Green Design: Solar Energy

Click on the images above to learn about the green design features of 14 Maple Avenue.

 

What are photovoltaics?
Photovoltaics, or PV for short, is a technology that produces electricity (voltaic) from sunlight (photo). Specially designed PV or solar cells, which are made of silicon, are connected to form solar modules, panels, and larger systems known as arrays, and can be mounted on building facades or roofs, or integrated into building construction, such as with PV roof shingles.

Photovoltaics are able to capture both solar and nonsolar sources of light (such as light from incandescent lightbulbs) and produce direct current electricity from that light to power a variety of equipment. You might have solar cells in your calculator or a wristwatch, which require minimal energy to operate. Photovoltaic arrays, on the other hand, are able to capture much more light for significant output of electricity – such as that required to power office building systems.

At 14 Maple Avenue, a 75 kW photovoltaic array on the parking garage roof produces enough onsite energy to power a portion of the building and the parking garage. The array’s peak performance is not in the summer as you might expect, but in the fall and winter, when the sun’s rays hit the solar array at the optimum angle.

Why use photovoltaics?
Solar energy technology is a key element in the shift to a clean, renewable energy supply. Unlike with traditional fossil fuel or nuclear-powered energy plants, capturing the sun’s energy creates no pollution, its supply is limitless, and as manufacturing capacity catches up to demand, the cost-benefit of PV technology will increase. The State of New Jersey subsidized the construction of this solar array in its effort to encourage business and homeowners to shift to solar energy.

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