AGC's "Glass-Integrated Solar Panels" Installed in Building Connected to Tokyo Station
Installed on Step Terrace
(Source: AGC)
AGC, a major flat glass manufacturer, announced that its glass building-integrated solar panels (BIPV) have been installed at the Tokyo Tatemono Yaesu Building developed by Tokyo Tatemono.
The Tokyo Tatemono Yaesu Building is a building with rental offices and restaurants on the basement level, directly connected to Tokyo Station. The construction was completed in 2011.
AGC's glass-integrated solar panels are installed on the building's outdoor walkway, called the Step Terrace.
According to AGC, this is the first time the company has been selected by the Ministry of the Environment to participate in a support program for the introduction of building-integrated solar power generation equipment. The goal is to have solar power generation equipment integrated into windows, walls, etc.
This building will also be the first building to be certified by the Japan Standards Association as a "land-use building equipped with a PV system".
AGC commercialized this type of glass-integrated solar panel in 2001. The solar panel is manufactured by sandwiching a crystalline silicon photovoltaic cell (the generating unit) between two glass panels, which is said to achieve both the required performance of glass as a building material and the performance of solar power generation.
This makes it possible to add solar power generation capabilities to places where glass is used, such as windows, canopies, and balconies of buildings. There is a high degree of freedom in the size and composition of the glass, as well as the arrangement of the panels, so there is no need to sacrifice design for energy generation.
While the demand for electricity in urban buildings is increasing, the space for installing renewable energy generating equipment is limited, limiting the generation of renewable energy on-site.
The company emphasizes that glass-integrated solar panels like this combine the function of glass and generate solar power, making it possible to generate electricity from places like windows and walls of buildings that have not been widely used until now.
