Work has finished on The Terraced Tower, an exceptional building in Rotterdam, Holland. The top of the tower is mounted with Solarwatt solar panels – a major challenge due to the heavy winds typical for such a high structure.
The 110-metre-high block, housing 334 private apartments, features 216 Solarwatt Vision 60M glass-glass modules, mounted on a concrete and steel roof. As high-rise buildings have proportionally small roofs, solar cells were also installed on walls, in a façade comprising 111 Solarwatt Construct glass-glass modules.
Commissioned in April and installed in May, the PV plant has a total output of 103 kWp, or 93,000 kWh per year. The system saved 9624.43 kg of CO2 in emissions between 10 May and 19 July, corresponding to 289 planted trees – and the trend is rising.
Kees Nielen, Commercial Director of the project manager energy@theoffice, said: “Working with Solarwatt is great. They deliver beautiful products and are one of the few suppliers who provide the type of robust panels required for this tower.
“Their glass-to-glass panels are 100% approved to use at this height against all extreme weather conditions such as wind.”
Others involved were the project developer BESIX Constructing, InstallatieTechniek Louwer – responsible for power supply in the building, and Technea Duurzaam, a specialist in sustainable installation technology.
Power produced by the building-integrated solar PV (‘BIPV’) installation will serve central functions such as elevators and in communal areas.
