The Hollandsche Manege is a very special kind of riding school. Because it was built in the 19th century in the middle of Amsterdam. It consists of a large main riding hall, where once the rich citizens of Amsterdam and the royal family could practice the art of riding. There are also several outbuildings and smaller riding halls. Within the scope of a renovation and modernisation, the building was also converted to a modern energy concept.
Roof covered with modules
At the heart of this concept is a solar installation which is also the roof covering of one of the riding halls. For this purpose, the planners from Zonel, a photovoltaic project developer from Bosch en Duin, south of Amsterdam, covered the roof with solar modules. In order to achieve the necessary input of daylight and at the same time install the highest possible photovoltaic output on the existing surface, they opted for semi-transparent glass-glass modules with crystalline solar cells. "This not only enables architecturally outstanding concepts to be realised, but also saves the high costs of conventional roof constructions," explains Bernhard Weilharter, Managing Director of Sonnenstromfabrik, based in the Hanseatic city of Wismar on the Baltic Sea.
150 kilowatts installed
The company supplied the modules for the Hollandsche Manege. For the Amsterdam Riding Hall, a light transmission of 19 percent was sufficient. This has the advantage of increasing the installed capacity compared to a higher transparency. In this way, modules with a total output of around 150 kilowatts could be installed.
