Solar photovoltaics 10: Building integrated solar power in a Brisbane high rise
Renewable Energy Commercialisation in Australia, Australian Greenhouse Office, 2003
NOTE: The status of these projects will have changed since the time of publication, and project contacts may also have changed.
The Hall Chadwick Centre has incorporated an uninterruptible power supply to provide tenants with power generated from the Buildings' Integrated Photovoltaics.
Building integrated photovoltaic cells (BIPV) combined with efficient design and innovative enabling technology have been attractively incorporated into the first and largest building integrated solar project in Australia.
With the assistance of a $740,000 grant under the Renewable Energy Commercialisation Program, FKP Limited and their environmental consultants, Integrated Energy Services, have incorporated an innovative Solar Integration System into the newly completed Hall Chadwick Centre at 120 Edward Street, Brisbane.
BIPV have an advantage over regular solar panels in that their costs can be partly recovered if they are used to displace potentially expensive building materials in constructions such as facias, feature walls and atriums. The architects for the Hall Chadwick Centre have used BIPV in shading panels on the roof and in the entrance atrium. In addition to producing power, the panels improve the overall efficiency of the building's airconditioning system by reducing the amount of direct sunlight passing through the windows.
The focus of the grant was the innovative method used to connect the tenants to the 60kW of power produced by the BIPV. An uninterruptible power supply (UPS) uses a built-in inverter to convert the power to AC before storing it to give around 10-15 minutes worth of emergency power in the event of the loss of electricity supply. Any power not used by the UPS is connected to the grid and goes towards reducing the building's overall power bills. This system brings down the costs of enabling equipment considerably and allows some extra cost recovery of the whole system by charging tenants for power security, an important consideration when using sensitive computer equipment.
Importantly, the Hall Chadwick Project demonstrates that innovative installation and cost recovery methods can significantly reduce the costs of generating electricity from solar energy, making it more attractive to building developers. Using BIPV, a UPS and incorporating a charge to tenants for power security reduces costs to 7-18 cents/kWh, a cost reduction of around 80-90% compared to a standard solar installation.
The greenhouse gas emissions saved from the operation of the BIPV's at Hall Chadwick Centre is estimated at 60 tonnes per annum. In addition, the building's energy efficient design has resulted in reductions of 1,640 tonnes of CO2 equivalent per annum and led to the building qualifying for a 4.5 star greenhouse rating, becoming one of the first commercial buildings in Australia to achieve such a rating.
For more information please contact
David Lamond
FKP Commercial Developments Pty Ltd
Level 5, 120 Edward St
Brisbane QLD 4000
Tel (07) 3223 3812
Fax (07) 3319 3698
Email davidl@fkp.com.au
Internet www.fkp.com.au
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