It’s a modular design but no details about fastenings are to hand. Does anyone know anything?

https://challenge.whatdesigncando.com/p ... n-housing/

[Mart]

We must be close to PV panels for fencing v's say a 6x4ft wooden panel that needs painting/maintenance?

[Fintray]

The website for the company doesn't seem to exist so not a good sign!

[Countrypaul]

We must be close to PV panels for fencing v's say a 6x4ft wooden panel that needs painting/maintenance?

Mart,

Did you miss this: https://camelot-forum.co.uk/phpBB3/view ... ing#p45141 ?

[Mart]

Missed that one. Good news though.

[dan_b]

This has vibes of "nuclear power will be too cheap to need to meter your electricity"

Yes the falling cost of PV is absolutely essential, but then so is correct installation, correct orientation, avoidance of shade, and good quality wiring. If people just start vomiting out PV and pebbledashing every surface with it, it'll no doubt fail much more quickly whilst also producing very little useful output - think "Solar Freakin' Roadways"...

[openspaceman]

We must be close to PV panels for fencing v's say a 6x4ft wooden panel that needs painting/maintenance?

I was thinking bifacial panels on the EW facing sections of motorways could have potential.

[AE-NMidlands]

We must be close to PV panels for fencing v's say a 6x4ft wooden panel that needs painting/maintenance?

I was thinking bifacial panels on the EW facing sections of motorways could have potential.

"Just" EW would mostly generate on the S sides (apart from their output from the early and late sun in the NE and NW.) But as my experience with W-facing panels is that they make a significant contribution any time after sunrise, I would say any orientation of motorway.
But are you thinking of central reservation? (no shading apart from traffic - but more of a problem to keep clean and repair after crashes) or sides, when shading from neighbouring property might be significant? Also a risk of theft!
In all cases, safe access for maintainance will be expensive...

[openspaceman]

Yes I wasn't thinking right, NS would seem to be optimal for central reservation above the concrete barriers. I wonder about cleaning, My roof is higher at around 6 metres and I have only cleaned them twice in 12 years, spray from vehicles would be an issue.

[Mart]

We must be close to PV panels for fencing v's say a 6x4ft wooden panel that needs painting/maintenance?

I was thinking bifacial panels on the EW facing sections of motorways could have potential.

Yep, (E/W facing panels) perhaps as those sound reducing fences?

Looking at Australia, India, parts of the southern US, etc, they get nearly twice the generation as the UK, at around 1,800kWh/kWp pa, v's say 1,000kWh for the UK (south facing ~40d pitch), so staggering potential.

I've always thought that cladding tower blocks in the UK on their south sides (perhaps E + W too), would be a good idea, perhaps allowing flats similar amounts of PV in kWp to domestic roofs. But of course we then had the Glenfell Tower disaster, which probably makes it a much harder discussion, simply because of the word cladding ..... and the concerns that that word will raise, even if not relevant to PV.

Anyways, I'm waffling now, but as the cost comes down, and the efficiency for any given area rises*, ideas and roles will expand exponentially, hopefully.

*Looks like I may be able to swap out the 3 panels on my low roof and the 2 that form a canopy over the back door. They are from 2011 at 235Wp (1m by 1.65m), looking at installing 440Wp panels of about 1.1m by 1.78m. An astonishing change in just over a decade.

That's 1,175Wp and 8.25m2 to 2,200Wp and 9.79m2, a proportional increase of 58%.