The Co-operative Insurance (CIS) office building is the tallest
building in Manchester, UK. But the most interesting feature isn’t the
height of the building, it’s the 400 foot tall solar panels covering the
three faces of the CIS Tower that makes the building unique.
The unique project is the world’s first and so far, only such project
where solar panels were used on such a large scale to provide power for
a metropolitan building. The solar panel arrangement is the largest in
all of Europe and consists of 7,244 80 Watt photovoltaic panels that
generate 390kW of electrical power. The solar panels generate enough
power on an annual basis to power 55 homes with power for one year.
The project, costing £5.5 million, was a creative solution that came
about when the mosaic tiles placed on the face of the building started
falling off after only six months. Besides the solar panels, the roof of
the building has 24 wind turbines that generate 10% of the building’s
power requirements. The CIS Tower is an excellent example of green
technology in modern times, and the title of Europe’s largest vertical
array of solar panels is an added bonus. Images of this unique
skyscraper can be seen below.
Courtesy: http://wonderfulengineering.com/
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