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Chicago's Willis Tower To Become Vertical Solar Farm

Posted by Soulskill on from the free-range-sunlight dept.

An anonymous reader writes "The tallest building in the United States is set to become a soaring vertical solar farm, as Pythagoras Solar just launched a project to emblazon the building's glass façade with transparent photovoltaic panels. The new windows, dubbed high power density photovoltaic glass units, are a clever hybrid technology that lays a typical monocrystalline silicon solar cell horizontally between two layers of glass to form an individual tile. An internal plastic reflective prism directs angled sunlight onto the solar cells but allows diffuse daylight and horizontal light through. The high-profile project will begin on the south side of the 56th floor and could grow up to 2 MW in size — which is comparable to a 10-acre field of solar panels."

7 of 227 comments (clear)

  1. Sears Tower by torstenvl · · Score: 5, Informative

    The building is now and forever will be called the Sears Tower. No locals call it the Willis Tower. No non-locals should either. It's a landmark and a piece of architectural history. Like the headline says, it is "Chicago's." In this sense, it will always belong to the public, and the ability of some random foreign insurance firm to finagle some temporary naming rights will never change that.

    1. Re:Sears Tower by shadowrat · · Score: 4, Insightful

      I read the summary and thought, "WTF is this willis tower? Is it somehow bigger than the sear's tower?"

  2. Re:Transparent? by Locke2005 · · Score: 4, Informative

    Only transparent at certain frequencies, e.g. the frequencies of visible light.

    --
    I've abandoned my search for truth; now I'm just looking for some useful delusions.
  3. Average hours of sunlight per day in Chi-town? by sdguero · · Score: 5, Interesting

    According to this solar power website, Chicago only gets an average of 3.14 hours of sunlight per day:
    http://www.gosolarcompany.com/pv-sizing-sun-hours.html

    Seems like it would be a lot more efficient to put these on a high rise in Phoenix, with an average of 6.58 hours per day of sunlight. Then again, I'm not a marketing guy for Big WIlly, or "journalist" at inhabitat, so what do I know...

  4. Re:How much offset? by peragrin · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Actually you can thank the buildings designers for that. most skyscrapers suffer from updrafts, that could be strong enough to lift 120 pounds. Think about it, that cute secretary in those awesome heels, walks by the open window and gets sucked out of it because the wind shifts just right. It has happened.

    --
    i thought once I was found, but it was only a dream.
  5. Re:How much offset? by Dahamma · · Score: 4, Funny

    And remember this is Chicago, not New York, so even the not-so-cute 300lb IT support guy would be in peril with those winds...

  6. Re:How much offset? by nogginthenog · · Score: 4, Funny

    Simply place a sign by the window: "Do not stand next to open window or you may get sucked off"