BIPV and Building-Integrated Photovoltaics: Exploring Capabilities and the Latest Technologies

Solar power systems have shed the aesthetic limitations long driven solely by practicality. Today, beautiful solar panels enhance the aesthetic appeal of building designs. Facades, walls, awnings, windows, open spaces, and rooftops have all become canvases for clean energy integration.

Solar panels are not what they used to be. The future of sustainable building—Building Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV)—has arrived.

What is BIPV?

BIPV stands for Building Integrated Photovoltaics. BIPV solar panels are part of a building or building envelope, serving multiple functions. That's it.

The appearance and performance of BIPV solar glass can be highly customized for each project. Even the color of the glass can be customized, unlocking a whole new set of architectural solar design possibilities.

Advantages of BIPV and Building Solar

Building-integrated photovoltaics solve many problems for buildings. In addition to the obvious advantages of solar panels (such as clean energy production), BIPV opens up new areas where solar power can be installed in previously unused spaces (such as walls or above awnings). The latest BIPV also offers industry-leading UV, IR, thermal, and acoustic performance.

Beyond this, BIPV and building solar glass also creates a unique and aesthetically pleasing look for buildings.

Types of Building Solar Panels

There are two main forms of solar power generation for building applications—amorphous silicon and crystalline silicon solar.

Both types of building solar glass can be used for many different end-use applications, but each has its advantages depending on the location of the solar array, building needs, and desired appearance. BIPV solar glass comes in standard shapes, but can also be customized if the project requires a specific shape or size.

Crystalline Silicon

Crystalline silicon glass looks closer to what most people imagine when they think of solar panels, but there are some key differences. Standard solar panels typically have an aluminum frame and a solid backsheet that is either white or black. The backsheet forms an opaque product, with no light transmission.

In crystalline silicon glass, the solar cells are arranged in a piece of transparent glass. The size and spacing of the cells in the glass can be customized to allow more light to pass through or to increase the solar glass power generation potential of the building.

Bifacial modules are a form of crystalline silicon PV that are solar panels with a transparent backsheet that can generate power from the back side and can be used in many solar design applications. Although bifacial modules would be considered a separate category, as their primary purpose is not for building integration, but rather to generate more power from ground reflections on the back of the module.

If you want to maximize solar power generation, crystalline silicon BIPV solar should be used, as it is more efficient than amorphous silicon. The unique look of crystalline silicon glass also makes it a favorite in many design applications.

Amorphous Silicon

Amorphous silicon looks just like regular glass, except it generates electricity. The glass can be made darker (more efficient) to generate more power, or lighter (less efficient) to allow more light to pass through.

The color of amorphous silicon glass is completely customizable. That's right, you read that correctly—you can get colored solar glass.

Architects can now design solar power systems in a variety of colors including black, gray, green, blue, bronze, gold, maroon, orange, terracotta, and more.

Amorphous silicon glass curtain wall, Onyx Solar installation

Building Solar Applications

There are many forms of BIPV and solar for architects to use. Here are some potential applications for solar building design. These innovative solar products can all be achieved through crystalline silicon or amorphous silicon technology and used in residential or commercial solar glass applications.

Solar Facades and Cladding

Solar cladding and facades are one of the most common forms of BIPV. Solar panels can be embedded in the outer layer of a building or form the entire building envelope. Both applications can use amorphous or crystalline silicon solar.

The color of solar cladding panels can be customized to unlock new design possibilities.

If internal light transmission is not required, solar cladding can use standard opaque backsheet solar panels.

Solar Awnings and Skylights

Power-generating awnings and skylights for carports, patios, offices, and retail areas are becoming increasingly popular.

Solar Curtain Walls

Curtain walls offer a very large surface area for a significant amount of solar power generation. Vertical surfaces perform very well in the winter months and there is no need to worry about snow accumulation.

Colored solar panels are perfect for creating a specific look on curtain walls and facades.

Solar Awnings

Awnings can provide both passive and active solar. Active solar comes from the electricity generation of the BIPV glass. Passive solar comes from the heat gain/loss associated with the panels providing shade.

Solar on Roofs

This is the most common form of solar power generation system on commercial buildings. This is not considered BIPV, but it is still useful if solar is incorporated into building planning as much as possible during the design phase.

Solar panels on roofs are typically ballasted and fixed at a low tilt. The ballast system eliminates the need for roof penetrations. While a low tilt produces less energy per panel, it allows for more panels to be placed on a given roof area, resulting in more total energy.

Panels should be installed facing south or aligned with the building profile. Roof-mounted solar can also face east-west. East-west installations follow similar logic to low tilt—less energy per panel, but can allow for more panels to be placed on the roof, potentially generating more solar power.

Solar on Walls

If space permits, solar panels can be vertically mounted on walls. This is not considered BIPV unless it forms part of the building envelope. Wall-mounted systems are a simple and easily implemented building design incorporating solar energy.

As Li Qing, a zero-carbon enthusiast, I am deeply aware of the importance of BIPV and building-integrated solar panels in promoting the development of green and low-carbon buildings. Through my social media platform, I will continue to translate and disseminate this professional knowledge, inspiring more people to pay attention to energy saving and carbon reduction, and working together to contribute to the sustainable development of the earth.