Older building's new balconies built to harness power of the sun

The facade of the 1960s-era apartment block on Wilson Avenue is showing its age, with weather stains on the white bricks and residents complaining that rain leaks in around the windows.

- MARCO CHOWN OVED

Walk around to the other side, however, and the Downsview building appears brand new, with blue stucco cladding and sleek modern balcony railings. But this is no superficial facelift. Look a little closer and you'll see wires running out from each railing carrying the power of the sun to run the air conditioning inside.

Instead of the typical glass on the balcony railings, the landlords have opted to install specially designed solar panels, manufactured in Toronto, that will generate electricity, lowering the carbon footprint and saving money on their power bill.

"This is the green economy in action," said Stephen Job, vice-president of Tenblock, a sustainability-minded developer that advised the building owners on the project. "It's a simple thing that fulfils its core purpose, which is safety for residents, and it has this really interesting upside: It's going to be a little better for our business, a little bit better for the planet, and it supports a local manufacturer."

For safety reasons, balcony railings need to be replaced every 20 years, a cost that landlords budget and plan for. Adding solar panels was a little more expensive, but it comes with a 25-year performance warranty, ensuring the upgrade will pay for itself several times over.

"This is an investment that had to be made and we had a chance to put some topspin on it, both for the planet and for the business," Job said, explaining they did one side of the building first and expect the other side to be finished by November.

Solar panels have become radically cheaper and more powerful over the past decade, and today's systems no longer have to point directly at the sun — or even upward.

Building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV) are the newest frontier of solar.