immo!nvest – Die Plattform für Standorte und Immobilien

Tag: Sonnenlicht

  • Researcher investigates solar reflection for better yields

    Researcher investigates solar reflection for better yields

    SLF researcher Anja Mödl investigates how snow-covered terrain reflects sunlight. Her findings should make photovoltaic systems more efficient. The measurements take place in Meierhoftälli near Davos at around 2,400 meters above sea level.

    The researcher uses sensors to examine the sunlight reflected by the snow cover. According to the press release, the majority of sunlight is reflected by the snow in the direction of incidence. Sunlight is thus largely reflected in the direction of other mountain slopes.

    The snow surface reflects different wavelengths to different degrees. The intensity of certain wavelengths thus becomes stronger over time than in the originally incident light. Mödl is investigating how spectra differ at different locations.

    The measurements should enable photovoltaic systems to generate electricity even more effectively. Optimally positioned systems should then also be able to use the light reflected from neighboring slopes.

    The sensors measure wavelengths between 340 and 2500 nanometers. Photovoltaics only use the range between 500 and 1100 nanometers. According to Mödl, the larger spectrum makes it possible to gain further insights into rock warming and snow melting.

    Measurements are also planned for the coming season. “In order to make a well-founded statement, I need to record data under different conditions,” says the researcher.

  • Swiss textile company furnishes buildings in London and Lichtenfels

    Swiss textile company furnishes buildings in London and Lichtenfels

    Création Baumann has received two orders from England and Germany. In London, the Bern-based company, which specialises in textile interior design, is fitting out the 636 flats in the Newfoundland Tower with a version of its LORD curtain fabric that is colour-coordinated with the interior design concept, Création Baumann announced in a press release. The curtains reflect the light and achieve energy savings of up to 14 per cent. The fabric panels, totalling around 40 kilometres in length, are manufactured in Switzerland.

    In Germany, Création Baumann is fitting out the Archive of the Future in Lichtenfels near Bamberg. This is a pavilion surrounded by glass façades that can be fully opened, which houses offices and areas for exhibitions and events. Such “open architectural concepts with lots of glass rely on targeted lighting control to create optimal working conditions and protect rooms from overheating,” writes Création Baumann in a further press release. The textile manufacturer’s GUARD curtain fabric is being used in Lichtenfels. With its grid-like appearance, the aluminium-metallised fabric allows light into the interior, while its wafer-thin aluminium layer simultaneously protects against direct sunlight and glare.

  • Synhelion and Cemex scale up solar clinker to industrial level

    Synhelion and Cemex scale up solar clinker to industrial level

    Synhelion, the global pioneer for sustainable solar fuels, had produced solar clinker for the first time in January 2022 with cement producer Cemex in a Spanish pilot plant. Now, according to an identical media release, the two companies have scaled up production to an industrial level.

    In the process, solar receivers from Synhelion, a spin-off from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich, use concentrated sunlight to generate temperatures of over 1500 degrees. This heats a gaseous heat transfer medium. In this way, the heat required to fuse limestone, clay and other materials together can be provided. In traditional clinker production, fossil fuels are used for the energy-intensive process, which are responsible for about 40 per cent of direct CO2 emissions. The goal of the cooperation between Synhelion and Cemex is to develop a completely solar-powered cement production.

    The current stage of development is “an exciting milestone for all parties involved, achieved through the excellent collaboration between the Cemex and Synhelion teams,” Gianluca Ambrosetti, co-CEO and co-founder of Synhelion, is quoted as saying in the release. “Our technology can make an important contribution to the decarbonisation of cement production, and we look forward to further breakthrough achievements in this area.” Cemex CEO Fernando A. González adds, “The solid progress I see here proves that solar cement is not just a dream, but can be achieved through continued collaboration and rigorous research and testing.”