The world’s first off-grid multi-storey office building has been so successful its concept will be replicated elsewhere, according to the SA-based building tech company Fluid Solar Thermal.
Earlier in 2017 the $8m Fluid Solar House in Adelaide’s northern suburbs cut the cord to the state’s electricity grid, running since April on renewable energy.
The man behind the renewable breakthrough is Roger Davies who brewed the concept for several years before last year’s statewide blackout provided the “final trigger” for seeing the project through.
The result was Fluid Solar Thermal’s four-storey Elizabeth Vale headquarters and co-working spaces.
Fluid Solar House has been running off-grid since April.
The building is able to generate 250kW peak of solar thermal and electric power from a combination of PV solar panels, concentrating solar thermal tubes and rooftop wind turbines.
It contains 2200kWh of energy storage capacity comprising 90% solar thermal storage and 10% conventional battery storage.
Fluid Solar House is also part of Tesla’s car-charging network, with 11 electric vehicle spaces offering solar power from a 100kW array of panels on the building’s roof.
The building has been operating off-grid since April, saving the company thousands of dollars in power bills.
Dr Davies, a radiologist originally from Sydney, says a similar building based on the same concept is expected to be constructed elsewhere in SA.
“We have been engaged to build a similar four-storey building using the same principles,” he says.
Dr Davies came to SA to work in the world of medical imaging and loved it so much he “never went home”.
Moving into the building technology and renewable energy sector, he took notice of SA’s problematic power grid coupled with the community’s ability to embrace out-of-the-box solutions.
“I think people are now eager to embrace alternative energy solutions and storage and they’re open for change,” Dr Davies says.
“More and more people are looking to be autonomous.”
Greenery in the first floor atrium thrive inside.
Fluid Solar House’s 150kW concentrating solar thermal tube system captures and stores heat energy under its car park.
This energy is used to power the building’s heating, ventilation, air conditioning and hot water, while the lighting, lifts and appliances are powered by the 98kW solar system.
Dr Davies says the building’s design allows for comfort for its occupants, with the temperature floating between 22-24C.
The design and planning process involved analysing a year’s worth of data from the Bureau of Meteorology, he says.
“One of the beautiful features is that there’s enough light to allow the plants to grow and they are thriving in this environment,” Dr Davies says.
“I’m very excited – the team that put this together has done a fantastic job.”
The low impact living studios are built and assembled in a matter of days.
Fluid Solar’s building components are manufactured at a factory in Edinburgh, where it also constructs low impact living studios.
Dr Davies says seven of the small houses, up to 10.8m x7.2m in size, will be completed in the northern suburbs by Christmas.
The houses also run on renewable energy and are built and assembled on site in a matter of days.
Dr Davies says the houses would be perfect for use as emergency accommodation in the wake of natural disasters.
He says Fluid Solar Thermal is expected to double its workforce in 2018.