Photovoltaic (PV) power systems convert sunlight directly into electricity. The rooftop PV system at the d-school building enables it to generate some of its  daily electrical energy demand on its own roof. The building remains connected to the municipal utility supply at all times, so any power required over and above what the solar system can produce is simply drawn from the utility.

The PV system, however, does not include battery backup. There is an uninterruptible power supply (UPS) interface with the PV system, municipal utility and the back-up generator to operate selected circuits in the building for hours during a utility power outage.

With the combination of the energy efficient systems in the building and the PV system, the HPI d-school Building achieves an average of 80% reduction in energy consumption in its design compared to the Green Star notional benchmark.

The PV system also allows the building to reduce its peak energy demand by more than 30%. Lessening the peak demand is one strategy for reducing the energy infrastructure required to meet the needs of buildings and industry.