| Implenia launches solar cell pilot project |
| 05.12.11 07:05 | |
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Implenia launches solar cell pilot project – First portacabins in Switzerland equipped with photovoltaic cells to produce their own electricity Dietlikon, 5 December 2011 – A new office building is currently being constructed in Lausanne-Vennes for the CSS health insurance company. Once finished in 2012 it will provide workspace for 450 employees currently located at various sites around Canton Vaud. The project began with an architectural competition in 2009, which Lausanne firm Brauen + Wälchli won thanks to an impressive combination of cost-effectiveness, functionality and design. Implenia was brought in to execute the project as general contractor. The building is laid out in a star shape with four wings branching out from a shared central entrance area. The ground floor houses seminar and other communal spaces. Glass facades allow light to penetrate deep into the interior of the rooms. Significant reduction in CO2 emissions Implenia has launched a solar pilot project on the construction site and installed solar panels on the roofs of the four office portacabins. This has created a total panel surface area of 48 m2 (6 x 2 meters on each cabin). The installation can produce a total of more than 6,140 kilowatt hours (kWh) per year. The electricity generated is being used to power the site. Any electricity that isn’t needed is fed into the local network. This reduces CO2 emissions from the building site by five tonnes a year. The solar panels have a lifetime of around 25 years, and when the project is over they can be moved to the next construction site along with the cabins. The four cabins will produce a total of approximately 150,000 kWh over their whole operational lives. This would be enough to provide electricity for 30 average private homes for a year. Based on the expected life of the cabins, the cost of the power comes to CHF 0.24 per kWh, which is about the same as the current market price, and much lower than was previously normal for solar cells. If the system lasts even longer, the per-kWh cost will come down even further. Depending on how the pilot project goes, more construction site cabins will also be equipped with solar cells. |
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