This new shading technology provides electricity to the garden, from the garden. Climbing plants are cultivated to act as an artificial wall on the south side of the structure, both helping to cool the area and providing privacy, while also improving the aesthetic appeal.

• Each of these two pergolas is able to produce enough electricity per year to satisfy the annual energy needs of the average Swiss household.
• An electric can can be provided with enough electricity to travel 20,000 to 25,000 km, which is twice as much as a Swiss car drives on average per year.

The generated electricity is fed into the local grid or can be used locally directly from the socket. Each pergola consists of 12 double glass panels with a capacity of 310 Wp each. The expected service life of the components is more than 30 years, and the manufacturer offers a performance guarantee for 30 years of operation. The prime cost (investment costs/production over 30 years) of the electricity is approx. 8 Rp/kWh. This does not take into account the costs for the structure of the pergola, as it would have been built anyway. In Zurich, the electricity price at the high tariff is 26.18 Rp/kWh.

A Renewable Energy Research Group project.

Further information can be found at: pergola.winterstrom.ch