Workshop on Building Integrated Photovoltaics

20 September 2009, Hamburg, Germany

With more than 80 participants, the Workshop on Building Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV), organized in the framework of the EU SUNRISE project provided a platform for discussion between the construction and PV communities.

The initial findings of the project regarding current barriers for the diffusion of PV in buildings were presented. Many of those are within the so called perception and market barriers which are associated to architects in their way to find better PV integration solutions and to the PV industry in their path to efficiency increase and cost reduction. 

Architects and industrials shared their experiences related to the integration of PV products in buildings. The multifunctional aspects of BIPV were presented with real projects. The differences on integration opportunities between existing technologies were analyzed for the aesthetics and cost/efficiency aspects. Whereas crystalline silicon based technologies present higher efficiencies and therefore a lower needed area, thin films present lower cost/m² which in many cases can compete with traditional building materials. The need for PV module to adapt (in shapes, materials, colors) to future building designs (eco-buildings) was highlighted as one of the major challenges for PV.

An overview of the European legislation related to PV in the building environment such as the Energy Performance Building Directive (EPBD) and the new directive concerning the promotion of Renewable Energy Sources (RES) was presented from EPIA’s point of view.

The final discussion focused on how to increase the collaboration between architects, industry, research and students, and a current international program (Unesco and SETA chair) was presented as one of the possible solutions for future cooperation. The market developments for BIPV (support policies structures) as well as certification/standardization issues were also discussed among the participants.

This workshop was organized by WIP-Renewable Energies, EPIA (European Photovoltaic Industry Association), UIA (International Union of Architects), FIEC (European Construction Industry Federation) and AIE (European Association of Electrical Contractors) which are the partners of the Sunrise project.

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