French startup offers new solution for green solar rooftops

Vegetek, a French urban greening solutions designer, has developed “biosolar” roofs for PV systems.

Compatible with existing or new green roofs, the solution enhances building thermal efficiency, in line with with France’s 2021 Climate and Resilience standards, which require 30% rooftop coverage with greenery or solar.

The solution, targeted at developers and building owners, combines a green roof with PV panels, boosting panel efficiency by 12%, according to Adivet data.

“It is the refreshing effect of the green carpets which makes it possible to improve the performance of the modules during the summer,” Aurélien Cassagnet, head of real estate operations at Vegetek, told pv magazine France. “Without any risk for the species planted under the panels. On the contrary, the photovoltaic installation creates different nooks and shades, conducive to an increase in biodiversity.”

The novel roof solution can reportedly be adapted to all types of solar panels.

The only constraint is the capacity of a rooftop to support the weight of an installation, said Vegetek.

Vegetek is based in Cenon near Bordeaux, France. It is a unit of Demonchy, a France-based supplier of raw materials for thermoplastics, food, personal care, coatings, sealants and the adhesives market.