20 August 2012
PV curtain wall systems provider BISEM today announced the installation of a building-integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) curtain wall retrofit with the Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD).
The 392-square-foot wall at SMUD’s LEED Platinum-certified Customer Service Center will provide 100 percent of the DC power to run the cooling of the technology demonstration area and serve as a working model for any medium- to large-scale commercial building retrofit.
BISEM’s completed installation at SMUD includes 49 cadmium telluride thin-film modules. The panels produce DC electricity, which will be used to power swamp coolers to reduce heat build-up in the technology demonstration area of the SMUD facility.
The additional power generated will run a monitoring system and inverters that transform all additional power produced to AC electricity. This AC power will flow back into the SMUD power grid and be constantly monitored for performance.
The BISEM energy-producing curtain walls can help achieve a net zero energy building for new and existing commercial construction projects. The BIPV curtain wall retrofit is prefabricated and assembled, and can be mounted to any existing curtain wall. Structurally engineered connections are mounted without removing the glass or affecting the integrity of the waterproofing.
