SUSTAINABLE BUILDING: INTEGRATION OF FLEXIBLE SOLAR PANELS ONTO ROOFING TILES OF OPTIMAL CONFIGURATION

Abstract

There is an increasing demand today for more sustainable buildings and architecture, which in turn means having sustainable building materials. This study focuses on roofing tiles and looks at how altering their constituents could make them more sustainable. The main objective is to study and prototype roofing tiles of optimal strength, measured by bending strength, and then incorporate flexible solar panels onto them. Two different sample types were created - samples containing varying amounts of low density polyethylene (LDPE), clay and lime, and samples made of fired clay. Mechanical tests were performed to compare the bending strengths of both sample types. Of the samples that contained LDPE, there weren’t significant differences in their bending strengths. However, the bending strengths were similar to that of the sample without LDPE, suggesting that the mechanical properties were not compromised. Of the samples that were fired, the samples fired for 2 hours had the highest bending strength. The fired samples, which gave better results and were significantly stronger, were then used to create a larger roofing tile. Modern day roofing tiles are increasingly being made with cement or concrete, which contribute to CO2 emissions when they are produced. Therefore, materials which require less cement, as in this project, encourage more sustainable roofing tiles. In addition, the incorporation of a flexible solar panel to the final roofing tile was investigated. The roofing tile prototypes present a promising avenue for trying to reduce waste and creating a more environmentally friendly, sustainable building material. Results showed solar panels can be integrated with roofing tiles to harvest energy.