BELL WORKS
PHOTOVOLTAIC SKYLIGHT
Bell Works is the product of the successful revitalization of the two-million-square-foot Bell Laboratories in Holmdel, NJ. The mixed-use ‘metroburb’ is now a popular destination to work, shop, dine and more. All the works carried out in the remodeling of the building were intended to preserve its original features. Onyx Solar has supplied Bell Works with amorphous silicon photovoltaic glass panes, covering a total area of 60,000 sq ft, to create the largest photovoltaic skylight in the USA.
These glass modules installed on the skylight provide this multipurpose building with a lot of natural illumination by capturing daylight and are also able to produce electricity free of CO2 emissions. It reduces the carbon footprint by preventing the emission into the atmosphere of approximately 60 tons of CO2 yearly. The building produces the necessary energy to drive 100 electric cars 4,250 miles per year.
The skylight features 24 different types of glass modules which are used in the different sections of the Eero Saarinen-designed building, being all of them produced using cutting-edge technology at our factory. Each one of the modules is made of amorphous silicon thin film photovoltaic (a-Si PV) active glass, which is placed between two sheets of tempered safety glass. The modules transmit 20% of Visual light (VLT) so that they can reduce the heating of the panes while they produce electricity.
FEASIBILITY STUDY OF AMORPHOUS SILICON PHOTOVOLTAIC SKYLIGHT IN NEW JERSEY
<0,01€
Energy cost
19%
Reduction in HVAC energy demands
55%
Internal Rate of Return
<2 years
Payback
Data:
Total area - 5,575 M2
Electricity generated in 35 years - 2,601,486 kWh
Total light points operating 4 hours a day in 35 years - 5,111 lighting points.
CO2 emissions avoided in 35 years - 1,743 tons of CO2
Barrels of oil saved in 35 years - 1,531 barrels per m2
Example of a feasibility study of amorphous silicon photovoltaic skylight in New Jersey:
Payback time < 3 years
Internal rate of return (IRR) 22 %
FIND HERE ALL OUR FEASIBILITY STUDIES
* Onyx Solar Energy S.L. makes no representations, warranties or guarantees, whether express or implied, that the content in the report is accurate, complete or up to date.
This building, which was constructed between 1959 and 1982, has served as the home to over 6,000 engineers and researchers. The facility as well as its layout are studied in universities as models of modernist architecture. Researchers of this complex have the credit of having developed and invented radio astronomy, the transistor, the laser, the photovoltaic cell, the Unix operating system, and programming languages such as C. Nine Nobel Prizes have been awarded for works completed at Bell Laboratories.
Somerset Development purchased this complex in 2013 and the facility underwent further reconditioning to include new services. Onyx Solar participated by installing the glass panes on the skylight in this latest remodelling.
“At Onyx Solar we feel that we are giving back to a building that has witnessed the discovery of so many innovations, including the solar cell. Ralph and his team are taking on a great mission with Bell Works; congratulations on the efforts”.
Diego Cuevas, Onyx’s VP Business Development.
“Bell Works is already home to an extraordinary community of innovators, and it’s our job to continue to innovate the building commensurately. People want a workplace that extends itself beyond professional needs one that stands for something beyond the cubicle walls. As Bell Works continues to attract some of the region’s most forward-thinking companies, it is only fitting that it incorporates the latest in sustainable technology, all in a way that is both functional and attractive”.
Ralph Zucker, President of Somerset Development of Bell Works
Awards & Recognitions:
- Winner: MAINTENANCE OR REFURBISHMENT AWARD – CABE Built Environment Awards 2019.
- Winner: PRESERVATION PROJECT AWARD: Adaptive Reuse of Bell Labs. New Jersey Historic Preservation Awards 2021
General Contractor: Structure Tone
Structural Engineer: LaufsED
Client: Somerset Development New Jersey