Cities lost blank facades — This mosaic solar mural hides 267 kW in plain sight

We spend so much of our time in the confines of the city with its piercing lights and monolithic structures. In truth, the city can be a hard place, especially when it comes to its aesthetic. Concrete walls devoid of anything eye-catching surround us. But what if there was a way to solve that problem with art that can also provide power.

How solar power can be hidden in art

A new project is exploring the idea of adding another layer of functionality to art. A mural, and a large one at that, will be fitted with different color solar panels. This should alleviate the dullness of the building it will be attached to, while providing that building with clean energy.

These colorful panels will not be your run-of-the-mill rooftop solar panels. These panels will be cleverly integrated into the outside of the building, making the wall a visually appealing generator.

Where will the mural of solar panels be?

The SunRise Building in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, will have this mural grace its exterior walls. The 12-storey building was otherwise a mundane sight to behold, but now this solar-powered mural will give it a new lease on life while providing a clean source of power. The mural will be comprised of nearly 34,500 square feet of photovoltaics that will be integrated into the building while also forming part of a visually striking mosaic mural. The building will enjoy 267kW of power from the artful solar system.

Edmonton, like most cities around the world, has been aiming to lower carbon emissions, and so this design by Mitrex will do well in serving this cause. The solar-powered mosaic is also an homage to Indigenous and Chinese culture. This inspired solar system weaves heritage, creativity, and clean energy into a piece of art that will serve the city in various ways.

A wall of artful solar power comes to life

Each cell of this solar system will be embedded into the building, which is very much unlike more traditional solar power systems. The photovoltaic layers are placed behind the striking tiles, which is what makes this so much more visually appealing.

The efficiency of the system is not sacrificed or compromised for creative elements of this mosaic. Mitrex carefully examined which colors would work well in both looking good and providing power at the optimum levels.

The solar-powered mural will provide power to areas in the building, like hallways and other common areas. It won’t provide power to the whole building, but its contribution should be significant as it will cut carbon emissions down by an estimated 150 tons per year. Let’s not forget the savings in cost it should provide for building management.

Yet another fresh take on solar power

Solar power was at first thought of in a very simple way, with companies looking to create panel systems to be fitted to rooftops or placed in rows in open fields. That thinking has had to change, especially in densely populated and built-up areas. The sides of buildings have now provided a new way for solar systems to be installed, and experts will be paying close attention.

Expansive canvases in the city, which are for the most part either unused or latched onto by advertisers looking to drape billboards on them. Not anymore. Now what was once an eyesore is both eye-catching and provides clean energy. Naturally, experts from around the world will be taking an interest, and this idea could very well be adopted by other cities. That would be a smart move.

In a few years this well-thought-out system could be a part of your city, adding both beauty and clean power while paying respect to the culture of the people of a nation. Blank walls in the city have never looked this good and this idea should only be expanded on.

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