Hospital Universitario Mútua Terrassa in Spain activates 2,700-square-meter photovoltaic facade

en.Wedoany.com Reported - Located in Terrassa, Barcelona province, the Hospital Universitario Mútua Terrassa (HUMT) has completed a comprehensive renovation of the four facades of its main building, integrating building envelope energy retrofitting with photovoltaic power generation building integration. The project, launched in February 2025, is part of the institution's "Compromís Verd" climate action plan.

The renovation targeted the envelope of an 18-story building, removing 180 tons of old stone cladding and installing a new facade insulation system composed of 3,500 square meters of rock wool and 3,000 square meters of sandwich panels. Old roller shutter boxes, which were the main points of air infiltration in the building, were removed and replaced with 400 ward blackout curtains. Adjustable external sunshades were also added to the south facade to control solar radiation during the sunniest months and reduce cooling loads.

The most prominent part of the project is the application of building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV) in the building envelope. Approximately 2,700 square meters of photovoltaic modules were installed on the south, east, and west facades, equivalent to 1,186 to 1,190 photovoltaic glass units directly integrated into the building structure. The photovoltaic system has an installed capacity of 380 kilowatts, distributed through five Sunvec grid-tied inverters, with an expected annual generation of about 300,000 kilowatt-hours, all used for the hospital's self-consumption. According to operational forecasts, this generation can meet 12% to 15% of the building's air conditioning and lighting electricity demand, while reducing reliance on the grid and operational carbon emissions.