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Manchester's tallest building is now set to become Europe's largest vertical cladding project after announcing that it is to be covered with approximately 5,000 solar panels supplied by Sharp.
Commissioned by the insurance giant Co-operative Insurance Society (CIS)for their Manchester HQ,the CIS Tower,the £5.5m bespoke module was developed following close collaboration between Sharp,CIS and UK distributor,Solarcentury.
The Tower is one of Manchester's most instantly recognisable buildings and the blue 80W polycrystalline panels have been designed to give a clean look to the structure.In the process,the 391kW PV array will generate 180,000kWh of electricity per year.
Sharp's long-standing recognition of its environmental responsibilities,coupled with its commitment to developing green manufacturing processes,fitted well with CIS's strict ethical and socially responsible work practices and policies.
“We're proud and delighted to be associated with such an important solar power project,” says Paul Molyneux,Managing Director of Sharp UK. “As a Manchester-based company ourselves,we know that the CIS Tower is already one of the city's landmarks,and it's very exciting to think that it will soon be a flagship not only for Sharp's solar business in the UK, but also for the PV industry as a whole.
“Renewable energy is an increasingly important method of power generation in the UK, and the CIS Tower project shows vividly just how practical,attractive and effective solar power can be.”
The project,which is due to start shortly,aims to be completed by the end of 2005.
