How to Integrate Solar Power in Your New Construction Project
By: Garrick Revels
Tags: Solar Power, Construction Management, Solar Energy, Construction

Focused men with documents in hardhats at solar energy station

Solar energy is becoming increasingly mainstream in homes and buildings as the world continues to patronize net-zero-energy, low carbon footprint, high-performance structures. And thanks to technological advancements, builders and developers can now install them anywhere in their projects from the rooftop to facades, windows, and nearby unused space at the site.

However, installing solar systems in construction projects isn’t as easy as shopping for panels and setting them where the sun can hit them. Thoughtful consideration of how you can make the most photovoltaic technology has long-term implications for client and occupant satisfaction. Hence, installing solar modules in your construction project should be done by a qualified team.

It may help a lot if the decision to install solar modules would come from the project’s start or the planning phase. Architects, contractors, specifiers, and construction project managers play a vital role in ensuring new buildings use quality photovoltaic products. The top priority of building owners and contractors when they decide to go solar should be selecting affordable yet efficient PV technology. And this is what we’re going to talk about here today.

How Can Construction Project Managers Prepare Buildings for Solar Installation

Construction professionals are quickly switching to building sustainable projects. Structures with its power plant using clean and renewable energy are the new trend. That said, solar module suppliers and electrical contractors are on the rise to help integrate solar technology in a new design or build.

Setting up your solar system before or during construction is more beneficial than installing it after the building is done. Mainly, construction work requires a lot of electricity, with most tasks now supported by power tools, machines, and equipment. But more than that, planning where to install the solar modules in a new building can help designers and the builder find the best location and select the best type of system that can best benefit the structure.

In a study conducted recently by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, experts concluded that installing solar modules during the new construction can significantly cut costs in operations as much as it can save on bills when the building is already opened for occupancy. But there are some design guidelines to consider to make your solar integration during construction successful.

Here are some design considerations to make things easier:

Note the steepness and orientation of the building’s roof — if you are going to install a roof, making it face the south and angled between 30 and 45 degrees is ideal for solar installation. Otherwise, have a stand designed with the same specs.

If you are going to install roof vents, dormers, or chimneys, check if any of these will cause shading on your solar panels. Shading the panels will negatively impact energy production.

Set the roof load-bearing specifications to a value that can accommodate additional weight from a solar system.

Designate mounting points for a solar system to avoid the likelihood of damage to the roof and save time and money during installation.

Apart from these, there are also crucial electrical considerations you should take into account for a successful solar system installation, including:

An electrical conduit should be run between the solar panels and the electrical panel. That said, you need to take note of the electrical conduit installation point from the primary electrical panel location and the roof.

Ensure that the circuit breakers and main service panel specifications support a solar panel array.

Make enough room near the main electrical panel to accommodate some solar components that need to be installed near the panel.

Following these considerations, it is important to include solar system planning in the new construction project’s design stage. Find electrical contractors qualified to do the installation during this stage and work closely with the design team. The installation and electrical requirements can be satisfied and prevent revisions and rework when the construction activities are ongoing.

The timing of PV installation is also essential. You’ll want to install the PV system during the day to test whether the panels can collect sufficient sun energy from your chosen installation point. It is also nice to try it during a season when the amount of sunshine is low to know whether it can sustain the building’s electrical needs. Also, as we mentioned earlier, installing the panels during the construction phase can help you stay within budget. You know very well that power is a crucial resource in building and managing construction.

Types And Costs Of Solar Technology

Now that you know when solar systems installation should be inserted into your construction schedule, it’s time to decide on the right PV module to utilize. Generally, the type may depend on the purpose of your building. The PV tech and rating required by house consumption are much simpler and lower than that of a commercial building. Qualified PV electrical contractors can advise you on the type, but here’s a simple idea of what your options may be:

1. Crystalline Silicon Modules

Traditional solar systems have cells made from silicon crystals. They are wired together to form a solar module with flat-plate panels and can be used alone or with others. Today, crystalline silicon modules use mono-crystalline and poly-crystalline silicon materials.

Generally, this type of module is the most commonly used as it is the most efficient solar technology available yet. However, it is also the most expensive among the solar module types despite silicon being relatively abundant. Its non-toxic trait makes it a truly clean energy generator. Finally, the crystalline-type PV module has a successful track record of more than 45 years of being used in different construction projects and existing buildings.

One of its strongest advantages of the crystalline-type module is its ability to produce 80% of its original power capacity after 25 years of operation. It has a lifespan that can last up to 30 years but can continue to produce energy beyond it. Moreover, it has an overall efficiency of 12% to 15%, making it the best choice for big and commercial buildings, but also a preferred system by homeowners and other applications.

The crystalline silicon module is considered expensive. The cost may also be dependent on the capacity and other factors, including mounting and geographic location and mounting. The typical installed cost of a roof-mounted crystalline silicon solar system is $6.5 to $8 per watt.

2. Thin-Film Solar Modules

Thin-film solar cells or second-generation solar cells are made from non-silicon materials or amorphous silicon. Cadmium telluride is a common material used to build this type of solar system. It also incorporates layers of semiconductor materials that are few micrometers thick.

This type of system is quite flexible, it has become a preferred module for building-integrated photovoltaic or BIPV applications. They are installed directly on roof shingles, building facades, or glazing for skylights to be installed towards the end of the construction. But you also have the option to mount them on the ground. This is ideal for construction sites with broader space.

One of the advantages of this type of module is that it can be well blended into the structure’s architecture. So, if you are preserving the aesthetic of your building, this will be the best option. Apart from that, the materials used in this module are cheaper, so the system’s overall cost is also reduced.

Overall, the installed cost of a large-scale thin-film solar module mounted on the ground is $3 to $4 per watt. However, the efficiency is much lower at 6% to 8% range.

3. Concentrating Photovoltaic Modules

This solar module uses plastic lenses or mirrors as materials for its panel. Sunlight is concentrated on a small piece of highly efficient PV material, and as a result, only a small portion of the costly PV cells is used but can reach cell efficiency that’s much higher than a flat-plate solar system.

Concentrating PV systems are becoming increasingly popular in utilities and industrial sectors as they can produce an overall efficiency as high as 30%. However, the challenge in using this kind of solar system is to use direct sunbeams only, so the panels should be positioned directly at the sun. This means that the mounting should be movable so that the module can be pointed towards the sun’s varying direction. This condition also limits the use of the concentrating PV to the sunniest parts of the country.

4. Emerging Solar Technologies

More advanced or third-generation PV cells are created from various new materials, including sola dyes, solar inks, and conductive plastics. The possibilities are abundant and the new options are attractive because of their low-cost materials. Manufacturing them could also be less expensive. However, these technologies’ overall efficiency is expected to be lower than the typical PV cells.

Getting Started with Solar for New Construction Projects

Unlike what most people imagine that solar systems are installed on buildings only when they are already finished, the decision to build a solar-powered structure should start during the design stage. That is, if you plan to rely on solar energy completely. Before all the planning and writing of the construction schedule, a qualified electrical contractor to install the module should already be chosen. The builder should then provide the PV installers with the plan, design, and construction schedule. Working with the roofing contractor may also be required if you go for roof-mounted solar modules. Meeting with them before starting will make managing the construction of solar-powered buildings smoother. And to complete the project more efficiently, it should be a good idea to employ construction crew scheduling software for the collaboration of both contractors.

Overall, the successful integration of solar power in your new construction project will require you to hire a required solar module installer. Find one that has already experienced working on new construction. Finally, decide whether you’ll prioritize low-cost installation or high efficiency. Most likely, startups and small projects will go for low-cost modules, but bigger ones with more occupancy and power consumption will prefer the module with higher efficiency.