Adaptive Solar Facade

AI Quick Summary

One of the key strategies to decarbonize the building stock and achieve carbon neutrality by 2050 is to integrate PV not only on the rooftops but also onto façades. The Adaptive Solar Facade is an innovative lightweight, multifunctional, and dynamic PV system that can be integrated onto building envelopes. It reduces building energy demand by 20-80% and increases occupants’ comfort at lower life-cycle cost and at better overall emissions compared to other shading and PV systems. Problem In Europe, buildings account for 40% of energy consumption and 36% of greenhouse gas emissions. Therefore, decarbonization strategies to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050 are in place in many countries around the globe. A common request is twofold: reducing energy consumption and emissions and on-site energy generation from renewables. Building Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV) is one of the key technologies to reach the set energy and climate goals. It is a fast-growing market with a CAGR of 27% in EU. However, existing BIPV solutions lack design flexibility and modularity (the standard panel sizes are in the range of 1 m by 1.7 m), and are typically bulky and heavy. As such, they are not suitable for integration into existing and new buildings and architects often find it difficult to work with such BIPV systems. Solution The Adaptive Solar Façade (ASF) is an innovative, multifunctional and dynamic PV system that can be integrated into industrial, commercial, and institutional buildings as a second building skin. Thanks to the solar tracking capabilities, it generates up to 40% more PV power compared to static BIPV systems and the integrated smart shading functionality reduces building energy demand by 20-80%, while keeping or improving the occupants’ thermal and visual comfort. Our innovative soft-hard robotics actuators are lightweight, robust, and can last for more than 20 years in all environmental conditions. Also, the production is highly scalable. Soft actuators allow the implementation and actuation of PV modules in front of glazed surfaces, which is impossible for existing BIPV. ETH Zurich holds a patent on this technology, invented by Dr. Svetozarevic (PhD started in 2014), and can be licensed. Furthermore, ASF is controlled based on data-driven AI-based control algorithms that can provide an optimal response to weather conditions and satisfy user comfort requirements throughout the year. The team has already been working together for several years. We sell complete façades to end customers. For fabrication and installation, we will partner with subcontractors. Further revenue will come from service and maintenance contracts and smart control software licenses. Who are the customers and how will they profit from a solution?​We focus on buildings with a high potential for ASF integration such as industrial, commercial, and institutional buildings. Our clients are building owners and general planners. We are currently working on a 1’300 m2 pilot project with Keller AG and are looking for further clients with similar needs. Our solution offers:Unique combination of dynamic shading and PV in one system.Substantially increased PV production (+40%) due to two-axis solar trackingReduction of building climatization energy by 20-80% (case-dependent)Ideal for retrofitting, prolonging building life, coming closer to zero-energy buildingsAI-based smart control algorithms for improved user well-being We estimate a total addressable market of at least 400 M CHF in Switzerland. In the next three years, we plan to acquire five clients with an estimated revenue of 7.5 M CHF. Many companies integrate PV into building façades (e.g. 3S-Solar). However, these products do not reduce the net cooling energy demand of the building. Other solutions that achieve this are dynamic shading systems (e.g. Schenker Storen) or tint-changing glass (e.g. Sageglass). However, these shading systems do not integrate PV and are not CO2 efficient. Another approach is the integration of PV within glass (e.g. Onyx Glass), but these systems are not adjustable. How does your project idea affect energy savings or CO2 emissions?​The ASF reduces the overall net energy demand of the building by 20-80% by reducing the cooling, heating, and artificial light loads and generating electricity throughout the year. In particular, overheating hours are increasing in Switzerland, which requires the installation of cooling devices. As ASF acts as a second building skin, it can reduce the cooling loads and avoid the need for installing an expensive cooling system, which can be a constructively demanding intervention and has negative emission effects. Therefore, overall, ASF becomes an important promising dynamic façade element that can reduce building energy demand at comparably low life-cycle costs and at better overall emissions (embodied and operational). The theoretical potential for the ASF in Switzerland is estimated to be 35 km2 facade area. This is would result in 4.2 GWp or 5.4 TWh/year of electricity production. Calculated together with the heating, cooling, and artificial lighting savings, the overall CO2 emission reductions would be estimated to be around 677 kt CO2eq/year. These CO2 savings would correspond to 6.5% of the total CO2 emission related to buildings. Encouraging STEM interest and sustainability awarenessAs a strong representative of “green” technologies and thanks to its visual attractiveness and dynamics, ASF installed on school façades can play an educational role and convey the ecological message to younger generations about the importance of careful environmental protection and spark the interest in STEM for young girls. Moreover, thanks to its visual dominance and ability to easily affect users' perceptions when applied to other façades, which are more exposed to the public compared to roofs, a similar effect of raising the sustainability awareness of the general public can be expected. Current status and previous activities​We have integrated our first prototype onto the façade of the NEST building at Empa Dübendorf, where new technologies are researched under real conditions and thus will enable a faster time to market. The video of the ASF system is available here: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/architecture-building-systems_adaptive-solar-facade-architecture-and-activity-6876502456289812480-Hmka. We also have a publication in a prestigious scientific journal Nature Energy (https://www.nature.com/articles/s41560-019-0424-0), where we discussed the benefits of the soft-actuation system and adaptive shading for the building energy demand reduction and user-comfort improvement over different climate zones and building age. In the meantime, we got contacted by several architectural offices and other companies, including diverse relevant stakeholders, that want to use our system in the building projects and integrate it into their buildings. Currently, we are in the planning process of integrating the ASF of 1’300 m2 onto a new manufacturing plant of Keller AG in Winterthur. What are your planned work packages?WP 1 – Client relation: We will finance activities for our first pilot project with Keller AG and reach out to 10-15 further potential clients with similar needs. As part of this, we will do the following subtasks: Subtask 1: Prepare a booklet with exemplary case studies of ASF applications: comparison to other shading and BIPV systems with energy simulations and visualsSubtask 2: Reach out to potential customers, do all communication, and collect feedback. Present ASF at fairsSubtask 3: Reiterate with customers and provide them with requested informationSubtask 4: Do user tests on social acceptance at our current ASF prototype installed at the NEST building at Empa Dübendorf WP 2 – Business developmentSubtask 1: Refining business plan based on customer feedback from WP1. Subtask 2: Establishing contacts with facade mounting companies. Subtask 3: Investigating legal and certification requirementsMilestone: Signing additional contracts for ASF next to the current pilot project with Keller AG How can the Energy Lab help you?​We will profit greatly from the Energy Lab’s wide network of experts and partners in the construction and PV domain. The energy lab funding will help us to build a booklet and an interactive webpage for estimations of energy-saving potentials of our systems and comparison with other systems. This will enable us to reach out to important potential customers in Switzerland and Europe.

Project Idea Metadata

• Project Idea Name: Adaptive Solar Facade
• Date: 3/14/2022 8:48:08 AM
• Administrators:
  • Gabriel Kreuzer

Project Idea Description

Problem

In Europe, buildings account for 40% of energy consumption and 36% of greenhouse gas emissions. Therefore, decarbonization strategies to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050 are in place in many countries around the globe. A common request is twofold: reducing energy consumption and emissions and on-site energy generation from renewables.

Building Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV) is one of the key technologies to reach the set energy and climate goals. It is a fast-growing market with a CAGR of 27% in EU. However, existing BIPV solutions lack design flexibility and modularity (the standard panel sizes are in the range of 1 m by 1.7 m), and are typically bulky and heavy. As such, they are not suitable for integration into existing and new buildings and architects often find it difficult to work with such BIPV systems.

Solution

The Adaptive Solar Façade (ASF) is an innovative, multifunctional and dynamic PV system that can be integrated into industrial, commercial, and institutional buildings as a second building skin. Thanks to the solar tracking capabilities, it generates up to 40% more PV power compared to static BIPV systems and the integrated smart shading functionality reduces building energy demand by 20-80%, while keeping or improving the occupants’ thermal and visual comfort. Our innovative soft-hard robotics actuators are lightweight, robust, and can last for more than 20 years in all environmental conditions. Also, the production is highly scalable. Soft actuators allow the implementation and actuation of PV modules in front of glazed surfaces, which is impossible for existing BIPV. ETH Zurich holds a patent on this technology, invented by Dr. Svetozarevic (PhD started in 2014), and can be licensed. Furthermore, ASF is controlled based on data-driven AI-based control algorithms that can provide an optimal response to weather conditions and satisfy user comfort requirements throughout the year. The team has already been working together for several years.

We sell complete façades to end customers. For fabrication and installation, we will partner with subcontractors. Further revenue will come from service and maintenance contracts and smart control software licenses.

Who are the customers and how will they profit from a solution?​

We focus on buildings with a high potential for ASF integration such as industrial, commercial, and institutional buildings. Our clients are building owners and general planners. We are currently working on a 1’300 m2 pilot project with Keller AG and are looking for further clients with similar needs. Our solution offers:

• Unique combination of dynamic shading and PV in one system.
• Substantially increased PV production (+40%) due to two-axis solar tracking
• Reduction of building climatization energy by 20-80% (case-dependent)
• Ideal for retrofitting, prolonging building life, coming closer to zero-energy buildings
• AI-based smart control algorithms for improved user well-being

We estimate a total addressable market of at least 400 M CHF in Switzerland. In the next three years, we plan to acquire five clients with an estimated revenue of 7.5 M CHF.

Many companies integrate PV into building façades (e.g. 3S-Solar). However, these products do not reduce the net cooling energy demand of the building. Other solutions that achieve this are dynamic shading systems (e.g. Schenker Storen) or tint-changing glass (e.g. Sageglass). However, these shading systems do not integrate PV and are not CO2 efficient. Another approach is the integration of PV within glass (e.g. Onyx Glass), but these systems are not adjustable.

How does your project idea affect energy savings or CO2 emissions?​

The ASF reduces the overall net energy demand of the building by 20-80% by reducing the cooling, heating, and artificial light loads and generating electricity throughout the year. In particular, overheating hours are increasing in Switzerland, which requires the installation of cooling devices. As ASF acts as a second building skin, it can reduce the cooling loads and avoid the need for installing an expensive cooling system, which can be a constructively demanding intervention and has negative emission effects. Therefore, overall, ASF becomes an important promising dynamic façade element that can reduce building energy demand at comparably low life-cycle costs and at better overall emissions (embodied and operational).

The theoretical potential for the ASF in Switzerland is estimated to be 35 km2 facade area. This is would result in 4.2 GWp or 5.4 TWh/year of electricity production. Calculated together with the heating, cooling, and artificial lighting savings, the overall CO2 emission reductions would be estimated to be around 677 kt CO2eq/year. These CO2 savings would correspond to 6.5% of the total CO2 emission related to buildings.

Encouraging STEM interest and sustainability awareness

As a strong representative of “green” technologies and thanks to its visual attractiveness and dynamics, ASF installed on school façades can play an educational role and convey the ecological message to younger generations about the importance of careful environmental protection and spark the interest in STEM for young girls. Moreover, thanks to its visual dominance and ability to easily affect users' perceptions when applied to other façades, which are more exposed to the public compared to roofs, a similar effect of raising the sustainability awareness of the general public can be expected.

Current status and previous activities​

We have integrated our first prototype onto the façade of the NEST building at Empa Dübendorf, where new technologies are researched under real conditions and thus will enable a faster time to market. The video of the ASF system is available here: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/architecture-building-systems_adaptive-solar-facade-architecture-and-activity-6876502456289812480-Hmka. We also have a publication in a prestigious scientific journal Nature Energy (https://www.nature.com/articles/s41560-019-0424-0), where we discussed the benefits of the soft-actuation system and adaptive shading for the building energy demand reduction and user-comfort improvement over different climate zones and building age.

In the meantime, we got contacted by several architectural offices and other companies, including diverse relevant stakeholders, that want to use our system in the building projects and integrate it into their buildings. Currently, we are in the planning process of integrating the ASF of 1’300 m2 onto a new manufacturing plant of Keller AG in Winterthur.

What are your planned work packages?

WP 1 – Client relation: We will finance activities for our first pilot project with Keller AG and reach out to 10-15 further potential clients with similar needs. As part of this, we will do the following subtasks:

• Subtask 1: Prepare a booklet with exemplary case studies of ASF applications: comparison to other shading and BIPV systems with energy simulations and visuals
• Subtask 2: Reach out to potential customers, do all communication, and collect feedback. Present ASF at fairs
• Subtask 3: Reiterate with customers and provide them with requested information
• Subtask 4: Do user tests on social acceptance at our current ASF prototype installed at the NEST building at Empa Dübendorf

WP 2 – Business development

• Subtask 1: Refining business plan based on customer feedback from WP1.
• Subtask 2: Establishing contacts with facade mounting companies.
• Subtask 3: Investigating legal and certification requirements
• Milestone: Signing additional contracts for ASF next to the current pilot project with Keller AG

How can the Energy Lab help you?​

We will profit greatly from the Energy Lab’s wide network of experts and partners in the construction and PV domain. The energy lab funding will help us to build a booklet and an interactive webpage for estimations of energy-saving potentials of our systems and comparison with other systems. This will enable us to reach out to important potential customers in Switzerland and Europe.

One of the key strategies to decarbonize the building stock and achieve carbon neutrality by 2050 is to integrate PV not only on the rooftops but also onto façades. The Adaptive Solar Facade is an innovative lightweight, multifunctional, and dynamic PV system that can be integrated onto building envelopes. It reduces building energy demand by 20-80% and increases occupants’ comfort at lower life-cycle cost and at better overall emissions compared to other shading and PV systems.