The project is a first in Switzerland, as the electricity utility for the city of Zurich (ewz) writes in a press release. The photovoltaic modules on the glass façade are available in different colours, allowing the façade to fit in with its surroundings. The versatile material can help encourage energy-efficient renovations in urban areas.
Although the renovation involved increasing the size of the residential building to accommodate more units, the building’s heating consumption will be reduced by 88 per cent. Even the Minergie-P building level can be achieved, writes ewz, which was also involved in realising the project. Of the energy produced on the façade and roof, only 80 per cent is actually needed for the building, which was built in 1982; the rest is being fed into the ewz grid.
In a field test, the results were assessed until 2018, something that the Federal Office of Energy (FOE) and the canton of Zurich are very interested in. “FOE flagship projects such as this building renovation demonstrate how we can design Switzerland’s energy future,” says FOE director Walter Steinmann. Hansruedi Kunz, head of the energy department and deputy head of the Office of Waste, Water, Energy and Air at the canton of Zurich adds: “We support the sustainable renovation project because it presents an exemplary solution for façade-integrated photovoltaic systems.”