Beyond Solar Glass: Exemplary BIPV in Guangdong China Illuminate Sustainability

Leveraging the inherent technical and application advantages of cadmium telluride thin-film solar cells, TERLI has strategically positioned itself in the BIPV sector. To date, we have successfully developed eight major categories and over 50 types of BIPV building materials, including solar curtain walls, solar roof tiles, solar bricks and solar glass railings. These products are adaptable to various building applications, providing true alternatives to traditional construction materials and effectively reducing building energy consumption and carbon emissions.

Terli's BIPV building materials have been successfully applied in over a hundred landmark solar photovoltaic glass architectural projects worldwide, including China Pavilion at World Horticultural Exposition, Xiongan Business Center, National Archives of Publications and Culture, Huawei Digital Energy Antuoshan Headquarters, Guangzhou Art Museum, Datong Energy Museum, Jiaxing's Train Station, Swedish National Pavilion at Dubai Expo, Three-dimensional Garage In Europe, among others.

Huawei Digital Energy Antuo Mountain Headquarters project is located in Futian District, Shenzhen, representing Huawei's significant investment of "4 billion" in a benchmark project for new energy. The project involves the transformation of two buildings, with Tower A having 39 floors above ground with a height of 186.80 meters and a curtain wall height of 186.95 meters. Tower C has 21 floors above ground with a building height of 104.90 meters and a curtain wall height of 105.05 meters.

Huawei Digital Energy Antuo Mountain Headquarters extensively incorporates solar curtain walls, covering approximately 28,000 square meters. It is one of the first buildings in the industry to apply Building Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV) technology massively. The project is currently the world's largest solar photovoltaic curtain wall project and one of the world's largest near-zero carbon parks. According to calculations, the project can produce 1.5 million kilowatt-hours of electricity annually, reducing the annual power consumption from over 14 million kilowatt-hours to 7 million kilowatt-hours, resulting in a 50% annual electricity savings and over a 60% reduction in carbon emissions.

The project employs a double-layer solar glass curtain wall design on the external walls. The outer layer of the curtain wall on all four facades uses cadmium telluride transparent solar glass. In the optimization process of the facade, corner surfaces are treated with angular slopes, giving the overall structure a more elegant appearance. The interface with the surrounding environment becomes softer, creating a harmonious interplay between reality and illusion, with clear hierarchical distinctions. Additionally, the double-layer solar glass curtain wall design incorporates a dual-color treatment for the outer curtain wall frame and interior decoration lines, seamlessly integrating the outer curtain wall with the interior decor.

Guangzhou Art Museum covers a total area of 79,947 square meters and is located in the southern area of the Canton Tower, intending to become an internationally renowned large-scale comprehensive art museum. Designed by the globally acclaimed architect Thomas Herzog, the museum's design theme is "Hero Flower Blooming in Water." The overall design resembles a blossoming hero flower (kapok flower), standing independently on the expansive water surface, with all exhibition halls arranged around a circular atrium. The special design features acrylic panels with curved sides, and the addition of red brushstrokes at the bottom symbolizes the ink painting style and Lingnan Art School.

The exterior design of Guangzhou Art Museum introduces a world-class, highly complex curtain wall engineering system. The solar curtain wall, consisting of CdTe thin-film nine-square grid solar photovoltaic glass power generation components, is a global first. The application of solar photovoltaic glass components on all sides of the facade and roof constitutes an innovative approach in large-scale venue construction, making it a global pioneer. The project has a design lifespan of 100 years, with a total curtain wall area of 70,000 square meters, including over 20,000 square meters of solar curtain wall.

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Qingyuan Olympic Sports Center serves as the main venue for the Guangdong Provincial Games and consists of a 30,000-seat stadium, a 9,000-seat arena and a 2,000-seat swimming pool. The stadium has a construction area of approximately 56,000 square meters, accommodating 30,000 spectators for sports events. The roof adopts a spatial truss and cable-stayed structure, and it is equipped with a solar photovoltaic power generation system.

The venue is adorned with 2,684 custom-made blue cadmium telluride solar photovoltaic glass building materials, each with unique shapes and sizes. To maximize energy generation efficiency, the upper part's tilt angle is adjusted to be relatively small. Qingyuan Olympic Sports Center is the first sports venue in the South China region to employ an open-closed roof design and a new type of solar photovoltaic glass power generation system. After the solar photovoltaic glass system is put into operation, it is expected to generate 350,000 kilowatt-hours annually, equivalent to reducing carbon dioxide emissions by about 330,000 tons.