Architectural Integration of Photovoltaics

Progress in Photovoltaics, 2004

In well-populated areas, such as western Europe, PV is often integrated into the building envelope. Despite the fact that there are many examples showing that PV can be an aesthetically neutral or visually attractive element in architecture, many BIPV systems display few architectural qualities. But if well applied, PV can increase a building's character and value. Within Task 7 of the IEA PVPS programme a team of experts with an architectural background studied which key requirements needed to be complied with (design criteria for good-quality PV projects) in order to produce successful PV integration. These criteria are discussed in the article. PV is not automatically considered an indispensable material in architectural terms. This is why, no matter how well it is integrated, PV remains an 'added' element. Architects can take this as their starting point and can use one of the design approaches that are presented in the article. These criteria for incorporating PV in the building design and the design criteria for good-quality PV projects are important to architects and architectural critics in determining why a BIPV project, be it their own design or that of a colleague, is or is not aesthetically pleasing. This offers learning opportunities and reasons for follow-up or improvement options. Architects who apply PV in a well-thought-out way can make their clients very happy, and thereby contribute to a greater acceptance of PV technology.

International Journal of Renewable Energy Technology, 2022

Building integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) system, is a method to create a functional, energy generating building skin. Though BIPV has the term 'building integrated', the complete architectural integration of the photovoltaic system is still missing. To achieve architectural integration, it is important to understand the connotations attached to a building material for functioning as façade. Aim of this paper is developing a framework for creating a systematic process, turning photovoltaic system into the building skin. A sequential five step process is developed to create an efficient, effective framework to achieve architectural integrability and turn photovoltaic system into optimally performing building skin. This is achieved by identifying the barriers in the process of architectural integration and their assessment of impact severity, thus suggesting possibilities for viable solutions. The solutions to the barriers lead to the formulation of design strategies.

IOP conference series, 2019

Built environment is one of the major causes of the negative impact that human activity has on the environment. Building design should adopt such strategies that would help relieve this situation. Architects should therefore be able to grasp and implement all aspects of sustainable design, including cutting edge technologies, in a holistic and integral fashion. Building-Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV) represents an important field to explore, since photovoltaic systems have an enormous potential within the context of architectural and urban design. Their implementation though has to be part of the integral design process which is essential for the creation of quality sustainable architecture. Since the world urban population is constantly growing, sustainable approaches to architectural design need to be adopted with urgency in urban environment. Existing urban environment however presents great challenges to the implementation of any new technology. In an urban context we need not only design new buildings, but since the urban tissue is already in place, care must be taken not to damage the historical and architectural values. Furthermore, urban environment has many variations and offers a broad scope of possibilities for various approaches to BIPV. The aim of this paper is to demonstrate the possibilities of BIPV in relationship to sustainable architecture and urban environment, focusing on explaining the necessity to provide architects with a methodology of working with advanced photovoltaic systems in architectural design, introducing the departure points for this intention, and demonstrating how such a methodology-a Design Manual-will be created.

2011 International Conference on Consumer Electronics, Communications and Networks (CECNet), 2011

Built environment is one of the major causes of the negative impact that human activity has on the environment. Building design should adopt such strategies that would help relieve this situation. Architects should therefore be able to grasp and implement all aspects of sustainable design, including cutting edge technologies, in a holistic and integral fashion. Building-Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV) represents an important field to explore, since photovoltaic systems have an enormous potential within the context of architectural and urban design. Their implementation though has to be part of the integral design process which is essential for the creation of quality sustainable architecture. Since the world urban population is constantly growing, sustainable approaches to architectural design need to be adopted with urgency in urban environment. Existing urban environment however presents great challenges to the implementation of any new technology. In an urban context we need not only design new buildings, but since the urban tissue is already in place, care must be taken not to damage the historical and architectural values. Furthermore, urban environment has many variations and offers a broad scope of possibilities for various approaches to BIPV. The aim of this paper is to demonstrate the possibilities of BIPV in relationship to sustainable architecture and urban environment, focusing on explaining the necessity to provide architects with a methodology of working with advanced photovoltaic systems in architectural design, introducing the departure points for this intention, and demonstrating how such a methodology-a Design Manual-will be created.

2011

This note deals with architectural issues associated with photovoltaic (PV) power systems integrated into building design. It follows on from EDG note TEC 4, 'Photovoltaic Cells-How They Work'. New photovoltaic materials offer new design options: the challenge for designers is to combine technological and architectural considerations to produce integrated applications in buildings. This note details the opportunities presented by BIPV and gives an outline of key issues for the conceptual designer, including a value proposition for convincing prospective clients.

2014

This paper examines the architectural implications for the integration of photovoltaic and solar thermal systems in new construction or extensive renovation of existing building shells. The study is based on a documentation of the current literature and a taxonomy of current and proposed applications based on conformance to a variety of building typologies. Additionally to the literature review, the paper delves on the investigation, assessment and categorization of existing applications, through case studies, analyzing the type and the function of each case, in order to identify the best practices for the different applications.The ultimate aim of this effort is to critically present the breadth of typologies of the plethora of alternatives available for building integrated photovoltaic and solar-thermal panels in ways that maximize their potential for solar gains for the purpose of addressing the power and thermal requirements of a given structure as well as its design.

Buildings

Researchers have reported that despite technological development in photovoltaic technology and substantial cost reduction, there is still a narrow interest in architectural photovoltaic applications (APA). Lack of interest is correlated to various bottlenecks, and one of them is a lack of knowledge among architects on the possibilities and approaches to adopt APA. In response to the issues mentioned, the aim of the research presented was collecting qualitative and quantitative information from architects as lessons learned and perceptions in regards to APA. In total, 30 architects with and without experience of using photovoltaics (PV) were invited and interviewed. They were asked about their experience, design and decision-making process with PV, their understanding of integration, and the decisive factors to use APA. The results showed apparent differences between the experiences and perceptions, and they highlighted the lessons learned from realized projects. The analysis of the...

The urban book series, 2023

In the new context of the trialling and the development of the materials, buildings systems and innovative processes required to meet new challenges posed by environmental transition in Europe and across the globe, the construction sector urgently needs to define more sustainable development models to achieve decarbonisation, as is the case in other sectors. In this context, recent experiences of incorporating photovoltaics into architecture are a clear sign of a change in focus on how systems are integrated into architectural design: a new way of viewing the technological innovation of PV modules which is ever more closely linked to the architectural design right from the initial concept stages. The study we present is based on a critical analysis of the current international state of the art of architectural design incorporating photovoltaics, selecting case studies which illustrate best practice for technological innovation to demonstrate possible scenarios for future developments. Therefore, all the principle approaches identified by the international research will be described as well as the impact that these technological developments are having on architectural style and quality of life in cities. With regard to the aesthetic and formal properties that are the dominant feature of recent practice for the integration of photovoltaics, the study will highlight further areas of research with a view to defining a component of the building shell in which the generation of energy from renewable sources represents just one of the potential components of a system integrated into the architectural style. In addition, the intention is to demonstrate that the architectural designs analysed can be considered to be the result of a close relationship between designers, applied research and the industrial sector; therefore, technological innovation of photovoltaic products will inevitably be linked to a deeper and fundamental innovation of processes leading to these results.

Advanced Science Letters, 2012

This paper discusses information from a research project investigating a new approach to designing energy positive buildings that integrate renewable energy generation into the building fabric. Such buildings can help reduce energy consumption and associated carbon emissions, alleviating fuel poverty and lessening the need for costly grid upgrades. The main purpose of this study is to highlight the current status of the UK construction industry and the need for improvements, which have been documented over the years. Several enablers for the construction industry to change are identified, including collaborative procurement methods, building information modelling (BIM), innovation and energy positive buildings. The key findings from the review provide evidence that the energy positive solutions put forward in this research project, linking collaboration, innovation and buildings with reduced energy use and carbon emissions, could be used to improve the overall performance of the construction industry. This provides a good knowledge base for the next phase of the research, which includes interviews and workshops with construction industry stakeholders to further identify the challenges, benefits and drawbacks of the potential building integrated energy positive solutions. The combined body of information gleaned from this literature review, the feedback from construction industry stakeholders, and case studies of energy positive buildings designed by the first author, will be used to aid the development of the proposed outcomes of the research project, which will include a continuous improvement tool, the case studies themselves and the development of an innovation portal.

Applied Sciences, 2020

This review study, framed in the Work group 4 “Photovoltaic in built environment” within the COST Action PEARL PV, CA16235, aims to examine applications of integrated and applied photovoltaic technologies on ten landmark buildings characterised by distinctive geometries, highlighting the aesthetics of their architecture and quality of PV integration based on a proposed set of seven criteria. The selected building samples cover a large design diversity related to the quality of PV systems integration into building envelope that could serve as a basis for general guidelines of best architectural and technological practice. After introducing the problem and defining the research methodology, an analysis of ten landmark buildings is presented, as representative models of aesthetics of their architecture, photovoltaic integration and implementation and energy performance. The study concludes with the main characteristics of photovoltaic integration on landmark buildings. The paper is int...