building integrated photovoltaics

Developed by a German group of scientists, the panels are considered an ideal solution for aesthetically demanding applications in buildings with stone facades. Although their power yield is more than halved compared to conventional modules, the modules can also be used as partial shading walls or semi-transparent roof elements.

Necessity, as it’s said, is the mother of invention. For architect Samira Jama Aden, who plays a central role at Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin’s BAIP consultancy for building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV), the need for solar to be part of our built environment is becoming unavoidable. And for Aden, her mission is personal.

According to a new report, India’s commercial and industrial sectors will increase their rooftop solar deployments by 47% year-on-year, with bifacials and large-size high-wattage modules offering cost-effective support for reducing electricity costs.

Both products are based on 22%-efficient CIGS solar cells and are manufactured in Asia. One of the two devices has a flat design and power output of 80 W and a second product features a nominal power of 30 W and an undulating design.

Indian scientists tested four kinds of phase change materials (PCMs) for solar module cooling in building-integrated photovoltaics. The PCMs were encapsulated with the PV system and the building envelopes and were also found to be beneficial to the thermal comfort inside the buildings.

Victorian-based property developer Beulah has announced its soon-to-be-completed Paragon tower, in the heart of Melbourne, will be home to the nation’s largest and most efficient vertical solar PV system.

German manufacturer Autarq is selling its solar tiles at a price ranging from €25 to €30 per piece. It claims a PV system built with these products can cover around 70% of household needs.

U.S. scientists have put luminescent solar concentrators in a windowpane to absorb certain light wavelengths and transmit them to solar cells. The concentrators are made of a conjugated polymer sandwiched between window layers.

The product is available both with monocrystalline and CIGS solar cells and is claimed to be the world’s largest solar tile with dimensions of 457 x 510 mm.

The German research institute has proposed a technique based on the surface structure of the wings of the morpho butterfly to produce colored BIPV panels for facades and rooftops. The process is claimed to make it possible to color the modules with an optical effect and not with color pigments, which reduce their efficiency.