Introducing HyperionSolar PV, a thin film amorphous silicon photovoltaic system. Designed and developed by CA Building Products, the HyperionSolar PV system is a lightweight, low cost solution that has been tailored for trapezoidal roofing systems. Manufactured by CA Building Products HyperionSolar PV utilises double sided Colorcoat Prisma^® by Tata Steel and a flexible PVL laminate from Uni-Solar.

The adoption of Solar PV systems on buildings can be fraught with dangers and misunderstandings regarding the requirements of a building and the people installing it. With this in mind, CA Group has published their Renewables guide (available here).

Before any PV installation commences the performance of the roof itself, should not be compromised. The CA Twin-Therm^® roof system performs three major functions:

1. It keeps the heat in
2. It keeps the weather out
3. It braces the structure ensuring that the building does not collapse

Any PV system that compromises the above should not be installed on the roof in question.

HyperionSolar PV has been specifically developed for most trapezoidal roofing systems. A Uni-Solar photovoltaic laminate is factory bonded to a pre-coated steel tray (double sided Colorcoat Prisma^® from Tata steel), which is then secured into position, through the crown of the external roof profile, ensuring a weather tight seal.

The HyperionSolar PV design provides the benefit of being independent of the roofing system; they can be easily removed and replaced should a module fail or become damaged, without affecting the integrity of the roof structure or the building operation.

Future problems are something that most PV installers are either unaware of or have little regard for. Some of these issues are:

• Is the existing frame strong enough to take the increased weight of the PV installation? (Over the last two years over 400 buildings have collapsed due to unexpected snow load in the UK).
• Most building frames are in balance, wherever possible PV's should be installed on both slopes to maintain the equilibrium. Although lighter panels are generally suitable to be placed on one slope. Installing heavier systems to one slope could have a detrimental effect on the building's frame.
• Is the proposed roof safe to work on?

• When the PV's are installed can the tenant access the roof safely without walking on the PV's or rooflights?
• Will the PV installation compromise the roof coating guarantee and/or the roof system guarantee?
• Avoid penetrating from outside to in, this will almost certainly lead to water ingress. Some systems require connection through to the steelwork.

These are just a few of the many pitfalls that need to be considered.

When the HyperionSolar PV system is installed on a CA Twin-Therm^® built up roof system the issues highlighted above are avoided. Furthermore, where PV's are to be installed on existing buildings HyperionSolar PV is the logical choice as it is lightweight.

HyperionSolar PV offers a simple and easy installation method whilst at the same time providing a simple removal and replacement solution which is not currently available with other thin film laminate bonded PV's apart from the EliosSolar PV system for CA River-Therm^®.

HyperionSolar PV provides the building owner complete comfort that the roof integrity will not be compromised, for the life of the building.

HyperionSolar PV utilises a Uni-Solar PVL laminate which is used extensively across the world providing global recognition and offering the building designer the comfort of specifying a renewable solution that is tried and tested.

Approved Document L 2010 (Part L) recommends that building designers "Consider making the building easily adaptable by facilitating the integration of additional LZC technologies."

LZCs are Low and Zero Carbon technologies and HyperionSolar PV is a solution that can be applied to a building at any stage throughout its life and does not have to be installed with the rest of the buildings standard construction. This adaptability also means that HyperionSolar PV is compatible with existing CA Twin-Therm^® roofed buildings looking to be refurbished as the Twin-Therm^® system is PV Ready.

For Further Information on our HyperionSolar PV system, please clisk the links below:

• CA Renwables guide
• Uni Solar Data Sheet PVL-68
• Uni Solar Data Sheet PVL-136
• Uni Solar Data Sheet PVL-144