Photo byMaciek Lulko on Flickr.com
A large part of the energy needed in skyscrapers can only be met by adding photovoltaic properties to the glasses we add on them. Moreover, this technology also provides a solution to the overheating problem.
Because of their significant power usage in their interiors and the greenhouse effect caused by the vast quantity of glass they contain, skyscrapers typically require cooling rather than heating. The solution we apply consists of trying to keep the heat out with tinted film glasses or reflective glasses. This solution causes the interior of the building to become dark in the winter and generates extra heat around the building in the summer, resulting in the formation of heat islands.
Photovoltaic glasses, on the other hand, can generate electricity in the form of a complete passage of visible light or in such a way that they remain transparent enough. Of course, they are not as efficient as special panels mounted at an angle to the open area or roof, but they are successful in generating power. As a result, such panels in facade cladding provide energy production without compromising the architecture.
According to research by the US National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), the glass surface area in skyscrapers is increasing. If we switch this area to a system that converts solar energy into electrical energy without disturbing it, we can produce nearly half of the electrical energy that the building needs.
Researchers have also developed open-source software that simulates buildings. Thanks to this software, in the simulation they made in Denver, as the building got longer, the dependency of the building decreased, and it turned into a zero-energy building first and then into a building with surplus energy.
