Page 370 - A Comprehensive Guide to Solar Energy Systems

Chapter 19 • Solar Panels in the Landscape 377

FIGURE 19.4 Solar panels ruin the appearance of this vernacular style house in northern Scotland. The better sited
panels are those in the garden behind. Photo: B. Dower (all rights reserved).

In recent years there has been an increasing drive toward designing solar panels as an
integral part of new developments. Planning applications for public and domestic build-
ings with solar panels as part of the new-build proposals are seen favorably, and in line
with government support for sustainable development [4]. Solar panels can be integrated
into buildings at the design stage, often with better results than retrofitting.
Large-scale solar panel installations are possible on structures such as stations and fac-
tory roofs. London’s new Blackfriars Station spans the river Thames and has 4400 solar
panels designed into the roof structure, which generate approximately 1 mW of energy.
Another example is the high-speed rail line from Paris to Amsterdam, which passes an an-
cient woodland near Antwerp, Belgium. A 2 mile long cover shelter was used to avoid the
need to fell the trees that are within topple-distance and has been fitted with 16,000 solar
panels on its roof (Fig. 19.6).
Small-scale solar panels on structures such as roadside lighting or sign posts are also a
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familiar site in the uK. Panels of less than 0.5 m provide sufficient power to light up warning
signs, particularly in rural locations where other sources of power are more difficult to provide.