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Despite being an abundant untapped resource for distributed renewable energy production, rooftops sometimes aren’t the best place to install photovoltaic (PV) panels. Heat has a negative impact on voltage, which affects power production on extremely hot days. But, by integrating a rooftop PV system with a green building technique designed to keep roofs cool and manage stormwater, Maryland-based Green Roof Technology may have found a solution to this problem.
Its new “Sun-Root solar-living roof system” is described by the company as the first fully integrated, non-penetrative solar and extensive green roof system in North America. Besides reportedly improving a building’s energy efficiency by keeping it cool, the Sun-Root, its developer states, combines the benefits of a vegetative roof with the power production of a solar roof.
Essentially, it is like taking a ground-mounted PV system and putting it on a roof, while still maintaining the integrity of the green roof’s moisture seal and water management systems. Through evaporation, the system creates a cooler micro-climate around the PV panels, enabling them to operate more efficiently.
“Heat is the enemy of energy production,” said Jörg Breuning of Green Roof Technology in a statement. “Any time atmospheric temperatures on a roof begin to rise, PV elements lose their efficiency and can shut down if temperatures rise too high. We sought a way to counteract this negative phenomenon by combining solar modules with an extensive green roof.”
Source:http://www.earthtechling.com/2012/01/green-roof-plants-help-solar-panels-chill/
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