Canadian church could be first in world to produce power from stained-glass windows.

 

The Cathedral of the Holy Family is in Saskatoon, on the South Saskatchewan River, the sunniest city in Canada, getting around 2,831 of sunshine per year.

 

Now it has moved to take advantage of that sun, by installing stained-glass windows capable of generating an estimated 2,500 kilowatt hours a year.

 

The work, which was developed by Toronto artist Sarah Hall and connected to the grid last month, features three stained glass windows fused with silver solar cells, which shade the organ inside the church while generating renewable energy to help curb its energy bills.

 

Hall believes the 1,013 polycrystalline solar cell project is a world first. The Cathedral had originally considered installing conventional roof mounted solar panels but was concerned they would spoil the look of the building.

 

All the cells in Hall's work, entitled Lux Gloria, were soldered into the glass by hand, coloured silver to match the artwork, and then permanently embedded. Each solar panel is a different size and shape to improve the aesthetic effect of the window.