Swiss solar awards for office building and single-family home use Kyocera modules

The Swiss Solar Award honours persons and institutions who display commitment for the benefit of solar energy. Under the patronage of the Swiss Federal Office of Energy, the awards are presented for buildings with an innovative and optimal design in terms of energy consumption, and for the best installations in the field of renewable energy sources.

The modern headquarters of the IUCN has received a Swiss Solar Award for the inspired extension of its complex of buildings. Integrated into its flat roof is a 146-kWp photovoltaic system which consists of 693 Kyocera solar modules (KD210GH-2PU type) and covers half the entire energy demand of the facility. The system produces 139,700 kWh per year and supplies the heat pumps with an annual total of approximately 35,000 kWh of solar-generated electricity. As a result, the CO2 emissions of the building are reduced by roughly 103.5 t per year compared to similar buildings.

Also among the award recipients, the elegantly designed single-family home of the Cadruvi/Joos family in sunny Ruschein in the Bündner Oberland is situated at a height of 1,184 metres. In the justification for the Solar Award, it was stated that the clear and modern architectural language impresses due to the well-integrated, multifunctional 6.5 kWp photovoltaic installation, which functions as both the actual roof surface and a solar power generating system. The installation consists of 50 frameless Kyocera modules that have been integrated into the roof of the building with the aid of suitable mounting systems. The result is an aesthetically pleasing and uniform photovoltaic system, which supplies some 7,700 kWh each year. The solar installation thus covers 100 per cent of the overall demand and generates an annual electricity surplus of 813 kWh. This – along with the impressive architecture – is why the Norman Foster Solar Award has gone to the single-family dwelling.

Kyocera products have always been among the most efficient on the market. This is also one of the reasons why the company’s solar modules are specifically chosen for sites with extreme weather conditions – such as in the Swiss Alps. The solar modules can withstand extreme weather-induced and mechanical loads without damage. In its fully-integrated production process, Kyocera attaches particular importance on covering the entire value-added chain itself, thus enabling the company to guarantee the quality and performance of its modules.