The First Photovoltaic Facade of Mexico Is Already Generating Its Own Electricity

Onyx Solar undertook the installation of their photovoltaic glasses through retrofitting onto the façade of Femsa’s headquarter in Monterrey, the largest bottle manufacturer for Coca-Cola in the world. After its installation of Onyx Solar’s photovoltaic glass, the building has been beneficing with over 5,500 kWh while also eliminating CO2 emission by 2.7 tons.This project is in conjunction with the commitment of Femsa and Coca-Cola for sustainability and corporate responsibility.

The façade consists of a double layer of photovoltaic glass, being the first of its kind in Latin America. The photovoltaic glass modules are made of amorphous silicon technology and in large dimensions. They were designed and manufactured by Onyx Solar to meet each customer´s needs. Furthermore, the purpose was to provide privacy of the interior space while preserving the original aesthetic value of the building. The glasses have a semi-transparency degree of 20% which allows the entry of natural light into the interior, reducing the need for use of artificial lighting and improving the indoor comfort for the occupants.

By using Onyx Solar’s photovoltaic glass on façades buildings improve its thermal properties. For example,  Onyx Solar’s  photovoltaic low-e glass in warm climates such as Mexico, reduce up to 50% cooling needs compared to a traditional façade insulation, allowing large energy savings. Click  here to download the summary of this research carried out by University of Pais Vasco in collaboration with the Building’s Quality Control Laboratories of the Regional Government.

About Femsa

FEMSA is a leading company in the beverage industry, being the largest Coca-Cola bottle manufacturer in the world and the second largest stakeholder of Heineken. The company has 64 bottling plants and serves more than 346 million consumers through nearly 3 million retailers with more than 120,000 employees worldwide. In addition, the company is part of the Forbes Global 2000 list: the ranking of the 2000 largest companies in the world.

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