Pauline van Dongen has developed a lightweight textile with solar cells called SUNTEX to energise and cool down urban spaces. The innovative material offers architects and designers the opportunity to creates many more surfaces that can generate energy for a variety of applications.
Application
In the Netherlands, buildings collectively have approximately 2,200 square kilometres of facade surface, of which 660 square kilometres are suitable for generating solar energy. As the country strives to become more climate-proof in the coming years, the facade offers an excellent opportunity especially for tall buildings or those that lack the load-bearing capacity needed for traditional solar panels.