Solar railings

Responsible design is an approach that is gaining popularity in the industry. Although I will admit that it is not so easy to find solutions that are usable, aesthetically pleasing and at the same time use renewable energy sources. Naturally, in our case, the question arose as to what products we could introduce, taking this small step toward sustainable energy.

What if we could insert photovoltaic panels into our railings? This was the question I heard at one of the meetings from Adam. Admittedly, the meeting was about the topic of solar canopies, but, as always, there were many side threads. I thought that the idea was so interesting that it was worth working on it in a wider group. The technical and legal consultations went on endlessly, with millions of phone calls, e-mails and the waiting…

Technology and possibilities

Finally we had all the necessary data, it was time to start work. The overriding condition specified in the analysis was the use of photovoltaic panels made with tempered glass technology. It turned out that we have the right product background. Not only do the panels have a set of tests, but in addition, they are made with new technology with additional diffusion coating, which improves their efficiency. The construction of the glass, and more so the finished module, is identical to that of our standard glass, which has been tested as a weeding out in our aluminum-glass railings.

Photovoltaic panels in an aluminum-glass balustrade can be used as the main gutting or as an infill covering the ceiling strip. Of course, the variant, and more so the area of the panels, will determine the efficiency of the installation.

The following description reflects the power depending on the model of the railing and the area of the photovoltaic panels. For simplicity of calculation, I give the averaged power for 1 running meter of balustrade: