Home
In central France lies Poitiers, a city rich in Roman architecture
and medieval history. Modern building in Poitiers is constructing a new
sort of history, however, an energy-efficient, solar-powered and
potentially profitable history. Sipea, a local non-profit builder of
social housing in the city, is installing solar electricity at its headquarters to sell back to the power grid.
Sipea’s homes are built to Passive House (PassivHaus in Europe) standards, which means they are very well-insulated, use passive solar heat to its maximum potential and utilize a host of other green building features. But what is most fascinating about Sipea’s Poitiers headquarters are the unique solar modules. Instead of typical solar modules, the building uses transparent solar panels that convert sunlight into electricity while allowing a speckling of natural light indoors. The solar cells are not wholly transparent. They’re spaced a bit apart and sandwiched between two high-efficiency panes of glass, thus allowing natural light through while protecting against direct glare from the sun.
