Genera Integrated System
Project
Genera System integrates and optimises the following technologies: photovoltaic system – green roofs – photovoltaic panel cooling and cleaning system – rainwater filtration and harvesting system.
The Integrated System has been designed to perform the following research studies on the combined benefits of this integration.
This Integrated System is the result of professional experience gained through many years of environmental work, study, and collaborations, and is deeply inspired by Northern European trends traditionally at the forefront of the development of new green technologies and Nature Based Solutions.
Prototype Building
The construction of a full-scale prototype and the subsequent research studies on the ntegrateid System have been made to quantify the increase in productivity of the photovoltaic system due to the green roof cooling effect.
The operating costs of the system were also quantified to achieve the right balance between increased profitability and the necessary water consumption.
The prototype occupies a total area of 1700 m2 and hosts a filtering
garden, a pond and a roughly 120-m2 green roof and photovoltaic integrated system complete with cooling system.
Impianto Fotovoltaico
Strato Umidificante
Strato Drenante Verde Pensile
Sub Irrigazione
Substrato Colturale
Zonizzazione Verde Pensile
Piantumazione
Raffrescamento
Verde Pensile e Fotovoltaico
Raccolta acqua : Scavo e Posa Geotessile
Biolago: Posa epdm
Giardino Filtrante
Posa stratigrafie filtranti
Sistema Integrato
RESEARCH ACTIVITIES
The company Nier Ingegneria Spa from Bologna was commissioned to carry out experimental testing on the newly built prototype.
Quantification of increased productivity of photovoltaic system
The prototype was equipped with monitoring and data acquisition systems useful for studying the energy and environmental performance of the system.
In particular, the following data was monitored:
- Photovoltaic power generation.
- Local meteorological data: air temperature, relative humidity, wind direction and speed, solar radiation and rainfall.
- Photovoltaic module cell temperature.
- Water flow recovered from the roof and water flow recovered from the filtering garden.
Phases of study
- Registration of data concerning production by the photovoltaic system with the panel cooling system inactive, and subsequently with the cooling system active.
The data was recorded both in the presence of the green roof near the panels, and by covering the green roof with
a bituminous membrane to eliminate the beneficial effects. - Development of a dynamic simulation model calibrated using effectively measured experimental data able to reproduce the production trend of the photovoltaic system on an annual basis.
- Annual assessment of the increased production due to panel cooling by wetting alone, and the combined effect of panel cooling by both wetting and the proximity of the green roof.
Quantification of water recovery capacity of Genera integrated system
The prototype was also equipped with systems for measuring run-off water from the roof and filtering garden.
These systems were used to measure:
- The recovery capacity of the water used to cool the photovoltaic panels.
- The rainwater run-off and harvesting capacity of the rooftop garden.
- The rainwater run-off and harvesting capacity of the filtering garden.
