Stainless steel has good prospects for solar energy applications

The development of renewable energy sources and energy conservation requires the use of a wide range of technologies in which stainless steels are widely used. Stainless steel solutions are essential to harness the sun's energy.

The technical team, together with the designers, provided information on possible designs for stainless steel to capture solar energy, taking into account the technical properties of stainless steel. They conducted case studies on stainless steel in the use of solar energy, among them a stainless steel building façade in Switzerland, which provides solar energy for home maintenance.

This façade project was developed as a replacement for an existing building located in an open space. The client Etat de Vaud organized an architectural competition for the best design of a new facade for the building. For the first time in western Switzerland, clear energy conservation requirements were set out in an architectural competition. The client requested that environmental, energy and economic aspects also be considered in the design of the building.

In this case, the study showed how effective the stainless steel solution is in photovoltaic applications. A thin stainless steel foil serves as a substrate for photovoltaic cells.

The new millennium brings with it a new level of reduction in energy dependence on renewable energy sources. This means not only constantly increasing financial costs for consumers, but also the impact on the planet of how we will generate our energy, what types of fuels we consume and how these processes affect the environment.