The IEA PVPS report looks into the reasons responsible for BIPV continuing to remain a niche technology in Europe
It blames weak industry partnerships, and lack of supportive regulations as the primary reasons
The report writers recommend increased collaboration across the value chain for the segment to speak in one voice
A new report under Task 15 of the International Energy Agency’s Photovoltaic Power Systems Programme (IEA-PVPS) identifies the key challenges, strengths and opportunities for advancing building integrated PV (BIPV) technology towards its broader commercial adoption.
The report focuses on BIPV ecosystems in 7 countries, namely Austria, Australia, Finland, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and Sweden. Italy has the largest installed capacity of BIPV with more than 2.5 GW deployments.
Authors of the report believe that the BIPV market in these countries continues to remain niche in the absence of any formal institutional framework. Regulations and standards for this technology are either underdeveloped or unspecific. Incentives are available mostly for rooftop solar systems or renewable energy in general.
This pits BIPV in direct competition with building attached PV (BAPV). Since BIPV is not yet considered a building product and there is no specific guideline for its inclusion in the building code regulations, it is viewed as a less mature option with higher complexity and costs.
A lack of collaboration between manufacturers, builders, construction companies and planners exacerbates the problem of mainstreaming BIPV even further, according to the report. Additionally, only Australia and the Netherlands have a dedicated BIPV association or BIPV group under the larger PV association.
“Insufficient networking opportunities for both practitioners and the public contribute to this issue, resulting in limited social cohesion—a problem identified among multiple countries – and a weak voice in advocating for the technology,” explain the authors.
BIPV also has several sub-technologies and applications like continuous roofing, masonry wall, rainscreen façade, window, curtain wall, parapet, balustrade, solar shading, canopy, etc. In all the countries covered, barring Spain, regular sized PV modules lead in solar installations. Spain and Austria lead in PV glazing façade applications.
In terms of applied and granted patents, Italy and the Netherlands are the most active nations in BIPV intellectual properties (IP), followed by Spain.
For a Technology Innovation System (TIS) to transition from a niche to a commercial market, it must function properly. Out of the 8 TIS functions assessed in the report, all countries have at least 3 and up to 8 functions with ‘insufficient fulfilment’ for the growth of a commercial market.
The IEA PVPS report recommends a range of steps to strengthen the growth of BIPV. These include creating a more diverse innovation ecosystem, increased collaboration across the value chain, bridging the cultural and operational divide between the construction and solar sectors, and improving regulations, standardization, and technical guidance to ensure BIPV products are recognized as legitimate construction materials.
Moreover, the report writers emphasize creating targeted incentives and focus on training the industry stakeholders to integrate BIPV effectively into the mainstream.
Titled Analysis of Technological Innovation Systems for BIPV in Different IEA Countries, the report is available for free download on the IEA PVPS website.
In a previous Task 15 report on BIPV, the IEA PVPS report focused on the challenges and advances in the standardization and testing procedures for BIPV (see IEA PVPS Report Reflects On Unified Regulatory Frameworks For BIPV).