Ruukki is the first company to have developed a photovoltaic system that has been fully integrated into a façade to convert sun rays into energy. The solar power system does not depend on the sun's warmth, only its radiation. The electricity generated is used either to meet the building's own needs or is fed into the electricity grid.

The solar panel façade has been designed for application in buildings of a high architectural standard that comply with increasingly stricter environmental regulations. Developed and patented by Ruukki, the system is fully integrated into the façade and is the most cost-effective way on the market to make a fully-glazed façade that generates energy from the sun. The system enables power to be produced even in areas with no direct sun rays since the technology can also utilize sun rays in cloudy weather. In snowy areas and next to water, the system increases output from reflected rays.

Mr Jouni Metsämäki, SVP, Building Components at Ruukki said that "The solar panel façade is Ruukki's response to the need to produce energy from renewable energy sources. The main message of the product is sustainable development and ecology, which are combined with Ruukki's newest technological innovations and the latest technology available.”

In the façade of an average sized office building in Finland, for example, Ruukki's solar panel façade can produce 18,000 kWh of electricity a year. This is enough to meet the annual needs of a medium sized, electrically heated small family home. Output and capacity can easily be increased according to the area available and capacity requirement.

Architect Laura Paunila at Ruukki said that "The unique concept in Ruukki's solar power system is that it is fully integrated into the façade of the building, both functionally and visually. The almost completely black fully-glazed façade enables solutions of a high architectural standard.”

No visible fastenings have been used and thanks to their even coloring, the PV modules based on thin-film technology are aesthetically pleasing, unlike, for example, panels of crystalline silicon.

A sun panel façade is ideal not only for office and commercial construction, but also for residential and commercial construction. The system does not limit choice of base materials or type of building and the façade can be installed in new build and renovation construction and on different bases.