Consent for the use of cookies

Logo

You are here

Home » Case studies » Milland Church

IPV
Integrated
Photovoltaic

A showcase of case studies, 
products and tools for IPV

Supported by:

Logo partner

IEA PVPS Task 15 project aims to create an enabling framework to accelerate the penetration of BIPV products in the global market of renewables.

Logo partner
Operazione co-finanziata dall’Unione europea, Fondo Europeo di Sviluppo Regionale, dallo Stato Italiano, dalla Confederazione elvetica e dai Cantoni nell’ambito del Programma di Cooperazione Interreg V-A Italia-Svizzera

Milland Church

renovation

listed building

© Eurac Research
Building use: 
religious
IPV architectural system: 
opaque roof
IPV integration year: 
between 2006 and 2010
Source: 
Eurac Research
View of the original metal roofing surface, not so different from the PV modules © Eurac Research
Construction phase, the church metal roof and the BIPV mounting system are still visible © Eurac Research
The modules are naturally back ventilated © Eurac Research
Detailed view of the BIPV fixing structure © Eurac Research
First fake modules installed, too reflective © Eurac Research
Final fake modules installed, matching the BIPV plant surface © Eurac Research

Related case studies

Castaneum Center
Arch. Albert Colz
Castaneum Center new construction

Related products

FU 425 M ZEBRA Pro All Black
FU 425 M ZEBRA Pro All Black modules
VE360PVTB - Total Black
VE360PVTB - Total Black modules
TRI240DM-BB
TRI240DM-BB modules

Milland Church

Via Campill, Bressanone (BZ), Italy

Introduction

Stakeholders

Aesthetic integration

Energy integration

Technology integration

Decision making

Lessons learnt

Data

Producer and installer

Map

Author

Download

Milland Churcgh represents an interesting example of retrofit of a church built in 1984– 1985. The PV system is a pitched roofing solution integrated into the metal sheets roof.

STAKEHOLDERS

IPV system designer: 

Von lutz, Arch. Claudio Paternoster, Elettropiemme Srl

IPV components producer: 

SunPower

Product type: 
modules
mounting systems
energy systems
Address: 
51 Rio Robles San Jose, California, USA
Contact: 
1-408-240-5500
Web: 
https://us.sunpower.com/
IPV system installer: 

Elettropiemme Srl

Address: 
Via Linz 137, Trento (TN), Italy
Contact: 
info@elettropiemme.it +39 0461 991935
Web: 
https://www.elettropiemme.it/en/#toggle-id-2

The original building shape, composition and main colours are respected. The roofing system is divided into six triangular parts. The PV plant, installed on the south-west facing part, is made of dark modules with black rear side base in order to keep homogeneity in surface and colours.

The BIPV system annually produces an electrical output of around 22,000 kWh (as monitored in 2011 by Eurac Research). It supplies most of electrical energy need of the church, the parish centre and the rectory (Don Vijo Luigi Alois Pitscheider).

87 PV modules (SunPower SPR-220 BLK) are integrated 14.5 cm far from the outside roof layer with a gap of 2.5 cm among the module arrays. The air gap allows natural ventilation of the PV modules and thus slightly reduces the power losses caused by the increased operative temperature. The chosen module typology eliminates standard metal gridlines, since metal contacts are placed on the back of the solar cell, out of sight. The fixing system is made of metal rails and clips.

The main reason that leads the priest Don Vijo Luigi Alois Pitscheider to strongly want the integration of the photovoltaic system into the Milland Church roof was making a practical contribution to promote the use of renewable energy, serving an example for the community. Using one of the most sun-exposed roof parts to produce electric energy was also an opportunity to enhance the modern church features. The first step was to obtain the religious institution’s permission to install such an innovative technology on a holy building. Once the feasibility and cost effectiveness of the intervention were assessed, the priest succeeded in overcoming an initial disagreement with the local government (Don Vijo Luigi Alois Pitscheider).

The selected PV technology, based on back contact technology, combines an esthetical appeal (homogeneous black appearance) with the energy performance (the PV cells are entirely exposed to solar radiation without any covering due to standard front contacts). Fake modules play an important role in the finishing of the BIPV system. In order to respect the roof geometry, several fake modules have been installed around the perimeter of the PV system. First fake modules which have been installed resulted to be too reflective and did not match very well with the active PV modules in the considered operative conditions. They have thus been removed and replaced with less reflective ones in order to provide a more homogeneous and coherent aspect. This experience underlines the importance of finishing details, which can make the difference to reach high quality in BIPV systems.

PROJECT DATA

Project type: 
renovation
Heritage constraint: 
listed building
Open the Case Studies trends
BIPV SYSTEM DATA
Architectural system: 
Opaque roof
Integration year: 
2008
Active material: 
Monocrystalline silicon
Module transparency: 
opaque
Module technology: 
glass-backsheet, hidden PV, standard modules
System power [kWp]: 
19
System area [m²]: 
107
Module dimensions [mm]: 
1,559 x 798
Modules orientation: 
South-West
Modules tilt [°]: 
35
Annual PV production [kWh]: 
22,000
BIPV SYSTEM COSTS
Total cost [€]: 
140,000
€/kWp: 
7,315
€/m²: 
1,308
IPV components producer: 

SunPower

Product type: 
modules
mounting systems
energy systems
Address: 
51 Rio Robles San Jose, California, USA
Contact: 
1-408-240-5500
Web: 
https://us.sunpower.com/
Open the full Producers map
IPV system installer: 

Elettropiemme Srl

Address: 
Via Linz 137, Trento (TN), Italy
Contact: 
info@elettropiemme.it +39 0461 991935
Web: 
https://www.elettropiemme.it/en/#toggle-id-2
Open the full Installers map
Via Campill, Bressanone (BZ), Italy
Open the full Case Studies map

Eurac Research