Canadian thermoplastic parts manufacturer Plastech Inc. wanted solar technology to eliminate the $6,000 (CAD) annual natural gas energy costs of heating its shipping area, but without the expense of altering its ivory color building’s aesthetic exteriors or painting it a darker, more absorptive color.
Light colors, such as white or ivory, are rarely recommended for most solar collector absorbers. However recently-developed solar technology using patented perforated glazing on wall-mounted solar air heaters made solar possible without bearing dark paint costs or altering the 26,000-square-foot building’s exterior aesthetics. The solar air heater appears more like a wall of windows than a solar collector for Plastech, Sherbrooke, Quebec, a division of the MI Integration Group that supplies injection molded interior and sealing parts to the automotive industry.