The house stands out in the Cacupé neighborhood of Florianópolis. The soft lines of the site incorporate the underground garage leading the eye to the upper floors, the volumes of which reveal a rustic appearance in wood, concrete and glass. But whoever admires the architecture from the street, would never imagine that hidden away at the top of the house is a micro photovoltaic plant generating about 400 kilowatt-hour/month of electricity from the sunlight to supply the residence. “This is a project which harmonizes the use of clean solar energy with the architectonic design, an example of how when the decision to invest in a photovoltaic system is taken at the project stage, the results can be optimized in various aspects”, says Rodolfo de Sousa Pinto, president of ENGIE Geração Solar Distribuída. The project is by Pimont Arquitetura and the work of Henrique Pimont in conjunction with Alejandro Ortiz.

Indeed, when the decision to invest in a photovoltaic system is taken at the project phase, the architects – advised by ENGIE’s technical team – have the chance of better integrating the technology with the architecture as a whole. A choice of the best location for the panels can be made, not only to harmonize with the architectonic design but also to guarantee the best performance of the equipment avoiding structures which cast shadows on the solar panels, a poorly positioned water tower being an example.

“More than this, this new development – which is the ease of generating electricity from a clean and renewable source – obliges us to revisit the solutions and materials we suggest to the owners”, explains the architect, Henrique Pimont. He points out that items previously not recommended due to the high consumption of energy – such as heating systems or electric showers – can be even more advantageous depending on the nature of the project. “With electricity practically for free and available in the property, an electric shower can be a recommended option, since it will avoid expenses with storage and installation of piping for transporting hot water through the walls of the house, reducing the cost of the work but at the same time, remaining a sustainable solution” he exemplifies. “The ability to generate electricity in your own property undoubtedly brings new challenges and paradigms to architecture and construction”, he concludes.

Option for renewable energy from the start

In this particular work, the choice of a renewable source of energy came up right at the beginning of the project when the architects were discussing with the owners “the program of necessities” of the future house – that phase when all is in the realms of dreams and the imagination of those involved. The architect Henrique already had first-hand experience of the technology for harnessing solar power in Germany when two years ago he stayed with friends, also architects, in Düsseldorf. “Their house is constructed using a system known as Passivhaus involving various devices which render it self-sufficient in energy, including photovoltaic panels installed on the rooftop”, he says.

On his return to Florianópolis, he heard about the Santa Catarina power utility company’s Photovoltaic Bonus program, responsible for subsidizing 1250 residential systems for consumers in the state and which had been installed by ENGIE during 2017. It never occurred to him that the technology could have been so readily available here in Brazil. It was then that the architect approached ENGIE and subsequently presented a concrete proposal to the owners of the future property. “Solar energy is making rapid strides and sincerely, I never imagined that there would have been an opportunity to work on a project like this so soon. I thought that this would only be the case for future generations, but on the contrary, it is already a reality here”, says Henrique.

The work was concluded in January 2018 and the house occupied by the owners in the following month with the photovoltaic system already in operation. The 14 solar modules installed on the house’s concrete beam has a 3.78 kWp capacity and should generate enough energy to supply more than 80% of the house’s electricity based on family consumption at their former residence. The system is hooked up to the concessionaire’s network and any surplus energy is fed into the network and transformed into credits for use when the system is not generating such as at night or when it is raining.