Solar architecture

Solar architecture is the integration of solar panel technology with modern building techniques. The use of flexible thin film photovoltaic modules provides fluid integration with steel roofing profiles that enhances the building's design. Orienting a building to the Sun, selecting materials with favorable thermal mass or light dispersing properties, and designing spaces that naturally circulate air also constitute as solar architecture.
Initial development of solar architecture has been limited by the rigidity and weight of standard solar power panels. The continued development of photovoltaic (PV) thin film solar has provided a lightweight yet robust vehicle to harness solar energy to reduce a building's impact on the environment.