March 15, 2002—In a first step toward developing energy independence, San Francisco International Airport has installed an array of building-integrated photovoltaic (PV) roofing panels to produce clean energy. The 20-kilowatt array is now supplying a portion of the power needed at one of the airport’s support buildings.
The system, designed and installed by Renewable Energy Resources (RER) of Occidental, Calif., uses UNI-SOLAR PV laminates, manufactured by Bekaert ECD Solar Systems. The “peel and stick” laminates were bonded to metal roofing pans and installed in modular units. They feature a twenty-year warranty and can produce electricity in sunlight and on cloudy days using a unique flexible, non-reflective, and durable thin-film amorphous silicon technology.
The airport system is grid-connected, which means that when the PV array generates power, the utility meter runs backward. A utility inverter was installed that changes the direct current, generated by the array, to the alternating current used at the airport. Software and monitoring systems display the daily energy output, emissions offset, and total dollars saved by the energy system on a monitor.
For information about UNI-SOLAR PV laminates, contact Bekaert ECD Solar Systems.
