'State-of-the-art' of building integrated photovoltaic products
Ceron, I., Caamano-martin, E. and Neila, F. J.
2013 Renewable Energy, Volume 58, October 2013, Pages 127-133
Ceron, I., Caamano-martin, E. and Neila, F. J., (2013), "'State-of-the-art' of building integrated photovoltaic products", Renewable Energy, Volume 58, October 2013, Pages 127-133.
Abstract:
During the last decades, the photovoltaic (PV) modules and their associated architectural materials are increasingly being incorporated into the construction of the building envelope such as fa?ade, roof and skylights in the urban centers.
This paper analyzes the-state-of-the-art of the PV elements and construction materials which are advertised as BIPV-products at the most important companies in the world. For this purpose 136 companies and 445 PV elements have been investigated and analyzed from a technical and architectural point of view. Also, the study has been divided into two main groups according to industry which producing the product: BIPV-Modules, which comes from the PV modules manufacturers and consist of standard PV-modules with some variations in its aesthetic features, support or dimensions; and PV-Constructions Elements, which consist of conventional constructive elements with architectural features intentionally manufactured for photovoltaic integration. In advance for conclusions, the solar tile is the most common PV-constructions element, the Si-crystalline is the most widely used PV technology, and the BIPV-urban furniture is the fastest growing market experienced in recent years. However, it is clear the absences of innovative elements which meet at the same time both the constructive purpose as the quality standards of PV technology.
This publication in whole or part may be found online at: here.
