20 November, 2024
Window covers
Basically, no one needs to be convinced about external blinds and roller shutters anymore, as the sun control they offer can be a lifesaver for offices, homes, and flats. It has recently become fashionable to power them with solar energy. Is this a good, practical idea? Let's find out.
External window covers can be controlled manually with the help of various cords, strips, and cranks. Investors sometimes still choose to install manual roller shutters, although this is rare among external solutions. Automation is so cheap and convenient that there is no point in saving on this.
This poses some additional challenges. It's about electricity, as it turns out that lowering roller shutters without electricity can be at least a hassle. If not connected to the electrical grid, they won't work. It should not come as a surprise to anyone.
Increasingly, electricity-powered drives draw the electricity they need for their operation not from a power station where coal is burned but from a small panel mounted right next to them. Such a photovoltaic panel, exposed to the sun, produces free electricity for us without generating even a gram of carbon dioxide.
The popularity of such solutions is growing abruptly, and solar façade roller shutters and blinds are no longer a rare sight. There are already many offers for roller shutters; for façade blinds, solar drives are still in their infancy, although Eko-Okna already has one in its offer.
Let us pause for a moment on matters a little more technical without going into excessive detail. After all, it is worth knowing and understanding where the electricity that allows us to raise and lower the roller shutter armour and change the setting of the slats comes from.
In the simplest terms, photovoltaic panels work in such a way that once a photon carrying a good dose of energy straight from the sun hits the panel’s surface, electrons are knocked out of a dedicated crystal lattice. Their set creates an electrical voltage. When this voltage is applied to the wire, the current starts to flow.
This translates into three practical tips:
We can combine the first two issues into one and conclude that our solar panel must be in a sufficiently sunny location, and it must be of sufficient size to power a given size of photovoltaic blinds and roller shutters.
How much light is enough? This depends on the specific drive. It's worth consulting our installer before we make a choice. We certainly cannot use solar on walls that will be in twilight all day. There is no chance that solar façade roller shutters installed in such a place could work properly.
Electricity is generated only when sunlight falls on the solar batteries. Ideally, the light should be intense because then there is more power. So, will our window covers be automated during the day, and will we have to reach for the cranks at night and on cloudy days? Of course not.
Solar power for roller shutters does not come directly from the panels with freshly generated electricity. Each device has its small battery, usually hidden in the box of roller shutter or blind. This is where the electricity flows from to the drive.
Batteries make it possible to power external roller shutters day and night, whatever the weather, even if it has rained for a week. A typical battery is capable of storing enough energy for several cycles of closing and opening the shutter, and we should remember that even in bad weather, a small amount of current is produced to power the battery all the time. In critical situations, some drives can be charged via a USB port, just like a phone.
The great craze for roller shutters on solar collectors did not come from nowhere. We have three solid arguments for their use. These are:
For installers and investors, the first argument is usually the most important. Subsequent issues become more important during the operation of the window shades. The typical user usually finds themselves in both roles at different times.
It was not uncommon for external solar roller shutters to first appear on a façade as simple, manually operated roller shutters. Their owners eventually decided that they wanted to automate them and connect them to a smart home system, and solar batteries proved to be the best solution.
The great advantage of solar solutions is the non-invasive installation of the roller shutters, which is even more crucial when the roller shutters are already on the wall and a masonry operation would be required to pull the power cables to the boxes.
The photovoltaic panel that powers the window cover is small and has its own power supply cable, which plugs directly into the drive, usually using a suitable quick-mount plug. Even if you want to hide this piece of wire, it will be incomparably simpler than pulling a new electrical installation.
Not only is the electricity generated from solar panels completely free but its extraction is not associated with the emission of carbon dioxide and greenhouse gases.
By using electricity from a power point, every time we press a button on the remote control, in addition to changing the setting of the cover on the window, it will do two things: generate a little greenhouse gas and charge us on our electricity bill. How much gas there will be and how much we will pay depends on the country we live in, but it will never be zero.
Because the voltaic panel generates energy for free without the usage of oil, gas, or coal, and on top of that, in unlimited quantities, this solution is a real energy saver. Nor does anyone make us pay for it.
One other point is worth mentioning. The control of the solar roller shutters is independent of everything else. Even if the TV doesn't turn on and we're sitting by a candle because a gale has knocked down the power poles, our solar roller shutters are unaffected by this and work completely fine. They have their power supply.
This type of situation is relatively rare, but anyone who regulates the temperature in a heavily glazed house with an air conditioner on a daily basis will certainly appreciate being able to cover the windows when the air conditioner is not cooperating.
It is not uncommon that these types of modern facilities involve challenges. In addition to doing some extra work, you also have to carry out regular maintenance or replace something. Fortunately, solar blinds and roller shutters do not pose any additional problems.
The guarantee here is the same as for classic solutions, and the naturally decreasing efficiency of the solar collectors over time will not manage to reach levels that would interfere with the normal operation of the equipment. Solar panels are the choice for years to come.
If it is snowing heavily in winter and the panel is covered with snow, or we are in a very dusty area and the whole panel is under a layer of dust, we will have to wipe it down. It is the only maintenance task that takes a few seconds to complete.
The only counter-indication to the installation of solar solutions is the location. Some panels can cope with moderate sunshine, but if heavy shading becomes a permanent phenomenon, even the best offers on the market will have to capitulate.
Apart from this detail, there are no further obstacles and the investment cost is usually lower than with classic drives. This is because the cost of masonry work and cable pulling, which costs more than simply setting up a solar panel, is dropped.
A smart home system should not be a challenge either. As yet, not every smart home system that is compatible with a typical drive will work with a solar drive. It will take time to implement the right solutions so that the user can enjoy the expected reliability. We should not have to wait too long for smart home solutions to become widespread among solar options, and there is already something to find from the major suppliers.
And there is plenty to look forward to because, in combination with a solar-powered weather station, the corresponding system can operate autonomously and fully functional even in the event of a power outage. We set up an operating scenario, we come home tired after work and expect a coolness, but there's a sauna, because there was no power for several hours and the system stopped working. With solar supply, this will not happen.
One might be tempted to say that a true smart home even has to be based on solar batteries.
That is why we invite you to take a look at this interesting solution, which is still relatively new on the market, especially for blinds. It can be used for typical roller shutters and blinds, as well as screen roller shutters.
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Eko-Okna S.A.
Kornice, ul. Spacerowa 4
47-480 Pietrowice Wielkie
NIP: 6391813241
KRS: 0000586067
Olszyny 9
44-373 Wodzisław Śląski
Naftowa 23
47-225 Kędzierzyn-Koźle
