building integrated

A group of researchers in Germany has designed a novel PV façade using two actuators that allow bending in two directions. The PV functionalization of FlectoSol aims for an energy self-sufficient shading system.

The panels measure 2,116 mm × 777 mm × 3.5 mm, weigh 5.6 kg/m2, and have a temperature coefficient of -0.35% per degree Celsius.

Scientists in Norway have assessed how BIPV façades may react to fire accidents following a typical fire test for building façades. They found that flame propagation in the wall cavity is possible, despite the very limited amounts of combustible material, and that flames may propagate on the entire façade very quickly.

RMIT University in Australia has developed new software that integrates product, regulation, technical, economic, and construction data. It helps architects and engineers to estimate the cost of building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV) during the conceptual design phase.

South Korean companies Posco and East-West Power are developing a new building-integrated solar photovoltaic solution. The new product uses special galvanized steel as the panel’s backside that Posco says lasts five to ten times longer than standard steel.

Enfoil is developing a CIGS thin film custom manufacturing business, targeting building-integrated PV applications, such as powering sensors or track & trace sub-systems in trucks. The company is a spinoff of Hasselt University and imec, the Belgian research institute.

GoodWe will initially sell its new 315 W building-integrated PV (BIPV) modules in Europe and Australia. They measure 2,319 mm × 777 mm × 4 mm and weigh 11 kg.

Taiwan-based Heliartec has deployed a solar facade on a 3D-printed concrete house in Belgium. It said it installed the solar facade with the “circular construction” philosophy in mind.

Researchers at the University of Malaga say they have developed a panel for building-integrated photovoltaics that improves light absorption without losing efficiency and durability.

Taiwanese manufacturer Heliartec Solutions is offering BIPV panels for building facades that can be designed to mimic different kinds of textures in conventional building materials. The panels can also work as colored laminated safety glass and replace traditional cladding in the ventilated facades of buildings. They vary in length from 60 cm to 240 cm, with widths ranging from 30 cm to 120 cm. Depending on their size, the panels can offer power outputs of 90 W to 150 W per square meter.