Solar City Tower - Zero Carbon Footprints

Solar City Tower is a huge solar powered waterfall standing 105m above sea level, designed by Swiss architecture firm RAFAA for the 2016 Olympic Games. This Solar City Tower is built on a small island nearby the Rio de Janeiro shore line, Brazil. This observation tower will be a symbol for welcoming all those who visit Rio de Janeiro, whether they arrive by air or sea. And it will also be a symbol for the first zero carbon footprint Olympic Games. This solar city tower even includes bungee jumping and a “glass sky walk” at the very top.

The project consists of a solar power plant that by day produces energy for the city, specifically the Olympic village. Excess energy will be pumped as seawater into a tower. By night, the water can be released again; with the help of turbines, it generates electricity for the night. The electricity produced can be used for the lighting of the tower or for the city. On special occasions, this “machine building” turns into an impressive wonder of nature: an urban waterfall, a symbol for the forces of nature.

At the same time, it will be the representation of a collective awareness of the city towards its great surrounding landscape. Via an urban plaza located 60 meters over sea, one can gain access to the building. Through the amphitheatre, you reach the entrance situated on the ground floor.

Both entrance area and amphitheatre can serve as a place for social gatherings and events. The public spaces are also accessible from this point on. The cafeteria and the shop are situated beneath the waterfall and offer a breathtaking view. The public elevator takes the visitor to the observation decks and the urban balcony. The administration offices can be reached directly from the foyer. Its inner circulation is organised by an own entrance and the elevator.

The semi-public spaces are located in the back area of the building; thus, they can be used separately. A retractable platform for bungee jumping is located on level +90.5. Long distance observation can be done from the observation deck on level +98.0. The urban balcony is situated at the top of the tower 105 meters above sea level. Here the visitor has a 360° view of the landscape and can experience the waterfall while walking over the glass sky walk.

Most innovative solar glass product - EcoGuard Solar Boost-LP, Guardian Industries Corp

This past year, Guardian Industries, Auburn Hills, Mich., introduced EcoGuard Solar Boost-LP, laminated parabolic mirrors for concentrated solar power applications. The mirrors are designed to provide high solar reflectivity, concentrating efficiency and durability. EcoGuard Solar Boost uses Guardian’s highest performing solar glass, EcoGuard Float, and the company’s mirror technology to create a laminated parabolic mirror with a minimum 94.5 percent solar reflectivity at an air mass coefficient of 1.5 (ISO 9050).

Guardian’s precise manufacturing process yields a smooth, accurate mirror. Durability is ensured by a laminated glass assembly similar to a windshield, where the mirror is encapsulated between two layers of glass and held together by a PVB interlayer. A mirrored surface is contained within the laminate on the backside of the forward glass. The thin front glass results in a shorter transmission path and industry benchmark reflectivity performance, according to company officials. EcoGuard Solar Boost-LP has been extensively field tested for durability and validated using numerous accelerated test protocols. The combined glass and PVB layers provide superior rigidity and durability compared to traditional monolithic glass systems. The laminated construction also results in optimum damping, wind resistance and reduction of subsequent field component damage.

“EcoGuard Solar Boost-LP withstands the extreme conditions to which concentrating solar mirrors and reflector panels are subjected, says Scott Thomsen, group vice president and head of North American Flat Glass at Guardian. “With a glass mean free path of just 3.2 millimeters, EcoGuard Solar Boost-LP mirrors attain an average solar reflectivity of more than 95 percent. This results in a reduction of total cost of ownership for our customers.”

Other performance advantages include: industry-leading solar reflectivity; if broken, the assembly will remain intact, retaining the majority of function; virtual elimination of the risk of damage to other components from falling glass; improved safety for operators and assembly crews; and lead-free mirror assembly, according to company officials. Designed specifically for CSP parabolic trough systems, EcoGuard Solar Boost laminated reflective panels are available in standard RP-2, 3 and 4 configurations, and are direct bolt-in replacements for the traditional monolithic configurations. In addition, custom sizes and shapes are available to meet the unique needs of individual customers and applications in the CSP and CPV markets.

Source : www.glassmagazine.com

Environmentally Energetic Solar Power Glass Facade

In recent years, several techniques for capture and use of solar energy have been developed. This technology is being bettered by the day, along with a growing awareness of the benefits of the use of solar energy.

Glass in architecture is one of the major driving forces of this change in the attitude towards the harnessing and use of solar energy. The latest development is the creation of a system called Integrated Concentrating (IC) Solar Facade System that tracks and utilizes solar energy from glass façades for generating electricity.

This advanced façade system was developed by the Center for Architecture Science and Ecology (CASE). The system is architecturally integrated into the facades and roof atria of buildings to provide optimum outside view and flood the interiors with daylight.

The system is made up of rows of pyramid-shaped glass receptors, which change their direction frequently to keep track of the sunlight. All the energy is stored in a small photovoltaic cell built in the center of each pyramid. The transparent design not only makes the system attractive, but also allows light to pass through the system more effectively for energy storage.

The IC Solar System facade produces electricity with a PV cell that captures much of the solar energy that is used for purposes such as heating water for domestic purposes, space heating (or, possibly, for distributed absorption refrigeration cooling) and reduction of solar heat gain by the building. The glass pyramid shape actually serves to magnify light and increase the natural lighting inside a building while decreasing the need for artificial light. The design and operation of the system permits direct partial views of the outside to the building's inhabitants.

Working Process:

The advanced feature is the miniaturized concentrator solar cell, which uses a lens with concentric grooves to focus collected light. Even though it is only the size of a postage stamp compared to the usual solar collector area that spans 4 x 4 feet, the cell is much more efficient in collecting and reusing solar energy. The lens focuses incoming sunlight onto the solar cell. Microchannels at the base of the module transfer energy in the form of heat and light to wires contained inside. Each vertical stack of lenses rolls and tilts like a track blind, keeping the surface of the lenses faced to incoming sunlight as the sun changes position in the sky throughout the day.

This modular design can also be attached to a range of existing building structures and also implemented into new designs. This system requires very less maintenance and is very useful for regions with hot climate.