In future, our houses will have built-in solar cells

This autumn, the four-year EU project, PVadapt, will start developing new solar cell systems that are less expensive to create, assemble and use, and Norwegian researchers are involved.

Today, cities account for 70 percent of the world’s energy consumption, which means they are responsible for 40-50 percent of greenhouse gas emissions. European Technology and Innovation Platform estimates that 80 per cent of the Earth’s population will live in urban areas by 2050.

This means that the energy consumption will double, or at worst, triple. Therefore, it is essential to develop sustainable solutions with renewable energy. An example of this is the use of solar cells that are integrated in construction.

“The system will consist of building elements with pre-built solar cells, which will make them simple and affordable to install. Using a modular system, the solar cell system can easily be scaled up or down, “says Martin Bellmann, SINTEF researcher.

“The elements should be made in a way that makes them easy to recycle. Hopefully we will also be able to use recycled materials for production, “said Bellmann.

The new building elements will primarily be used in new buildings – either on roofs or integrated in a facade. But the project will also develop elements that can be mounted on old buildings in connection with renovation projects.

18 partners from eleven different European countries participate in the EU project with a total budget of 11 million euros. The researchers will develop the new solar cell systems in collaboration with several solar cell manufacturers and the building industry.