Ventilated facade with integrated solar panels

Sto, a Germany-based construction materials supplier, has unveiled a new solar facade for residential buildings.

The StoVentec Photovoltaics Inlay product consists of a ventilated facade equipped with solar panels and thermal insulation technology. The system is made of a layer of rock wool insulation and a substructure with patented profiles, into which the double-glass PV modules are inserted.

The solar modules are encapsulated in a black frame, with a nominal power of 305 W and a size of 1,668 mm × 994 mm.  The cell connectors are black. The facade insulates the enclosure, improves the sound insulation value by up to 12 dB, ensures protection against moisture and is also permeable to vapor diffusion. Its fire behavior is B-s1, which means hardly flammable, according to the EN 13501-1 standard.

The modules can be aligned in vertical or horizontal arrangements.

“Despite the fact that photovoltaic systems on the façade may present a lower total annual yield compared to panels on roofs, they have the great advantage that they are better adapted to seasonal demand, since the performance, compared to the other solutions, is higher in the colder months, from autumn to spring, when the sun is lower,” said José Almagro, general director of Sto Ibérica.

Sto manufactures thermal insulation products and systems for facades, exterior and interior cladding, ventilated facades, acoustic ceilings, concrete repair and protection, and floor coverings. It has a presence in 80 countries and four continents.