Kingspan’s PowerPanel Insulates And Generates

Kingspan Group has announced the launch of PowerPanel – an integrated roofing and solar power solution designed for pitched roofs.

The product combines Kingspan’s QuadCore insulated panels with dual-glass monocrystalline solar panels from Longi, one of the world’s biggest PV module manufacturers.

PowerPanel provides U-values as low as 0.11 W/m²K. A U-value (aka thermal transmittance) measures how well all the layers of a building element such as a roof conduct heat. It is expressed in watts per square meter per degree Kelvin (W/m²K) and indicates the rate of heat transfer through a material. The lower the U-value, the better.

On the solar electricity generation side of things, PowerPanel’s output capacity is up to 475W.

Kingspan says the panels can be used for building applications with roof pitches of 4° or more after deflection. Usually solar panels should be installed at an angle no less than 10 degrees – below that and tilt frames (or frameless panels) should be used.

Less than 10° and rainwater pooling can get through the panels’ seals over time and into the solar cells themselves. The bottom frame can act as a barrier to water draining off, which encourages build-up of grime that negatively impacts performance and can also cause hot-spots. But I noticed that the PowerPanels seem to have no bottom framing jutting above the panel surface.

Other Kingspan PowerPanel Specifications

• Available in standard lengths from 3 metres to 18 metres, 1,050 mm cover width.
• U-values ranging from 0.18 W/m2K down to 0.11 W/m2K.
• Various thicknesses from 154mm to 222mm.
• Weights from 23.5 kg/m2 to 26.1 kg/m2 (Quadcore panel + PV module).
• HCFC-, CFC- and HFC- free insulation core.
• Quadcore warranty: 25 years insurance-backed thermal, fire, structural and environmental performance. Up to 40 years coating performance.
• Solar panel type: Longi LGi5-60HTBB / 460-475M.
• Back contact monocrystalline silicon solar cells.
• Solar panel dimensions and weight: 2,274 mm x 957 mm x 27 mm / 27.1 kg.
• Solar panel warranty: Up to 25-year product / up to 30-year linear power warranty (why “up to”, I don’t know.)
• Temperature Coefficient of Pmax -0.290% / °C.

Further specifications and other details can be found here.

“The launch of PowerPanel marks an important milestone in Kingspan’s strategy to integrate solar technology with innovative building materials, paving the way for more sustainable building and energy solutions that will have a demonstrable effect on improving energy efficiency and reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions,” says the firm.

Kingspan claims PowerPanel is a “global first” insulated panel with integrated solar PV to score the FM Approved mark to FM 4478; a standard with testing requirements for rigid photovoltaic modules systems that are used with a roof assembly.

“PowerPanel ensures precision and reduces the risks of on-site installation, blending high performance with a sleek, slimline design to enhance building aesthetics,” states Kingspan.

Bound For Australia?

PowerPanel is being produced in the UK and it’s my understanding the product is only available in the UK and Ireland at this point. I’ve contacted Kingspan in Australia to ask if/when it will be available here and will update this post if/when I receive a reply.

On a related note and taking things a step further to Building Integrated PV (where solar panels *replace* roofing/wall materials, or windows – e.g. solar glass), SQ’s Ronald wrote about the pros and cons of BIPV – specifically solar roof tiles – a couple of years ago.