Products and solutions Jan 17, 2005 1:00 AM
Strong order books for ThyssenKrupp Solartec photovoltaic panels
Demand for ThyssenKrupp Solartec panels, steel building elements laminated with photovoltaic film, is growing fast, with the value of orders received in the first nine months of 2004 already matching the total received from 1999 to 2003. One reason for the rapid growth is the amended version of Germany`s Energy Feed-in Law which entered into force on January 1, 2004. Now, not only private building owners but also operators of large commercial buildings can receive payment for feeding excess power from photovoltaic systems into the public power grid. The second reason is that Hoesch Contecna Systembau GmbH, now responsible for sales of ThyssenKrupp Solartec panels, has an almost ideal product for the large roof areas of industrial and commercial buildings.
Roughly 50 percent of the orders for the innovative system solution are for heat-insulated photovoltaic roof panels. Hoesch Contecna Systembau is the only photovoltaic supplier at present able to offer such a product. The roof panels use sunlight as an energy source and at the same time prevent excessive heat being lost from inside the building: two sides of the same coin when it comes to economical management and resource conservation. But another reason for the success of the sandwich panels is the fact that they can be installed quickly and with minimum effort to deliver high electrical output.
A 22 meter long sandwich roof panel for example offers enough space to accommodate Solartec modules with a nominal output of one kilowatt peak (kwp). Once the panels have been placed on the roof structure by crane, all that is needed is to bolt them down and seal the longitudinal joints with cover strips. Elaborate substructures of the type necessary for traditional crystalline photovoltaic modules are not needed for the heat-insulating Solartec roof panels. Moreover, they achieve a much higher energy yield than glass modules: the solar film consists of silicon solar cells, deposited in three layers on a thin stainless steel substrate. Each layer is sensitive to a different region of the light spectrum, meaning that sunlight is optimally exploited. The Solartec modules operate reliably and efficiently even in partial shade or under cloudy skies.
The steel sandwich panels on which the Solartec modules are fitted are a long-proven solution in industrial and commercial building. They are produced under the name isodach mono® by ThyssenKrupp Hoesch Bausysteme GmbH at its plant in Leipzig. The panel consists of two steel face sheets and a heat-insulating core of polyurethane rigid foam. The steel face sheets are coated with a zinc-aluminum alloy and have an additional color coating of paint or film. The double coating provides excellent corrosion protection and means that customers can choose from a wide range of colors.
Contact:
ThyssenKrupp Steel AG
Dietmar Stamm
Phone: +49 203 / 52 - 2 62 67
Fax: +49 203 / 52 - 2 57 07
E-mail: dietmar.stamm@tks.thyssenkrupp.com
Bernd Overmaat
Phone: +49 203 / 52 - 4 51 85
Fax: +49 203 / 52 - 2 57 07
E-mail: bernd.overmaat@tks.thyssenkrupp.com