This project in photos!
Are DualSun solar panels suitable for multi-family housing?
Yes, they are. We’ve already installed a number of collective installations, including one at a municipal campsite, and another at Bouygues Construction’s head office in the Paris region.
DualSun panels take up less space than conventional photovoltaic and thermal modules laid side by side on a roof. This is a considerable advantage for multi-family housing, where roofs are often quite cluttered.
What’s more, the solar panels perfectly meet the occupants’ hot water and electricity needs. The 73-unit SOGIMA building on Avenue Pasteur in Marseille’s 7th arrondissement is a perfect example.
It consists of DualSun panels linked to 2 Heliopac water/water heat pumps. This coupling enables the solar loop to operate at low temperatures, for maximum efficiency, and thus to achieve high coverage rates, even in winter!
For a full year, we monitored and analyzed performance. In summer, the system’s solar contribution represents 79% of domestic hot water needs, and in winter, the figure is 68% despite lower temperatures and colder weather!
What’s more, the photovoltaic electricity generated by the panels is entirely self-consumed on site. The efficiency of this installation enables us to divide the “non-renewable” energy consumption linked to domestic hot water by 4. The results have exceeded our expectations.
Efficient solar panels for all tenants
SOGIMA (Société de gestion Immobilière de la Ville de Marseille) is Marseille’s largest landlord, managing over 6,700 housing units.
Completed in 2013, the Pasteur residence is one of our first installations, and the very first on a collective building. SOGIMA’s technical management immediately adopted the Heliopacsystem+® solution we suggested (coupling DualSun solar panels to Heliopac heat pumps) and proposed a pilot building.
Today, 72% of domestic hot water needs are covered by solar energy: the collective solar installation is a real success.
Grants and subsidies for the Pasteur residence
The Capenergies competitiveness cluster was heavily involved in this project. This structure, which promotes projects in the field of energies that do not generate greenhouse gases, played an active and decisive role in setting up the project, awarding the initiative a label as early as 2010, before it was finalized.
Thanks to their participation and support, the project was co-financed by the PACA region and ADEME (Agence de l’Environnement et de la Maîtrise de l’Énergie).
Finally, in November 2012, SOGIMA won a competition organized by EDF “Fonds et innovation” with a cheque for €15,000.
Solar panel installation: pooling skills
This kind of installation calls for a high degree of rigor and coordination between the various trades.
Working closely with our team, Sénergies was responsible for installing the roof panels and the photovoltaic connections. SOGIMA’s technical department took care of the plumbing: laying the solar pipes, installing the hot water tanks and heat pumps.
Heliopac commissioned the heating system, and SOGIMA’s heating department was trained to manage its maintenance.
