Alias_The_J

Alias_The_J OP t1_j2jovx9 wrote

Crossposting from r/climate

At a Supsi University campus in Switzerland, a large PV plant (10 kW, large at the time) was built on the roof of one of the technical college buildings. Despite heavy wear and tear, including multiple forms of corrosion, the formation of hot spots on the panels, and cracks and defects in the various connections and cells, most of the array is still capable of producing at least 80% of its rated output after 40 years. This is important because it shows that, unless the modifications to production since that time have changed the situation, then PV cells will likely remain useable and competitive with new builds decades into the future, with older panels possibly having a resale value.

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Alias_The_J t1_j1eivyk wrote

Kind of- for skyscrapers especially, glare reduction, excess light mitigation and UV removal are important functions that normally lead to window tinting and indoor window covers anyway. If you can get those effects cheaply enough and in the right proportions, then PV windows could be a viable technology.

They will always be worse than rooftop PV- I wouldn't be surprised if a skyscraper's windows produced less electricity than its rooftop array, due as well to the poor window positioning for PV- but if they're filling multiple functions then they might be worthwhile. It would be like complaining about windows for lighting when LEDs work just as well.

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Alias_The_J t1_it4ycwv wrote

An interesting idea, but I'd love to see power curve data for different wind directions; from what I can tell (and my admittedly layperson knowledge), it looks like the electricity produced would drop off very quickly even from ~15 degree deviations from the ideal wind direction.

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