Telefonica Headquarters in Madrid Using Solar Panels for Power
Source: Cellular News / 5 June 2007
http://www.cellular-news.com/story/24127.php
Telefonica’s new Madrid office complex has been in the news recent after it was noticed that the building will have Europe’s largest solar power plant on a building. The office complex will have over 16,000 solar panels that will run the length of the entire office complex on the building rooftops, and will be able to generate approximately 3 MW peak power, which translates into over 3.6 GWh per year.
It is estimated that this design will enable Telefonica to reduce their winter heating bill by 15% and a 34% reduction in air conditioning during the summer months. The buildings will also feature rainwater collection units for recycling and watering the grounds.
Structural engineers, Arup noted that the project difficulty has been to secure a water tight design of the internal skin, whilst allowing the glass fins anchors pass through. The glass fins must support dead load, wind and lateral load of the external skin – where the solar panels will be fitted – and transmit all these loads to the structure. The buildings will look like a group of ice blocks, since all the inside skin glass is ceramic fritted in white dots.