BALUSTRADES AND BALCONY RAILINGS WITH A TOUCH OF SOLTECH
Solar panels in balcony railings and balustrades.
It can be done!
Hundreds… thousands of square meters of #solar panel potential.
In Belgium alone, the area of balustrades is uncountable.
Let alone in neighboring countries and the rest of the world!
Why ‘solar panels in balustrades’ is a good idea – and who you can turn to – we explain in detail in this article.
Brussels-based Tom Kenis installed a plug and play solar panel on his balustrade in 2022. Smart or illegal?, headlined the gazettes at the time.
The word fraud was even mentioned by the Brussels network manager.
If you ask us?
Smart!
It is very smart to use solar panels as railings.
Standard solar panels on a balustrade of an apartment building
Tom did all the legal homework himself.
“The rules are federal, so they apply to all of our country. And they state that it is ‘prohibited to connect energy production units to the electrical grid through a socket.’ That must be done with a direct cable to the fuse box. Also, persons must declare such installations to the grid operator. The latter checks whether the installation is compliant and, if necessary, also replaces the meter.”
And what if you don’t do that?
“Then we see that as a fraud.”
Well… the rules are the rules…. but they shouldn’t be a problem because of that.
Fire safety and standards for solar panels on a balustrade
Standard Chinese solar panels are basically not suitable as a building material.
In terms of fire and building standards, they simply do not meet the requirements to be used as a building material.
So it is never a good idea to use a standard panel against insulation as a wall finish.
If the standard panels are placed on a structure – such as roofs – there is basically no major problem.
A solar panel ALSO balustrade/balcony railing
versus
A solar panel ON a balustrade/balcony railing
One big difference, and where the solution actually lies, is the use of BIPV as a balustrade instead of a standard panel.
But what exactly is the difference?
A standard panel is usually composed of a 0.4 mm plastic “back sheet” on which solar cells are laminated with a 3 or 4 mm glass cover sheet.
They are mounted on an existing structure by means of a fastening system.
BIPV (Building Integrated PhotoVoltaics) works differently.
Here, cells are laminated between two sheets of glass 4 to 18 mm thick – depending on the application.
These panels are not mounted on an existing structure, but REPLACE the building material.
So we do not apply them ON a roof, but IN a roof.
Not ON a facade, but as a replacement of the facade finish.
And. here’s the thing. not ON a balustrade or balcony railing…. but THEY REPLACE the glass of a balustrade or balcony railing.
Safety and installation
In terms of building standards, all – and even more – requirements imposed on building materials are thus met.
In terms of fire safety – if applied correctly – the necessary certificates are also available.
In addition, BIPV is as easily installed as glass balcony fences in existing applications and we are connected in the same way as traditional solar panels.
Energy parts
Because the solution to the rules is also cited in the article, “Then it is more interesting and profitable to do energy sharing. Then all the residents invest in a shared installation for the whole building. The regulations allow this little by little. That is much more interesting than hanging a panel here and there.”
More benefits than just regulations
However, the benefits of BIPV balustrades go well beyond that:
The eye wants something too
Why is it that Tom’s panel stands out so much?
Because he’s the only one in his building.
That, anyway.
But also because the panel really looks like “a solar panel.
With BIPV, that’s no longer necessary.
The aesthetic possibilities are endless.
A color, a frosted glass, a textured glass … even a full color image is among the possibilities.
The intention is even to make it look just NOT like a solar panel.
Integrated = Double sustainable.
The balustrade not only generates green energy.
The solar panel balustrade also replaces the original material.
So there is no need to put a balustrade first and then add PV. BIPV is directly the building material. So we save the materials, associated costs and footprint of both the original material and the solar panel.
In addition, we produce panels in an energy-neutral factory in Genk, Belgium.
SOLTECH, Thor Park, Genk, Belgium
“The black balustrade on the roof terrace of our own new building consists of shiny black panels. The yield of these panels is identical to the yield of standard panels. The vertical placement does have some impact on the yield but the balustrade perfectly catches the evening sun or the low sun in winter so we have more yield again at those times.”
Stefan Dewallef, Head of R&D
East-west orientation
Since the roll-back counter has become a thing of the past and we are getting more and more signals that we will soon have to pay to feed our generated energy back to the grid, the importance of self-consumption has only increased.
Vertically placed panels with an east or a west orientation “capture” the morning and evening sun.
As a result, we generate energy in the morning and evening.
Even in winter, the yield with vertical positioning is often better than south-facing panels on a roof.
And let that be precisely the times when most energy is consumed in an apartment building or hotel.
Balustrade becomes an investment
Last…. but certainly not least: Whereas a balustrade used to be a pure cost, it is now becoming an investment with a payback model. Depending on the finish and orientation, after an average of four years the extra cost over a regular balustrade can be recouped.
From then on, you start earning from it.
Walk-in days and partners
Want to know more about Building Integrated PhotoVoltaics?
Interested in the story of SOLTECH?
Or fancy seeing an energy-neutral solar panel factory in operation?
You can!
We regularly organize walk-in days to which everyone is welcome. You will learn more about IPV in a few hours than ChatGPT can tell you and our engineers are available to answer your questions. If you would like to discuss a project afterwards, you can indicate this when you register.
Are you convinced and want to see for yourself what a balustrade or balcony railing can do for you?
Then visit one of our sales or installation partners.
The future is bright, with a touch of SOLTECH
Partners
No Results Found
The page you requested could not be found. Try refining your search, or use the navigation above to locate the post.
BELGIUM
Are you an installer?
RAILINGCOMPANY is a Belgian company based in Puurs-St-Amands.
They manufacture and design balustrades and balcony railings with a passion for aluminum profiles, glass & aesthetics.
They are exclusive parnter in Belgium for BIPV-integrated balustrades.
Are you an installer?
Then you can turn to Railingcompany for complete systems, including the mounting system, glass.
NETHERLANDS
Are you an installer?
CEPU Constructions is a manufacturer of aluminum balustrades! As a manufacturer of custom products, and a committed partner, they are happy to advise you on the use of PV in balcony railings.
In everything they do, quality, safety and reliability are paramount.
They provide quality construction that meets your needs in every detail.
Want your own balcony fence with PV?
INSTALL.COMPANY specializes in the installation of glass balustrades and balcony railings with integrated solar cells.
Based in Puurs, between Antwerp, Brussels and Ghent, they quickly get to all corners of the country.
From voids for individuals to projects over 1,000 running meters, they have the knowledge, capacity and drive to turn your request into a beautifully finished project.
More news with a touch of SOLTECH
Production Pilot
Teaming up with Patrick Alias: Operations Manager (COO)
ManagementMagier
Teaming up with Bas and Stefan Alias: Management Assistant
MarketingMiracle
Teaming up with Els and Evi Alias: Junior Marketer
Vacation Butterfly
Teaming up… With Whom You Will Alias: Job Student
Production Pearl
Heart of SOLTECH Alias: Production Employee
Warehouse Master
Teaming up with production Alias: Warehouse Manager
A la carte
A role A la carte Alias: Free Application
MachineMentor
Teaming up with production Alias: machine technician
The SOLTECH circle is round
Three years and 12 million euros later, there is an energy-neutral automated factory that can make not only solar panels but also media facades
Your project full of energy
Whatever your project, Soltech puts energy into it.
Stand alone or building integrated.
With “a touch of SOLTECH,” your project too will be a sustainable reference of its kind in no time.