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Solar Panels and Skylights: A Problem and Solution in One

Posted on April 20, 2021

Solar Panels and Skylights: A Problem and Solution in One

One huge roadblock for many Littleton, CO, homeowners adopting solar panels is roof design. Having a solar panel is good for the environment and their wallet. Unfortunately, their skylights occupy the prime space where the technology can collect the ideal energy amount. However, in our experience, we’ve seen how solar panels and skylights can effectively work together because they’re a problem and solution in a single package.

For traditional properties, a classic solar panel installation is enough to collect sunlight. On the other hand, skylight-dependent properties can use new skylight technologies, such as photovoltaic skylights, from cutting-edge manufacturers. These skylights give homeowners the advantage of natural daylight and an energy-saving feature in one. Plus, manufacturers use UV-absorbing technologies, which ensure the sunlight that passes through the skylight is cool, like how skylights handle sunlight.

Advanced solar skylight technologies allow you to control the light amount entering your property, making it useful when watching television and reduce the sun’s rays during the hottest time of day.

Clean Technica shows advanced features on these next-level skylights. Read more about them below.

The product in question is EnFocus Engineering’s Diamond-Power panel—a high-tech module that’s one part skylight, one part solar panel.

Offering building occupants a real alternative to artificial lighting, the Diamond-Power panel can control the sun’s power more efficiently than any skylight on the market while utilizing the sun’s full range of light better than the average solar cell.

“In many situations people have plenty of daylighting, but they don’t switch the electrical lights off so there’s no savings,” says EnFocus’ President and Chief Technology Officer Jason Lu. “The point of our product is to provide a good lighting source so people actually can leave their electrical lights off.”

The Power of Daylight

Even when it’s not being used to create power, sunlight still has an abundance of potential. After all, what better source of free, nonpolluting lighting is there than natural daylight? Plus, there are tangential benefits: studies have shown students perform better, shoppers stay longer and buy more, and workers tend to be more productive.

Still, streaming sunlight into a building can lead to a host of cleantech conundrums. Solar heat gain is the primary one, and it’s why many glass-walled office buildings need air conditioning even in the winter.

The light coming through the skylight is cool. One advantage you have is you’re not adding heat load to the building.

“What this system does is take that hot light and efficiently transport its power to the grid,” explains Stan Sutton, President of Inland Metal Technologies, a provider of the skylight’s materials as well as an investor in the company. “What you get as a byproduct of it all is light that isn’t directly from the sun. This means the light coming through the skylight is cool. One advantage you have is you’re not adding heat load to the building.” (Continued)

If you have yet to find a dependable solar installation team with roofing capabilities in Littleton, CO, you can always count on us at Roper Roofing & Solar. Contact us today to learn more about everything that we can do for you.