Building-integrated photovoltaics, or BIPV, may sound like a complicated concept, but the technology may become a &#;household name&#; sometime soon.
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In this 101-style guide, we will introduce building integrated photovoltaics, identify the technology&#;s top opportunities and challenges, review the different types of BIPV, and showcase the most interesting BIPV applications in use and development today.
Encompassing many different types of products, the term &#;BIPV&#; can be used to describe any integrated building materials or feature (i.e. the roof tiles, siding, or windows) that also generates photovoltaic solar electricity.
Producing solar power and serving a functional building purpose (i.e. protecting the property, letting light in, or providing insulation), BIPV are classified as &#;dual-use photovoltaic (PV) technologies.&#;
With many different BIPV products available now and in the future, the technology has a tremendous amount of potential to redefine sustainable building practices for residential homes, small businesses, towering skyscrapers, sports stadiums, and everything in between.
Generating solar electricity while simultaneously playing an important role in a building's structural integrity or appearance, BIPV systems are &#;dual-purpose&#; construction features that can lower a property&#;s energy costs with emission-free power, created onsite.
While most people would like to save money by going green, BIPVs also face many challenges stunting their widespread adoption, such as limited availability, high upfront investment costs, and uncertainty for project design, permitting, and performance.
For a detailed analysis of BIPV&#;s benefits, pros, and cons, you may find this resource from the Department of Energy to be helpful. In short, here is a quick look at the main opportunities and challenges that building integrated PV technologies face today:
BIPVs are helping homeowners, businesses, and communities meet green, renewable energy and sustainable building goals all over the world. While there are plenty of technologies still in development (and you never quite know what will come around the corner next), here are a few of the most prominent BPIV products available to purchase today or in the near future:
Without a doubt, solar shingles (also known as solar roofing or solar roof tiles) are the most widely known building-integrated photovoltaics in use today, and one of the most important BIPV examples. Sparking consumer interest when announced by companies like Tesla, solar roofing is generally seen as an alternative to traditional solar panels, able to generate electricity and function as a roof shingle or tile at the same time.
With the aesthetics of traditional roofing and the power of photovoltaic panels, solar shingles can help homes, businesses, and all other buildings that utilize common roof materials. While the growing market is currently held back by supply chain issues, high costs, and lack of module efficiency, solar roofing has been demonstrated to be a product that consumers want, and many different companies are competing to create viable products.
Companies and products to watch:
Next, solar windows (and solar skylights) are aptly-named BIPV that perform the exact functionality that you might expect. Appearing and operating as ordinary windows, while simultaneously generating emission-free electricity, solar skylights and solar windows are among the fastest-growing technologies in the building-integrated photovoltaics industry today.
Although many labs and manufacturers are exploring the space, commercially available solar windows and skylights are tough to find for sale as an average consumer in the mid-s. With that said, there are three primary types of solar window/skylight technologies in use and development today.
First, you have photovoltaic glass which utilizes transparent solar cells to generate electricity in a way that is completely undetected by the untrained eye.
Second, other &#;solar windows&#; may be lined with tiny solar cells around their frame, which harness the light captured and dispersed by the product&#;s special glass pane.
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Third, there are also some semi-transparent films or treatments that can be applied to ordinary glass surfaces in order to transform them into &#;solar windows&#; or &#;solar skylights&#;.
With any type of current or future solar window technology, the goal and results are always going to be the same: to let light in while also creating solar electricity.
Companies leading the way:
Conversely, solar canopies, also known as solar awnings, essentially perform the opposite function of solar windows. While they both are used to generate solar electricity, solar canopies block sunlight out, whether that is on your porch, driveway, or raised above a large commercial parking lot.
Seen in many major US cities today, solar canopies are primarily used as &#;solar carports&#; to shade vehicles parked in shopping centers, airports, business campuses, and more. When integrated with electric vehicle chargers, solar canopies can be used to power EVs with pure solar energy.
With options for building integration and standalone installations, solar canopies and solar carports may be constructed in a variety of ways. While there are some prefabricated solar carport and solar canopy suppliers out there, oftentimes these dual-function installations can also be created using traditional solar panels.
In North America and around the world, BIPV technology is advancing in many different directions with interesting products launching year after year. While there is always something new to explore, sustainable builders may now begin to think about incorporating solar-powered technology into their siding, bricks, facades, and practically every other building feature that is exposed to direct sunlight.
Although options are very limited to purchase, and applications are typically reserved for new construction projects, US and Canadian homeowners and property developers should keep an eye on companies such as Mitrex and RoCo Industries who are leading the way in BPIV product development for solar siding, solar bricks, and other interesting technologies.
In summary, building-integrated photovoltaics are an important green energy technology with the potential to redefine sustainable building practices in the s and beyond.
Although many BIPV products are not yet available to average consumers, technologies like solar windows, solar shingles, and solar siding make it easy to envision a future with highly efficient buildings that harness the sun and power our world.
For most homeowners today, you can maximize your energy savings and reduce your carbon footprint by going solar with an array of highly-efficient solar panels. If you would like to discover the benefits of solar on your roof, you can get started with Palmetto today to unlock the solar savings potential of your home.
Photovoltaics (PV) are solid-state, semiconductor type devices that produce electricity when exposed to light. Electrons in the photovoltaic material are knocked free by light to flow out of the device as an electric current. The more intense the sunlight, the stronger the electric current.
This phenomenon was discovered in the mid-s, yet important applications followed much later&#;for satellites and applications where extending the electric grid is cost prohibitive. Architectural applications have only recently become prominent. With Building Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV), for instance, photovoltaics are integral to the building skin: the walls, roof, and vision glass. The envelope produces electricity, which flows through power conversion equipment and into the building&#;s electrical system.
Photovoltaic vision glass integrates a thin-film, semitransparent photovoltaic panel with an exterior glass panel in an otherwise traditional double-pane window or skylight. All the PV types can be integrated and/or laminated in glass, but only thin-film photovoltaics will be translucent. Electric wires extend from the sides of each glass unit and are connected to wires from other windows, linking up the entire system. If the PV cells are part of the vision glass, various degrees of transparency are possible&#;as in frit glass&#;since the PV cells offer shade and produce electricity. In some cases, the PV panels are placed in spandrel panels, rather than the vision glass. Smaller PV systems can be used to power facade equipment directly instead of being connected to the electrical grid in the building. Vertically oriented PV panels are optimally not positioned toward the sun. One approach to position the PV panels more perpendicular to the sun is to place them into fixed shading devices on the facade or on movable shading panels, using the generated power to track the shades to the optimal solar angle.
Current PV production technologies, pricing structure, and energy rates limit BIPV use to prominent, prestige buildings (although PV-integrated cladding costs are comparable to marble). Of course, as these factors are in constant flux, BIPVs are receiving increased attention that is justified by the promise of a building envelope that can generate energy in addition to providing shelter.
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