A collaboration between
the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation and PEARL
called Home 2000 is a sophisticated, three-story,
prefabricated module house featuring roof integrate
solar modules. Conceived by PEARL as part of the
Canadian government's Technology Early Action Measures
initiative, the BIPV system in addition to the heat
recovery ventilation system, energy efficient lighting
and energy efficient appliances reduces the green
house gas emissions and environmental impact of the
home.
The skylight covering
one entire side of the roof, is actually an array of
photovoltaic modules. The approximately 2 kilowatt
BIPV array provides most of the electrical needs of
the house. A grid interactive inverter feeds the solar
electricity into the distribution panel of the house.
When more power is being generated that can be used in
the house, the electricity flows into the electrical
grid for use by other customers.
The BIPV solar modules
are integrated directly into the roof, replacing the
standing seam roofing used on the remainder of the
house. The blue, multi-crystalline cells are arranged
in glass-on-glass modules with 1 cm to 1.6 cm space
between them to allow for day lighting of the third
floor attic, creating a beautiful and livable space.
Home 2000 was moved in six sections to the Burnaby
campus of BCIT in early 2000 and will become the site
for further research into BIPV.
