PV Awning

Our product is an awning whose top surface is covered with a MillenniaTM (BP Solar) module. The awning is adjustable and provides shade to an adjacent opening in the building, such as a window or balcony, during summer while allowing the majority of the sunlight's radiant energy to reach the same area during the winter. Most existing awnings are either cloth canopies that absorb light or metal awnings that reflect light. In contrast to these, our proposed awning integrates into the power grid of the building, supplying electricity to offset the building's energy needs. 

Our product will perform at its highest efficiency when used on south-facing windows. In the summer, it will also serve as a shade above the window to block unwanted heat from entering the building, resulting in a reduction of cooling costs. During the winter when the sun is closer to the horizon, it will still allow sunlight to enter and heat the building.


used with the permission of the artist
Justin Anderson

BP Solar's standard MST-43 Millennia module measures 48-3/8" by 26-1/4" x 2" and would adequately span a typical 3' x 5' or 4' x 5' window. When mounted onto an aluminum support frame to provide a 15� tilt during summer, the shadow would cover the 4' span as well a cast an 8' shadow along the wall, well beyond a window's 5' height. In the diagram shown above, the tilt angles (15 and 45 degrees) are for a building located at 30 degrees latitude. In general, the awning's tilt angles for other latitudes are: the latitude +/- 15 degrees. Ideally, the awning would only need to be adjusted two times a year at the equinoxes.

For our product, we chose to use a standard framed module to simplify the awning's support structure. On a real building, designers would probably want to use unframed laminates and build their own aesthetically appealing framing system to hide unattractive support members.

Each of these modules, one per individual window awning, would provide approximately 71 volts and 43 watts. Incorporating the electricity produced by the PV system into the building requires converting its DC voltage to AC voltage. This is done using an inverter. The size and type of inverter chosen is based on the specific installation. Some configurations require an isolation transformer to tie the system into the service entrance of the building, blocking DC voltage from entering the grid.

In these images, the awnings are the slanted black planes, the building is blue, the windows are gray, and the supporting aluminum channels and rods are red. these images are used with the permission of the artist, Justin Anderson.

This side view is of a single window awning. The red beams along the building are aluminum channels that support the awning and permit it to be  to be titled.

This close up view of an awning shows the rollers on the back of the module and the tie rods which  slide within the aluminum channels, allowing the panel's tilt to be adjusted.

During the summer when the sun is at high noon, the awning's shadow will shade the window  protecting it from the sun's direct rays while producing electricity for the building.

The 245 awnings on this building's South facade would create an array with a peak rating of 10 kilowatt.


As the sun's altitude changes throughout the day, only certain parts of the window would be shaded. If instead BP Solar's IntegraSystemTM framed modules (as opposed to single-framed modules) were to be used, their bolted, overlapping flanges would keep the windows completely shaded throughout the day during the summer, not just when the sun was at high noon.