Guardian Glass joins Garantia Solar

Guardian Glass, one of the world's leading manufacturers of float, coated and fabricated glass products, has started a cooperation agreement with Garantia Solar, a company specializing in solar energy integration systems in architecture, from design to execution, to bring Brazil the first solution for Photovoltaic Integration in Buildings (BIPV, acronym for Building Integrated PhotoVoltaics) that starts in the early stages of a project specification until the final installation, all in national territory. The initiative follows a worldwide trend towards more sustainable architecture and innovative buildings, which enables the generation of energy and consuming less resources. 

BIPV integrates the elements of solar power generation into the architectural design of the building itself, rather than adding conventional solar modules to a building after its completion. It gains relevance as the number of homes, buildings and public buildings installing photovoltaic systems for solar power generation is rapidly growing.

"The BIPV system is gaining more and more relevance as awareness of energy efficiency increases. It offers an innovative approach to solar power generation by combining functionality with architectural design," explains Fábio Reis, Product Development Manager at Guardian Glass.

With the entire solution now in national territory, Garantia Solar, with the support of Guardian Glass, can serve Brazil with a complete range of BIPV solutions, both with solar control glass and colored module options, with fully customized specifications for each type of project, whether commercial or residential under construction, in addition to retrofits.

"We realized the need to really have a company that could go from the design to the final installation of a BIPV system, bringing together the best professionals and companies that have been collaborating with the construction industry for more than three decades," says Eduardo Lopes, ESG director at Garantia Solar. He points out that another partner of this initiative is Solaxxes, a Swiss company that has the know-how and technology that allows color to be added to photovoltaic modules with high use of sunlight.

In this way, Garantia Solar intends to meet a dormant demand in architecture by providing BIPV solutions that our customers value more highly than their alternatives, by helping them generate energy, consume fewer resources, and reduce their building’s operational carbon emissions. "We have now made a noble (novel?) product available to the domestic market and we are committed to making it accessible, cost-effective and with a return on investment in a short period of time," says the Garantia Solar executive.

For architect Clarissa Zomer, director of Architectural Projects at BIPV Garantia Solar, it no longer makes sense to design new buildings or retrofit facades without considering the integration of solar energy. "With the possibilities that photovoltaic technology offers, the architect will be able to keep the aesthetics of the work, adding benefits of energy efficiency and high energy performance, in addition to enjoying the replacement of passive materials with active materials," she explains.

How it works

Construction with BIPV happens with the replacement of conventional construction materials by coverings or roofs with integration of photovoltaic cells, creating a double function for the photovoltaic system. Thus, different parts of the building's envelope start to generate energy, such as facades, roofs, skylights and brises (sunshades?). 

The Guardian manager explains that by simultaneously serving as a building envelope material and a power generator, BIPV coatings can help reduce electricity costs and reduce operational carbon emissions, as well as increase the value of the project while adding innovative aesthetics.

"Some of the main benefits of BIPV is being able to focus on strategies for energy efficient architecture and can assist in scoring points towards obtaining green seals and certifications," says Reis, noting that the integration of the system with the building becomes almost imperceptible.

BIPV gains even more relevance in the face of the accelerated growth in the implementation of solar panels in buildings, homes, and public and business enterprises in the most diverse sectors. According to Absolar (Brazilian Association of Photovoltaic Solar Energy - https://www.absolar.org.br/), Brazil already has more than 2 million photovoltaic solar systems installed on rooftops, facades and small plots of land, which generate 22 GW, consolidating the advance of photovoltaic energy in the country.