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SUPSI, F.F on ini
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ABSTRACT
O e iew and analysis o cu en BIPV p oduc s: new
c i e ia o suppo ing he echnological ans e in he
building sec o
Pie luigi Bonomo1, Ana oli Cha zipanagi1, F ancesco F on ini1
1 Uni e si y o Applied Sciences and A s o Sou he n Swi ze land - Ins i u e o Applied
Sus ainabili y o he Buil En i onmen (SUPSI-ISAAC), Campus T e ano, Canobbio-Lugano,
Swi ze land
The g owing demand o nea ly-Ze o Ene gy Buildings is apidly con ibu ing o change he building
skin om being a passi e ba ie owa ds a sensi i e and ac i e in e ace. Building In eg a ed
Pho o ol aics (BIPV) is a unique solu ion o deli e ing clean, sa e, a o dable and decen alized
elec ici y o people ans o ming he building su aces in ac i e sola collec o s. Despi e pho o ol aic
(PV) echnology and hei basic usage a e oday known o e e ybody, he pa icula equi emen s o
building in eg a ion ha e b ough o he su ace some issues o e he yea s so ha BIPV is s ill a niche
ma ke . S a ing om his obse a ion, he pape p esen s he esul s o an in es iga ion on he cu en
ma ke o BIPV p oduc s o oo s and açade. The analysis aimed o iden i y he ele an possibili ies
he p oduc s oday o e and he le el o in o ma ion ha he p oduce s make a ailable wi hin he
echnical desc ip ion o BIPV sys ems. A e disclosing he ac ual lack o in o ma ion in compa ison o
con en ional building p oduc s, he au ho s p opose o implemen a new “building-based” app oach
ha could suppo he BIPV ma ke by including a mo e comp ehensi e desc ip ion o he p oduc ’s
quali y ( oday mainly comp ising elec ical and basic physical ea u es). Such a “building- echnology”
pe spec i e, also conside ing he ecen no ma i e amewo k in BIPV ield, is expec ed o encou age
he echnological ans e o PV in he building sec o by acili a ing he daily wo k o a chi ec s,
ins alle s and he whole alue chain.
KEYWORDS
BIPV, BIPV ma ke , BIPV p oduc s, echnological ans e , nZEB
h p://dx.doi.o g/10.4995/ i u io-ija s.2015.4476
68
1. INTRODUCTION AND MOTIVATION
The g owing demand o nea ly-Ze o Ene gy
Buildings (nZEB), as in oduced by he
Eu opean Pe o mance Building Di ec i e
(Di ec i e 2010/31/EU, 2010), he Di ec i e
on ene gy e iciency (Di ec i e 2012/27/EU,
2012) along wi h he con empo a y pa adigm
o sus ainabili y, is apidly con ibu ing o
change he building skin om being a passi e
ba ie owa ds an inc easingly sensi i e and
ac i e in e ace. Building is a key-sec o o
cu en policies on ene gy e iciency since i
is esponsible o app oxima ely he 40% o
he inal ene gy consump ion in Eu ope (Web
link 1). Ene gy sa ing and he p oduc ion
o enewable ene gies a e oday essen ial
s a egies o educing he p ima y ene gy needs
o cons uc ions (Boie, 2014). Pho o ol aics
(PV) is conside ed an essen ial echnology
o he u u e ene gy p oduc ion and Building
In eg a ed Pho o ol aics (BIPV) is a unique
solu ion o deli e ing clean, sa e, a o dable and
decen alized elec ici y o people ans o ming
he building su aces in ac i e sola collec o s
(Moosa ian, 2013). “The eno mous po en ial o
PV and i s bene i s o socie y a e mo e ob ious
han e e . PV is becoming a mains eam playe
wi hin he powe sys em inc easingly deli e ing
clean, sa e, a o dable and decen alized
elec ici y o people” (Web link 2). In 2011 he
Swiss Fede al Council de eloped a long- e m
ene gy policy (“Ene gy S a egy 2050”) based
on p o ound changes in ene gy pe spec i es
(Web link3, Web link 4). In he ecen yea s he
PV ield has encoun e ed many changes in e ms
o echnological e olu ion, p oduc ion, ins alled
capaci y as well as applica ion me hods (Lo e ski,
1993, G een, 2005, Hosenuzzaman, 2015) so
ha nowadays he basic usage o PV echnology
is known o e e ybody.
Some yea s ago, PV echnologies we e s ill
conside ed a b eak h ough inno a ion ha
could be applied in s ic cases and wi h
high cos . They s a ed being used o space
applica ions and hanks o he p og ess in
new ma e ials, manu ac u ing me hods and
be e unde s anding o hei beha iou and
pe o mance, PV s a ed becoming mo e and
mo e popula and accep ed as an al e na i e
ene gy p oduc ion sys em o e es ial
applica ions (S obl, 2009).
BIPV has enabled he implemen a ion o PV, no
only as a echnical de ice bu also as a building
ma e ial, pa o he building en elope and i s
exp essi eness in con empo a y a chi ec u e.
The BIPV ma ke had o wai long ime o gain
c edibili y in compa ison o he con en ional PV
ma ke . Despi e manu ac u e s oday can p o ide
he building sec o wi h a a ie y o in e es ing
p oduc s and cus omiza ion le els, eady o be
used by a chi ec s and planne s, he adop ion
and applica ion o BIPV by he building sec o is
ela i ely slow. I is expec ed ha he Eu opean
BIPV ma ke will expe ience a apid g ow h in he
yea s o come, hanks o some d i e s such as he
Eu opean di ec i e p omo ing he nea ly-Ze o
Ene gy Buildings (Web link 5, F on ini, 2014). Bu ,
apa he posi i e ole o hese leading d i e s,
o he aspec s, s ill obs uc ing he BIPV g ow h,
will ha e o be ecognized and o e come in he
nea u u e.
The i s aspec in ou pe spec i e is s ill cul u al.
In he case o BIPV, di e en ly om a con en ional
PV ins alla ion (Building Added Pho o ol aic,
BAPV), a di e se concep o “in eg abili y” is
equi ed om he Ea ly Design Phase (EDP),
acco ding o a syne gic app oach ha b idges
building and ene gy knowledge. The di icul y
o unde ake a eally in eg a i e app oach om
he i s s ages o design, me ging ene gy, PV
and building equi emen s, emains one o he
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s onges ba ie s o BIPV ma ke p oli e a ion
(Web link 6, Web link 7, Web link 8). Also he
di icul ies o conside and compa e BIPV wi h
o he building cladding ma e ials a he han
wi h con en ional PV, is o en he main cause
leading o he issue o una o dable cos o BIPV.
Mo eo e he success o c ea ing new BIPV
ma ke s depends on he capabili y o o e come
o he p ac ical ba ie s as iden i ied also by he
IEA SHC Task 41 (Web link 9): a good ma ke
a ailabili y ensu ing a good cus omizabili y
and con incing aes he ics, go e nmen al and
local incen i es (Hosenuzzaman, 2015, Azadian,
2013, Sa asa-Maes o, 2013) o ensu ing cos -
e ec i eness, he de elopmen o speci ic
s anda ds and e e ence codes o suppo ing
he building p ac ice, and, mo e in gene al, a
conce ed e o by playe s in he supply chain
o wo k oge he owa ds an in eg a ed design.
In his di ec ion, he pionee ing e e ences
Figu e 1.
BIPV opaque açade. C ys alline
and hin- ilm echnologies
ha e been used as cladding
ma e ial. Re-cladding in he
e u bishmen o Palazzo
Posi i o, Chiasso, Swi ze land.
(as in example Fig.1) de eloped by a chi ec s
and açade make s play an impo an ole as a
ma ke d i e showing he quali y, he beau y
and he possibili ies in a chi ec u e. Mo eo e
he absence o clea s anda ds and e e ence
no ma i e o BIPV sys em’s quali ica ion
is ano he issue: only a e y ew indus ies
make a ailable oday, along wi h he elec o-
echnical ce i ica ion, he building ce i ica ions
complying wi h Cons uc P oduc s Regula ion
305/2011 (Web link 10): his means ha he so
acclaimed mul i unc ionali y o BIPV is no always
ansla ed in clea building equi emen s so ha
he CE-ma king o a BIPV sys em, as a building
p oduc , is o en una ailable.
I , on he one hand, indus y demons a ed
ha BIPV echnology is easible, eliable and in
some cases e en a o dable, on he o he hand
he in o ma ion abou hese sys ems is s ill no
enough and BIPV has no ye ully en e ed he
building sec o (and i s s akeholde s such as
a chi ec s, building enginee s, building indus y,
con ac o s, e c.) in e ms o language, lexicon,
equi emen s and app oach. An example, as
ollowing epo ed, is he ac ha un il now he
documen a ion a ailable o BiPV p oduc s is
o en s ic ly limi ed o elemen a y da ashee s
di ec ly impo ed by con en ional PV panels
and collec ing only basic (mainly elec ical)
pe o mance and ea u es (e.g. dimensions,
weigh ) (F on ini, 2014, Pe e Jellea, 2012,
Bizza i, 2011, Ce ón, 2013, Ve bene, 2014). As a
consequence building equi emen s and p ope
analysis o cons uc ion in e aces wi h he
building skin, compa ibili y wi h building laye s
and ma e ials, echnical de ails o in eg a ion
in building echnical elemen s, main enance
ins uc ions, e c. a e o en missing. The e o e
only agmen ed and pa ial in o ma ion a e
a ailable du ing he design p ocess hus oday
he p oblem is no he use o PV i sel bu he use
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o PV as ac i e building ma e ial (F on ini, 2013).
Lessons lea ned om he his o y o “ echnology
in a chi ec u e” each us ha he ans e o new
echnologies in building ield has always had
a ecu ing and complex p ocess. The “new”
is ini ially used wi hin he adi ional p ocess,
ancho ed o pas a che ypes and o he echniques
o adi ion, wi hou o iginally in oducing a link
be ween echnological inno a ion and inno a ion
in building and a chi ec u e. The old legacies a e
only p og essi ely and slowly o e come, mo ing
om pe manence (use o “new” acco ding o
adi ional/old p ocesses) owa ds inno a ion o
a chi ec u e when he new echnology became
an e ol ing ac o o he whole building concep
(Bonomo, 2015).
In his amewo k, we expec ha a deepe
in o ma ion conce ning BIPV in e ms o building
quali ies and equi emen s will become a c ucial
d i e in o de o o e come he las ba ie s and
o push BIPV as a alid al e na i e o con en ional
building solu ions bo h om a cons uc ional
and a chi ec u al pe spec i e.
2. METHODOLOGY
In he concep ual amewo k desc ibed abo e,
he documen a ion and he analysis o he
s a e-o -a and al eady occu ing e olu ion,
bo h in e ms o a ailable echnologies and
e e ence examples p o ides he s a us o he
“ echnological ans e ” and a eco d o how a
echnology has come. The pape , s a ing om
he ca ego iza ion o PV sys ems o be used in
buildings, will in es iga e he con en s and he
na u e o p oduc s’ in o ma ion oday a ailable
by p oduce s. As a esul , a e iden i ying he
sca ci y o a ailable in o ma ion, a new app oach
o a mo e accu a e desc ip ion o BIPV elemen s
will be p oposed.
Following he p emises and he mo i a ion
al eady explained, he me hodological layou
consis s in:
1. De ini ion o a e e ence ca ego iza ion
o BIPV p oduc s acco ding o a “building-
echnology” app oach;
2. Analysis o he main echnological al e na i es
exis ing on he ma ke and iden i ica ion o
in o ma ion p o ided by manu ac u e s o
desc ibing echnical ea u es o BIPV p oduc s;
3. Iden i ica ion o missing in o ma ion/da a in
compa ison o he building sec o and p oposal
o possible imp o emen s wi h he goal o
suppo a mo e e ec i e echnological ans e
o PV p oduc s in he building sec o (as esul s).
2.1 REFERENCE CATEGORIZATION OF BIPV
SYSTEMS
The ca ego iza ion has he goal o o ganizing
he p oduc analysis acco ding o a e e ence
g ouping clea ly linked o he building skin.
Many a emp s on ca ego izing BIPV p oduc s
ha e been documen ed along he way. The
IEA (Web link 11), BBC Resea ch (Web link 12),
NREL (Web link 13), WIP Munich h ough he
Sun ise p ojec (Web link 14), SEAC (Web link
15), SUPSI (Web link 16) ha e all exp essed a
de ini ion o BIPV. Mo eo e , plen y o o he
de ini ions o “Building In eg a ion”, mo e o
less cohe en , ha e been ela ed o na ional and
local egula ions o incen i es (e.g. Feed-in-
Ta i s and o he suppo ing measu es). In he
amewo k o his pape a new classi ica ion was
pe o med, by means o he e e ence egula o y
o he pe o mance-based building design
(UNI 8290, 1981) in he di ec ion o a common
language be ween PV and building sec o . Thus,

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he analysis was based on a scheme conside ing
(see Fig. 4 as example):
sȩ 4ECHNOLOGICALȩUNITSȩEGȩFAǭADE
sȩ #LASSȩOFȩTECHNICALȩELEMENTSȩEGȩ3TICKSYSTEMȩ
Uni ized cu ain wall, S uc u al Sealan Glazing
SSG, poin - ixed açade, e c.);
sȩ 4ECHNICALȩSOLUTIONSȩEGȩTECHNICALȩALTERNATIVESȩ
such as wa e igh /open join , e c.).
2.2 PRODUCT’S DATA ANALYSIS
The p oduc ’s analysis and da a acquisi ion was
mainly pe o med h ough he e-elabo a ion o
echnical and scien i ic inpu de i ed om he
wide da abases a ailable on he websi e www.
bip .ch (Web link 17), p epa ed by SUPSI in
collabo a ion wi h Ene gieSchweiz (ES) and he
Figu e 2.
The web da abase published
on he websi e www.bip .
ch. I collec s mo e han 100
p oduc s ep esen ing he main
building skin elemen s, and
o each p oduc a echnical
da ashee is a ailable (sou ce:
SUPSI).
Swiss Fede al O ice o Ene gy (SFOE). The lis o
BIPV p oduc s is he co e o he websi e (Fig. 2)
oge he wi h he examples o buildings.
Fu he in o ma ion and da a ha e been collec ed
h ough a esea ch on manu ac u e ’s websi es
and echnical da ashee s, he a endance o
na ional and in e na ional exhibi ions and
symposiums as well as he di ec con ac /
collabo a ion wi h manu ac u e s, a chi ec s and
o he s akeholde s in e es ed in sola ene gy.
This allowed ob aining ealis ic in o ma ion as
well as a mo e comp ehensi e pe spec i e.
Gene al Aspec s Technological Aspec s
P oduc name Technology
P oduce Powe [W]
Coun y Speci ic powe [W/m2]
Ca ego y F on glass
Sub-ca ego y Composi ion o PV modu-
le
Cus om-made possibili-
ies
S uc u al Aspec s Wa an ies & Ce i ica-
ions
Module dimensions
[mm x mm x mm] P oduc wa an y [y s]
Module a ea [m2] Powe wa an y [y s]
Cell numbe Ce i ica ions
Cell dimensions [mm x
mm]
Cell a ea [m2]
Weigh [kg]
Minimum inclina ion [°]
F ame
Table 1.
Da a collec ion o he p oduc
analysis. Main da a a ailable
om he manu ac u es.
72
The in es iga ion ca ied ou in ol ed no only
elec ical cha ac e is ics bu also all he o he
ea u es a ailable om da ashee s such as he
composi ion o he PV module (cells, laye s,
ames, e c.) and he moun ing/in eg a ion
sys em, he da a on dimensions, weigh , ma e ial
laye ing, he ce i ica ions and i s wa an ies as
decla ed by he manu ac u e . In Tab. 1, a lis o
all he main in o ma ion ga he ed is p esen ed.
The able is di ided in o ou main ca ego ies:
gene al, echnological, s uc u al and wa an ies
& ce i ica ions. E en hough mo e han 100
p oduc s a e published on www.bip .ch, 47
sys ems we e chosen o a mo e de ailed analysis
-including bo h oo and açade applica ions-
since hey we e conside ed ep esen a i e
o he cu en ma ke o he pu poses o his
in es iga ion.
The analysis was pe o med h ough he
Figu e 3.
Analysis o in e aces be ween
he BIPV cladding and he
building skin (sou ce: SUPSI).
collec ion o ele an da a in syn he ic ables o
each p oduc ( ha , o b e i y, ha e no been
included in he pape bu can be eques ed o
he au ho s), including bo h Building Applied
PV (BAPV) and BIPV sys ems, gi ing a de ailed
o e iew o all he main ea u es desc ibed in
p oduc s’ da ashee s and epo ed in Tab. 1.
Also an e o aimed o unde s and how BIPV
p oduc s we e co ela ed wi h he building skin
in e ms o cons uc ion echnology, was ca ied
ou o he main echnological solu ions (Fig. 3).
2.3 PROPOSITION OF A NEW INFORMATIVE
APPROACH FOR BIPV
The las pa o his pape p esen s he au ho s’
p oposi ion o a new se o in o ma ion use ul o
be e suppo an e ec i e echnological ans e
o BIPV in he building sec o . By analysing he
websi es o building manu ac u e s ha p oduce
açade/ oo sys ems (claddings, windows,
Figu e 4.
Example o BIPV sys ems
as elemen s o he building
echnological sys em
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cu ain-walls,…) he in es iga ion ocused on he
ype and con en s o he echnical documen a ion
a ailable on he cu en ma ke . This allowed o
de ine he le el o in o ma ion ac ually suppo ing
he design phase in he building sec o and o
compa e i wi h he cu en BIPV indus y, inding
also sugges ions and e e ences.
3. ANALYSIS OF MARKET
INFORMATION FOR BUILDING ADDED
PV (BAPV) PRODUCTS
In his ca ego y en e all p oduc s ha a e used
as an added/o e lapped elemen o he building
en elope, usually h ough he ins alla ion o a
special moun ing sys em. These p oduc s do no
always eplace a building laye as a whole. Fo
his pape he wo main ca ego ies ep esen ing
he echnological uni s will be analysed: oo and
açade p oduc s.
3.1 ROOF BAPV PRODUCTS
In his sub-ca ego y, hi een p oduc s ha e
been e alua ed. The as ening sys em plays
he p ima y ole in hese p oduc s (since he
sys em usually consis s in a moun ing/ancho ing
ki o ixing sola panels) and bo h compa ible
and speci ically p oduced PV modules can
be used. In he case o as ening sys ems ha
inco po a e speci ic modules, he desc ip ion
o he module’s elec ical cha ac e is ics is
a ailable. Fo he majo i y o he p oduc s, he
manu ac u e gi es a desc ip ion o he as ening
sys em along wi h a sepa a e ins alla ion manual
epo ing he whole ki o componen s (p o iles,
aming, hooks, clamps, e c.), he ins alla ion
phases and he moun ing p ocedu es. When
in es iga ing he dimensions o he p oduc , i
is usually no cla i ied whe he hey a e e e ing
o he ins alled sys em o only he modules.
As a as he weigh o he as ening sys em is
conce ned, he si ua ion ge s mo e complica ed
since p oduce s conside di e en e e ences
in da ashee s. Some p oduce s s a e ha he
weigh is e e ing o he module alone,o he
conside only he weigh o he moun ing
sys em, o he p o ide he weigh including
he whole sys em. Almos hal o he sys ems
in es iga ed equi e amed modules because
he p oduc s a e basically consis ing o ails and
clamps ha inco po a e he module along wi h
i s ame. A ew decla e no ame and some gi e
no in o ma ion on he subjec . The a ailabili y
o cus om-made BAPV p oduc s ( as ening
sys ems) o oo s is a he limi ed in compa ison
o ha o BiPV p oduc s since hese sys ems
a e concei ed as s anda dized ki uni e sally
p oduced. Re e ing o he as ening sys em
i sel and no o he PV modules used along wi h
i , he ypical cus omiza ion possibili ies a e he
dimensions o he sys em, he sys em e sion,
he edge co e colou and he p o ile ype and
colou . E en hough hese applica ions a e qui e
con en ional and almos exclusi ely o oo s,
he possible in e e ences o ames, hooks,
ballas ing and ixings wi h he building laye ing
(wa e igh ness, mechanical s abili y, sa e y, e c.)
o he po en ial low e ec i eness o his sys ems
in special con ex s (e.g. e y snowy o windy a eas
wi h high loads) a e some examples ega ding
o which he impo ance o a p ope in o ma ion
assis ing he design p ocess appea s c ucial. The
wa an ies p o ided by he p oduce s we e ound
o be signi ican ly unclea o wha hey we e
e e ing o. The same p oblem occu s also o
he ce i ica ions o he p oduc s. Mos p oduc s
ha e only elec o- echnical ce i ica ions o he
PV modules and no o building equi emen s.
74
3.2 FACADE BAPV PRODUCTS
Eigh p oduc s ha e been analyzed in his
sub-ca ego y. Hal o hem a e s a ed o be
compa ible wi h any PV module a ailable in he
ma ke . The desc ip ion o he sys em by he
p oduce gene ally includes de ails on ma e ials,
p o iles, componen s and ca alogues o
elemen s a ailable. Also he ins alla ion manual
is p o ided o he majo i y o he p oduc s bu
wi h he limi a ion abo e men ioned in e ms
o in e ac ion wi h he building en elope. In
addi ion, p oduce s s a ing he compa ibili y o
hei as ening sys em wi h speci ic PV modules
p o ide in o ma ion conce ning he panel.
Limi ed in o ma ion was ound conce ning bo h
he module and sys em dimensions. Sca ci y o
in o ma ion was iden i ied conce ning need o
ame o he modules o be used in he as ening
sys em. Few manu ac u e s p o ide cus om-
made possibili ies. One in e ms o colo o he
aluminum p o iles and e aine s, one p o ides
cus omized modules (dimensions, colo ). In one
case he possibili y o di e en ma e ials used
and he colo a ie y o a complemen a y pa
o he sys em (a e lec o ) was decla ed. Again,
a lack o wa an ies o p oduc is iden i ied
and when decla ed, hey a e e e ing mainly
o he PV panel and no o he as ening sys em.
Ve y ew a e he p oduc s o which building
ce i ica ions (such as he DIN 18516, DIN 18008-
3) a e decla ed.
4. ANALYSIS OF MARKET
INFORMATION FOR BUILDING
INTEGRATED (BIPV) PRODUCTS
This ca ego y con ains all p oduc s ha may be
used in he building en elope by eplacing he
adi ional cons uc ion ma e ial. Again, also
in his case, only wo main ca ego ies will be
analyzed: oo and açade.
4.1 ROOF BIPV PRODUCTS
In his sec ion se en een p oduc s ha e been
analyzed. Despi e he a ac i eness o hin ilm
echnology p oduc s (appea ance disc e ion,
su oundings ha moniza ion, e c.) all he
iden i ied p oduc s a e c ys alline. In he pas a
big selec ion o hin ilm modules o building
in eg a ion pu poses was o e ed by p oduce s
bu in he las ew yea s e y well-known
manu ac u e s ha e ceased p oduc ion. On he
o he hand, inno a i e sys ems ha e eme ged
ying o join aes he ic, mul i- unc ionali y and
cos e ec i eness so ha hey a e expec ed o
d i e he BIPV indus y in he ollowing yea s.
In his case, BiPV modules ha e e ol ed om
low powe o mo e powe ul modules eaching
Figu e 5.
Example o a BIPV oo sys em
consis ing in a uni ized and
p e-assembled elemen s easy
o ins all on oo s uc u e,
ensu ing wa e esis ance,
he mal insula ion and
p oduc ion o elec ic ene gy
hanks o he in eg a ed PV
(Sou ce: Designe gy SA)
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81
Figu e 11.
Technical ea u es ha
could be included in a new
o ma o da ashee o BIPV
p oduc s in a building-based
app oach.
on hema ic opics such as he mal e iciency,
i e sa e y, du abili y, en i onmen al impac ,
acous ics and heal h p o iding.
In his di ec ion, ha is expec ed o in ol e all
he alue chain in a signi ican e o and wi h a
ce ain ime du a ion, a g adual enhancemen
o in o ma ion could be a igh app oach.
The e ision o he da ashee s om he ac ual
o ma in o mo e use ul and comple e echnical
documen s could be a i s ac ion aken, in he
pe spec i e o p epa e, s ep by s ep, a iche
o e in e ms o p ac ical ools.
SUPSI al eady s a ed some in es iga ions by
analyzing some a che ypal solu ions o di e en
cons uc ional sys ems ( oo s and açade, high
and low ene gy e iciency a ge s, “d y” sys em
o massi e ones, e c.), wi h he scope o assess
he ole o PV wi hin he whole en elope solu ion
(Bonomo P. e al., 2014) .
By conside ing he whole building skin as a
uni a y echnological elemen , he inal esul s
ha e been collec ed in da a-shee s (a sc eensho
is epo ed in Fig. 11) epo ing, along wi h
he con en ional elec ical da a o PV, also
in o ma ion conce ning he ene gy pe o mance
o he building skin (U alue, pa ame e s o
he mal ine ia, e c.), he building equi emen s,
he en i onmen al (embodied ene gy) and
economic in o ma ion (cos s and bene i s). This
app oach, ocused on a mul i-c i e ia analysis,
demons a ed he need o p ojec de elope s
(a chi ec s, ins alle s, e c.) o conside he se e al
in e ac ing aspec s o BIPV and he po en ials
o compa e i , h ough common pa ame e s,
wi h con en ional building p oduc s. Resul s
also con i m ha a mul i-c i e ia pe spec i e is
necessa y o e alua ing he added alues and
bene i s o BIPV as an in eg a ed pa o he
building skin.
The ole o p oduce s, as one o he key-playe s,
is ecognized impo an in co e ing he gap
be ween PV and building sec o . I is expec ed
ha , by in oducing all he expe ience and
complexi y o he “building wo ld”, i will be
possible o co e a i s s ep and o mo i a e he
“building di ec ion” o PV. In his amewo k a
change o pe spec i e is encou aged and, as
summa ized in Tab. 4, s a ing om da ashee s
and echnical in o ma ion his new app oach
should be angibly aken in o accoun .

82
Table 4.
O e iew o possible
in o ma ion ha could be
conside ed in da ashee s and
echnical documen s o BIPV
p oduc s wi h he pu pose o
enhance he PV ans e in he
building sec o .
Gene al
aspec s
PV
Technological
Aspec s
Aes he ical
Aspec s
P oduc
in o ma ion and
de ails
PV echnology
in o ma ion
Cus omizabili y a
cell scale (colo ,
size, e c.)
Clea iden i ica ion
o he PV ole
in he building
en elope. (Class
o echnical
elemen , Technical
solu ion, e c.)
Elec ical
da a (powe ,
empe a u e
coe icien s, e c.)
Cus omizabili y
a module scale
(laye ing, size,
shape, colo , e c.)
Iden i ica ion o
building con-
s uc ion ypolo-
gies (e.g. ligh wei-
gh , massi e, e c.)
Elec ical aspec s:
solu ions o
in eg a e cabling
sys ems, Junc ion
box, mic o-in e -
e s, ba e ies, e c.
Cus omizabili y
a building scale
(moun ing sys em
possibili ies, as-
semblage op ions,
e c.).
Clea d awing:
e.g. exploded
axonome ic iew,
de ails, e c.
Indica ions on
basic elec ical
ins alling p oce-
du es
Co ela ion o
cus omizabili y
wi h ene ge ic,
echnological and
economic aspec s
Cos (in es men
cos , LCC)
Ope a ion and
main enance s a-
egies
Ca alogue o pos-
sible con igu a-
ions
Digi al compo-
nen a ailable (e.g.
CAD, BIM objec s)
Re e ence exam-
ples o each p o-
duc s
Physical and
Pe o mance
Aspec s
Cons uc ion
Aspec s
S anda ds
Wa an ies
Dimensional and
physical aspec s
(size, weigh , e c.)
De ails o each
laye o he BIPV
panel (ma e ials,
pe o mance, e c.)
Elec ical s an-
da ds (Low Vol a-
ge Di ec i e)
The mal and hy-
g ome ic aspec s
(U alue, anspa-
ency, g alue,
he mal ine ia
da a, ai igh ness,
he mal b idge
da a, mois u e
con ol da a)
Building equi-
emen s o be
sa is ied o he
speci ic building
skin applica ion
Building s anda ds
o be espec ed
o each class
o equi emen s
(sa e y, wea-
he p o ec ion,
ene gy e iciency,
en i onmen al
impac , e c.) (CPR
305/2011)
Ene ge ic da a
(e.g. PV ene gy po-
en ial in e e ence
loca ion)
G aphical analy-
sis o echnical
de ails o he in-
eg a ed solu ion
wi h analysis o all
he main nodes
and join s, and he
iden i ica ion o
in e e ences, bes
p ac ice solu ions
BIPV special s an-
da ds
En i onmen al e-
a u es o p oduc s
(e.g. embodied
ene gy, ecyclabi-
li y, e c.)
Indica ions on bu-
ilding ins alla ion
s ages/p ocedu es
(e.g. ins alla ion
guide)
P oduc and powe
wa an y
Indica ion o main-
enance s a e-
gies du ing he
li e-cycle (e.g. use
and main enance
bookle )
Ce i ica ions, de-
cla a ion o pe o -
mances, labels
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o A chi ec u e
Technology and
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Volume 0
83
CONCLUSIONS
Despi e he ac ha BIPV is al eady an acknow-
ledged and a i med sec o whe e a lo o opics
ha e been in es iga ed o a e unde examina-
ion, i is s ill a niche ma ke and ese ed mainly
o a es ic ed g oup o expe , wi h s ill a low
awa eness wi hin he majo i y o he building and
cons uc ion s akeholde s. Goal o his pape ,
s a ing om he examina ion o he p oduc s’
ma ke , is o p opose a building-based app oach
o disclose inno a i e pe spec i es o BIPV sy-
s ems, wi h a speci ic ocus on in o ma ion ega -
ding manu ac u e s and sys em p o ide s. Based
on a la ge da abase o BIPV p oduc s, collec ed
by he au ho s h ough many yea s o ac i i ies
and lis ed on he web-si e www.bip .ch, i has
been p o en ha he cu en s a e o in o ma ion
and documen a ion is no ye adequa e. In he
PV sec o in o ma ion is mainly p o ided by da a-
shee s ha , when e e ing o BiPV p oduc s, a e
no su icien o in o ming he s akeholde s on
he building pe o mance, po en ials and limi s
o he p oduc i compa ed wi h con en ional o
al e na i e building ma e ials o sys ems.
The e o e he main aspec s ha should be a ai-
lable o planne s, a chi ec s and/o owne s o a
BiPV p ojec , ha e been iden i ied, also p esen-
ing some possible sugges ions o o e coming
he ac ual lack o in o ma ion.
In 2016 he new in e na ional s anda d o BIPV
ini ia ed by CENELEC TC82 (Fp EN50583: Pho-
o ol aics in building) will come in o ce, o icially
in oducing he p ocedu es o BIPV p oduc s o
ha e a CE-ma king acco ding o he Cons uc
P oduc Regula ion. In his di ec ion some o he
mos impo an indus ies manu ac u ing BIPV
glasses, hanks o he combina ion o ex ensi-
e glass know-how wi h PV echnology, al eady
de elop and es hei p oduc s acco ding o
CE-ma king o lamina ed sa e y glasses beyond
he no mal elec o- echnical unc ion o PV mo-
dules.
The e o e he need o comply wi h building e-
qui emen s will become compulso y e y soon
o BIPV so ha a p ope building-based app oa-
ch will gain impo ance mo e and mo e.
In his amewo k he pape aims o con ibu e
owa ds an in e disciplina y e o o connec
PV and building sec o , so a es ic ed in de-
coupled p ocess chains ha ha e esul ed om
yea s o specializa ion and di e si ica ion in he
espec i e ields.
Thanks o his in eg a ed app oach -b idging
a chi ec u e, building echnology and ene gy
knowledge- he esea ch is expec ed o p o ide
he undamen als o a new me hodological pa h
common o he a chi ec u e/building enginee-
ing ield and he PV sec o . P ac ical esul s a e
expec ed o c ea e a posi i e impac in he eal
alue-chain as well as ealis ic oppo uni ies o
s a ing up new and conc e e ways o collabo a-
ion be ween esea ch and indus y.
84
Pe e Jellea B. e al, Building in eg a ed pho o ol aic p oduc s:
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10.1016/j.enpol.2012.12.011
S obl G.F.X. e al., 2 F om Ex a e es ial o Te es ial Applica ions.
In: High –E icien Low-Cos Pho o ol aics, Recen De elopmen s
(Op ical Sciences), 2009, pp. 7-27, ISBN 978-3-540-79359-5, doi:
10.1007/978-3-540-79359-5_2
Van Be kel T. e al., Design Inno a ion om PV-Module o Building
En elope: A chi ec u al Laye ing and Non Appa en Repe i ion, 29 h
Eu opean Pho o ol aic Sola Ene gy Con e ence and Exhibi ion,
2014.
Ve bene G. e al., BIPV P oduc s o Facades and Roo s: a Ma ke
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Cons uc P oduc Regula ion. s.l.: REGULATION (EU) No 305/2011
OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL, 2011.
DIRECTIVE 2010/31/EU OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND
OF THE COUNCIL o 19 May 2010 on he ene gy pe o mance o
buildings ( ecas ), 2010
(h p://eu -lex.eu opa.eu/legal-con en /EN/
TXT/?u i=CELEX:32010L0031)
DIRECTIVE 2012/27/EU OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF
THE COUNCIL o 25 Oc obe 2012 on ene gy e iciency, amending
Di ec i es 2009/125/EC and 2010/30/EU and epealing Di ec i es
2004/8/EC and 2006/32/EC, 2012
(h p://eu -lex.eu opa.eu/legal-con en /EN/TXT/?qid=1399375464
230&u i=CELEX:32012L0027)
UNI 8290–1: 1981, Residen ial building. Building elemen s.
Classi ica ion and e minology
Web link 1 h ps://ec.eu opa.eu/ene gy/en/ opics/ene gy-
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