Solar Energy for Historic Roofs – Combining Heritage Preservation and the Energy Transition

How can historic buildings be upgraded for greater energy efficiency without altering their architectural character? Integrating solar energy into listed buildings and protected ensembles presents particular challenges in terms of aesthetics, materials and the preservation of historic fabric.

Conventional solar panels and standard in-roof PV systems can often be difficult to reconcile with these requirements due to their visual appearance. However, when a roof renovation is necessary, modern materials can offer a solution – provided they blend harmoniously with the historic character of the building.

For more than ten years, Swiss company Freesuns AG has been developing BIPV solutions specifically to address this challenge. The small-format SOLARIS solar tiles can adapt to a wide variety of roof shapes. For historic buildings, dedicated solutions have been developed with a slate appearance, as well as tiles matching the shape and colour of traditional beaver-tail tiles for classic double-lap roofing.

Numerous historic buildings across Switzerland have already been equipped with SOLARIS solar tiles.

Project example: Breguet University Building in Neuchâtel, built in 1940 by architects Wavre & Carbonnier – equipped with SOLARIS Heritage solar tiles in a slate finish.