Solar panels installed on buildings to supply their energy needs are now common throughout the world.

However, installing solar panels that produce much more than the host building requires is a newer idea. The building becomes the site of a solar field contributing a large margin of energy beyond its own needs. This is added to the common supply, added to the larger electrical grid.

Therefore, the building is not just self-sustaining—it produces a large energy profit, a return that can contribute to the ownership of the building itself. The dwellings in this project, Solar / Max, produce between 5X and 6X the power that they consume, giving a margin of 400-500%.

Solar / Max—currently unbuilt, but seeking funding—investigates the extent that market-rate housing in the USA can be a significant producer of electrical power. Can housing, in effect, become a solar field?
The housing is built under large roofs with solar arrays, which are inclined to the south for maximum efficiency—at 30° in the case of North Texas.

The individual dwelling occupies two levels and faces a large enclosed courtyard, which provides the necessary spacing between the solar roofs. The dwelling occupies an area of 1865 square feet, or 173 square meters. At the ground level is a living / dining / kitchen area with a continuous porch facing the courtyard. In addition, there is a garage for two vehicles. On the upper level are two bedrooms and a “Flex Room,” a space that can serve many functions—as a third bedroom, a home office, a playroom for children, etc. The upper rooms overlook the courtyard.

Two stairs go to the upper level. They provide more privacy for the occupants and help circulation efficiency.

The roof is covered with solar panels except for access along the edges per U.S. codes. A servicing trolley, like a window washing unit, moves up and down on tracks to clean and repair the panels.
One of the submission’s illustrations shows the project’s climate and energy analysis, done by the Environmental Lab at Cornell University.

In terms of construction, the exterior walls on the lower level are built with a system of insulated cement blocks having a U-factor of 0.05 (OmniBlock). The upper walls and the floors and roof are conventional American wood framing, heavily insulated. The exterior cladding is planned as either stained wood or ribbed metal panels. Heating and cooling is done by an electric air-to-air heat pump.

Rain water from the solar roof is collected in an underground tank. This doubles the amount of water available to plantings in the courtyard and along the exterior walls.

The dwellings are assembled in pairs, sharing a common wall. These pairs can, in turn, be arranged in various patterns. However, since the housing produces so much more power than they consume, the prototype can be usefully mixed with other housing types to provide electrical power to them all.

Category:Green Energy ArchitectureYear:2025Location: Texas, USAArchitects:Edward M. Baum Architect, LLC.Lead Architect:Edward M. Baum