Page 67 - Solar Power in Building Design The Engineer's Complete Design Resource

FILM TECHNOLOGIES 37

Figure 2.16 BIPV manufacturing robotics machine. Photo courtesy of Atlantis
Energy Systems.

such as Sharp Solar of Japan, for aesthetic purposes, offer a limited variety of colored
and transparent photovoltaic cells. Cell colors, which are produced in deep marine, sky
blue, gold, and silverfish brown, usually are somewhat less efficient and are manufac-
tured on an on-demand basis.
Because of their lower performance efficiency, BIPV panels are primarily used in
applications where there is the presence of daylight, such as in solariums, rooms with
skylights, or sunrooms. In these cases the panels becomes an essential architectural
requirement. Figure 2.17 depicts a custom BIPV module manufactured by Atlantis
energy Systems.

SUNSLATE SOLAR MODULES
SunSlate solar modules are photovoltaic products that serve two specific functions.
They are constructed to be both a roof shingle and a solar power plant simultaneously.
This class of products is specifically well-suited for residential and light commercial
applications where a large portion of a tiled roof structure could be fitted with relative
ease. Figure 2.18 depicts application of an Atlantis energy Systems BIPV system in
CalTrans building, Los Angeles, California.
SunSlates are secured to roof rafters and structure by means of storm anchor hooks
and anchor nails that rest on 2 ft × 2 ft sleepers. When the tiles are secured to the roof
structure, they can withstand 120 mile per hour winds. Adjacent SunSlate tiles inter-
connect with specially designed gas-tight male-female connectors forming PV array