New Polymeric Solar Tile Design

Plastic is one of the most persistent pollutants on Earth and it's accelerating Climate Change. At every step in its lifecycle, plastic creates emissions that are contributing to the warming of our world. We produce around 335 million tonnes each year, roughly the same weight as all of humanity combined.

In 2020, the production and incineration of plastic is set to create more than 850 million tonnes of emissions. The impact on the planet will equate to the output of 189 coal-fired power stations.

Currently, about 4-8% of annual global oil consumption involves plastics. At current rates, this will have risen to 20% by 2050.By then, plastic related emissions could rise to over 2.8 billion tonnes, equivalent to the output of 615 power stations, and be responsible for up to 13% of the planet's total carbon budget.

The more plastic we make, the more fossil fuels we need, the more we exacerbate climate change and ocean destruction.

13 million tonnes of plastic enter the ocean each year, which is on course to double by 2030\. At this rate, by 2050, there will be more plastic in the oceans than fish.

In the U.K., the operation of buildings accounts for 30% of emissions, mainly from heating, cooling and electricity use. The proportion of embodied energy in buildings has increased to more than 40% of energy consumption

Roof tiles are typically made from concrete, which has one of the largest carbon footprints and environmental impacts of all materials and poor end of life recyclability. Sourcing and production are energy intensive processes, requiring large volumes of fossil fuels and depleting natural resources.

Cement used to produce concrete is responsible for approximately 8% of the world's emissions alone, which is an even greater contribution than any country other than China or the US. The only materials that are a greater source of greenhouse gases, are coal, oil and gas.

Solar panels are approximately 90% glass and 7% aluminium. These are also two of the most environmentally harmful construction materials in existence.

The embodied carbon of glass is almost 10 times more than concrete, while aluminium is over 115 times more, meaning solar panels can actually increase the building's carbon footprint.

Our project is focused on helping alleviate each of these areas, through the use of recycled polymers to replace revenue-static, carbon-intensive construction materials with a lightweight, innovative solar system design.