The largest integrated photovoltaic system in Italy: 21,000 tons of CO2 saved and 33 million KWh energy produced

Necessity

Our Costumer's needs focused on two fronts:

• Refurbishing the existing waterproofing, which had been damaged by time's wearing effect, with a product that would provide both excellent resistance to atmospheric agents and a solid warranty of endurance over time.
• Installing an efficient photovoltaic system that would not perforate the roofing surface and would resist to the strong wind gusts to which the District is subject. A traditional photovoltaic system was not the right choice because it would have created a "sail effect" through contact with the wind's force, endangering the system's overall stability.

Solution

General Solar PV perfectly met both needs of our Costumer, because it provided at the same time the ultimate waterproofing solution and a highly enduring building-integrated photovoltaic system.

Our membrane Phoenix Solar Tech represented the perfect choice for this kind of project, whose exceptionally large dimension demanded a very long lasting type of waterproofing. This particular APAO -35° modified membrane is in fact the only one in the market to offer a twenty years warranty.

Thanks to the particular polymers in its compound, it does not undergo thermal ageing. This guarantees the unaltered endurance of its physical-mechanical characteristics over time.

The photovoltaic laminate - which, thanks to its flexible structure, adapts perfectly to each of the three kinds of roofing involved and guarantees perfect resistance to wind gusts - was applied directly to the double-layer Phoenix Solar Tech membrane.

Together, the membrane Phoenix Solar Tech & the flexible photovoltaic laminate constitute the General Solar PV integrated photovoltaic system.

Method

The District featured PVC, inverted, and inverted with clamp roofing.
Where present, the  gravel  layer applied to contrast the overheating effect of UV rays was removed.

A 22 mm polyurethane insulating panel was then applied on the pre-existing roofing, to level the surface before applying the double-layer of Phoenix Solar Tech membrane was through mechanical fastening under the insulating panel’s selvage.

Finally, the silicon triple-junction photovoltaic laminate was installed.

150 workers divided in teams completed the project, without any kind of interruption of the regular work activities of the District.

Risultati

As a result, we created the largest building-integrated photovoltaic system in Italy, and one of the largest in the world: 25 mWp over 660.000 m² for over 60 buildings.

By producing over 33 million kwh, the system is able to provide for over 90% of the District’s energy needs, enjoying at the same time the highest level of state incentives encompassed by the Italian 4° Conto Energia.

Thanks to General Solar PV, the CIS-Interporto-Vulcano District will be avoiding over 21.000 tons of annual CO² emissions.

Customer

CIS was born in Nola in 1986 as a response to the need of creating a centre for wholesale trading outside the high-traffic centre of Naples.

In 1999 the intermodal structure Interporto Campano became part of the complex. Later on, Vulcano Buono - a high design commercial complex conceived by architect Renzo Piano- was added to the District.

The CIS-Interporto-Vulcano District occupies a surface of 4, 5 million m², and hosts over 1000 businesses.

It is a very extended structure, which features three different kinds of roofing.