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Fast CompanyFollowLoginCo.DesignTechWork LifeNewsImpactPodcastsVideoRecommenderInnovation Festival 360IF360SubscribeFastCo WorksAWSGenpactIBMHomepageCo.DesignTechWork LifeNewsImpactPodcastsVideoRecommenderInnovation Festival 360SubscribeHelp Centerfastco worksAWSDeloitteDeptElevate PrizeEYIBMKlarnaVisaFastCo Works An award-winning team of journalists, designers, and videographers who tell brand stories through Fast Company s distinctive lens FC Executive BoardcollectionsFast GovernmentThe future of innovation and technology in government for the greater good Most Innovative CompaniesFast Company s annual ranking of businesses that are making an outsize impact Most Creative PeopleLeaders who are shaping the future of business in creative ways World Changing IdeasNew workplaces, new food sources, new medicine--even an entirely new economic system Innovation By DesignCelebrating the best ideas in business NewsletterEventsInnovation FestivalCourses and LearningAdvertiseCurrent IssueCurrent IssueSUBSCRIBEFollow us:    advertisementadvertisement06-08-22A new Australian high-rise will be covered in 1,182 solar panelsThe tower will be the first in Australia to use the technology.
![A new Australian high-rise will be covered in 1,182 solar panels]() [Image: Studio Kennon]
By Adele Peters1 minute Read
When a new high-rise office building is built in Melbourne, Australia, next year, its facade will include 1,182 solar panels. Along with extra solar power on the roof, the building will be able to power itself completely. advertisement The building is designed to be self-sustainable, says architect Pete Kennon, who led the design. We can harness electricity on-site and use it immediately. This is very different to buildings that are offsetting their on-site power with remote solar or wind farms. One advantage: Because the electricity doesn t have to travel hundreds or thousands of miles, it s more efficient and helps reduce strain on the grid. ![]() [Image: Studio Kennon]The design will be the latest to use panels from a German company called Avancis, which makes each glass panel in the same thickness as an ordinary facade; thin film solar cells are built into each panel. The product doesn t look like typical rooftop solar panels and it isn t even apparent that the facades include solar at all. The panels come in a variety of colors, from a dark gray used on a municipal building in Amsterdam to a deep blue on a building in Berlin.
![]() [Image: Studio Kennon]In Melbourne, where the biggest source of energy consumption is often air-conditioning, Kennon used a solid version of the panels on one wall to help shade it from heat, saving the amount of energy needed for cooling. Both the building s heating and cooling systems will run on electricity from the solar panels. The tower will be the first in Australia to use the technology; the project is going through the final stages of getting approval from regulators now.
advertisementBuilding materials like cement and steel, and the construction process, create a large amount of embedded emissions for any building. But as the new tower generates more renewable power than it needs eliminating around 70 metric tons of CO2 emissions a year Kennon says that it can pay off its carbon debt and truly be carbon neutral, without offsets, in a few years. This type of solar facade should be used on more buildings, Kennon argues. It feels urgent to innovate our building technologies to more sustainable methods, he says. Collecting solar is a natural trajectory on our large-scale projects, particularly in locations that have great access to sunlight. advertisementadvertisementadvertisementadvertisementAbout the authorAdele Peters is a staff writer at Fast Company who focuses on solutions to some of the world's largest problems, from climate change to homelessness. Previously, she worked with GOOD, BioLite, and the Sustainable Products and Solutions program at UC Berkeley More VideoTechTechNetflix buying Roku would make a lot of senseTechCisco’s new Video Phone 8875 may finally normalize office video phonesTechThis game designer predicted COVID 10 years ago. Here’s what’s coming nextNewsNewsHow to watch the January 6 hearings live on CNN, MSNBC, or elsewhere without cableNewsExclusive: Mattel makes its play for the metaverse—and the metaverse plays backNewsBrands need more than rainbow-colored products if they want to celebrate Pride in 2022Co.DesignCo.DesignSee the new ‘de-Arched’ McDonald’s logo in RussiaCo.DesignWhy Biden just used one of his most significant powers on insulationCo.DesignOld Navy’s plus-size experiment failed. It didn’t have toWork LifeWork LifeThis creative exercise turns disorganized thoughts into goldWork LifeThese stress-relief strategies could be doing more harm than goodWork Life3 questions leaders should ask any time they’re making changesAdvertisePrivacy PolicyTermsNotice of CollectionDo Not Sell My DataPermissionsHelp CenterAbout UsSite MapFast Company Inc © 2022 Mansueto Ventures, LLC  
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[Image: Studio Kennon]
[Image: Studio Kennon]The design will be the latest to use panels from a German company called Avancis, which makes each glass panel in the same thickness as an ordinary facade; thin film solar cells are built into each panel. The product doesn t look like typical rooftop solar panels and it isn t even apparent that the facades include solar at all. The panels come in a variety of colors, from a dark gray used on a municipal building in Amsterdam to a deep blue on a building in Berlin.
[Image: Studio Kennon]In Melbourne, where the biggest source of energy consumption is often air-conditioning, Kennon used a solid version of the panels on one wall to help shade it from heat, saving the amount of energy needed for cooling. Both the building s heating and cooling systems will run on electricity from the solar panels. The tower will be the first in Australia to use the technology; the project is going through the final stages of getting approval from regulators now.