Integrated Photovoltaics

The integration of PV technology in buildings, vehicles and roadways and its incorporation into agricultural and water areas as well as in urban areas promises a technical potential of several terawatts of installable capacity. Instead of conflicts of use, there are synergies such as strengthening climate resilience in agriculture and for bodies of water, noise protection on roads and railways and weather protection for vehicles and traffic routes.

We develop technologies that help to tap into this attractive potential. Integrated PV requires individual solutions that meet multifunctional and often aesthetic requirements. We support our customers in the development of special module designs and the selection of suitable materials.

In our accredited calibration laboratory CalLab PV Modules, we determine the precise performance data of the modules under various operating conditions and create the basis for yield simulations. We test the reliability of innovative module designs based on new materials in our accredited TestLab PV Modules and prepare the product certification. In the Outdoor Performance Lab, we examine and evaluate the performance of PV modules and systems in operation.

The integration of photovoltaics is often accompanied by an adaptation and optimization of the entire electrical system. We therefore develop customized, holistic solutions including battery storage and power electronic converters, from system planning to software.

 

Fields of Work

In the research topic "Integrated Photovoltaics" we focus on the following fields of work:

Agrivoltaics

Technical optimization and quality assurance of agrivoltaic systems for maximum yields of PV energy and crop.

Biodiversity Photovoltaics

Biodiv-PV produces electricity and biodiversity on the same area.

Peatland Photovoltaics

An Incentive for the Rewetting of Degraded Peat Soils.

Building-Integrated Photovoltaics

Building physics modeling, development and evaluation of building-integrated PV modules

Floating Photovoltaics

Analysis of the interaction between PV and water, technical optimization and quality assurance.

Urban Photovoltaics

Technical optimization and quality assurance of PV on sealed surfaces in cities and municipalities.

Green-Roof Photovoltaics

Green-Roof PV

Vehicle-integrated Photovoltaics

Technology development for the mechanical and electrical integration of photovoltaics in vehicles.

Road-integrated Photovoltaics

Module and system development for PV road roofing and PV noise protection.

Studies and Analyses

We prepare potential studies, yield forecasts, techno-economic analyses and life cycle analyses for all integrated PV technologies.

Calculating Land Potential

At Fraunhofer ISE, we investigate the potential for integrated PV at local, regional and national level on the basis of geographical information systems (GIS). We take specific boundary conditions into account by means of multi-criteria decision analyses of current PV technologies. This also includes the current stock of the respective PV technology.

Our services for municipalities, federal states and industry

  • Recording and classification of boundary conditions
  • Spatially resolved solar potentials for various PV technologies
  • Site evaluation based on various criteria (e.g. geographical, legal and technical factors)
  • Localization and classification of suitable areas
  • Scenario-based solar potentials
  • Yield simulations for various module technologies, including bifacial PV

Yield Forecasts

Fraunhofer ISE draws on meaningful radiation and weather data and simulates the structure of the system precisely. Yield-reducing factors such as soiling and shading are precisely determined.

Techno-economic and Life Cycle Analyses

We analyze the costs for specific components, complete systems and ultimately for power generation (€/kWh), depending on materials and manufacturing processes. As part of a sustainability assessment, we can determine CO2 emissions, energy and material efficiency over the entire life cycle.

R&D Infrastructure

At Fraunhofer ISE, we benefit from this infrastructure for our research and development activities:

 

Photovoltaic Modules

Module-TEC

Module Technology Evaluation Center

Production and Process Technology and Extensive Analysis Options for Module Technology

 

Photovoltaic Modules

CalLab PV Modules

Our services range from the calibration of individual cells and modules to customer-specific tasks such as the calibration of bifacial modules.

 

Photovoltaic Modules

TestLab PV Modules

Measurements and tests for the design qualification and type approval of PV modules

 

Outdoor Performance Lab

Precise Evaluation of PV Modules

 

Building-integrated Photovoltaics

TestLab Solar Façades

Optical and thermal characterization of façade-integrated PV components

Selected Research Projects

 

PVwins

Development of Wall-Integrated PV Elements for Noise Protection

 

Design2PV

Development of industrially manufacturable BIPV modules with high efficiency, innovative design and great design freedom

 

PV2GO

Solar Potentials of German Traffic Routes

Information Materials & Flyers on the Topic "Integrated Photovoltaics"

  • Floating Photovoltaics

     

    Floating photovoltaics (FPV) is an innovative technology with the potential to contribute significantly to the energy transition. Installed on floating structures in artificial bodies of water or offshore, FPV power plants can be deployed in flooded mining lakes, gravel pits and reservoirs.

    download [ PDF  0.65 MB ]
  • Integrated Photovoltaics – Activating Surfaces for the Energy Transition

     

    Photovoltaics is regarded as one of the most important pillars of the future energy supply. By the end of 2021, 59 GWP of photovoltaics had been installed in Germany, with about 75 % on roofs and the rest ground mounted. The integration of PV into buildings, vehicles and roads as well as the incorporation into agricultural and water areas and public places in urban centers unlocks vast areas for energy generation with a high economic potential.

    download [ PDF  1.36 MB ]
  •  

    In order to determine the solar radiation potential of passenger cars, we are currently investigating and measuring solar radiation on German roads as part of a citizen science campaign with 80 vehicles. The data will be used in new simulation models for solar radiation on traffic routes. This would allow drivers to calculate how far they could drive with solar energy, at what time and on which route.

    download [ PDF  1.08 MB ]
  • Solar Roofing Modules Replace Roof Tiles

     

    According to a study by Fraunhofer ISE, photovoltaic systems on Germany’s roofs have a technical potential of approx. 560 GWp. So far, rooftop systems have mostly been installed on house roofs. However, with a widespread expansion of rooftop solar installations, there is a risk that the public’s acceptance of photovoltaic systems could decline. One solution is to use integrated solar modules instead of roofing tiles, which are visually hardly distinguishable from conventional roofing tiles and produce solar power at the same time.

    download [ PDF  0.68 MB ]

Current Publications on the Topic "Integrated Photovoltaics"

Jahr
Year
Titel/Autor:in
Title/Author
Publikationstyp
Publication Type
2025 Optimizing aesthetic appearance of perovskite solar cells using color filters
Schaible, Jonas; Winarto, Hanifah; Škorjanc, Viktor; Yoo, Danbi; Zimmermann, Lea; Jäger, Klaus; Sekulic, Ivan; Schneider, Philipp-Immanuel; Burger, Sven; Wessels, Andreas; Bläsi, Benedikt; Becker, Christiane
Zeitschriftenaufsatz
Journal Article
2025 International inter-laboratory comparison of solar heat gain coefficient of building-integrated photovoltaic modules - Results of tests with or without power generation and tests with PV cell coverage ratios
Ishii, Hisashi; Wilson, Helen Rose; Hagihara, Shinji; Amann, Ulrich; Shabunko, Veronika; Boddaert, Simon
Zeitschriftenaufsatz
Journal Article
2025 Optics for terawatt-scale photovoltaics: review and perspectives
Jäger, Klaus; Aeberhard, Urs; Alarcon Llado, Esther; Bläsi, Benedikt; Burger, Sven; Ehrler, Bruno; Favre, Wilfried; Fejfar, Antonin; Gageot, Tristan; Gordon, Ivan; Helmers, Henning; Höhn, Oliver; Izabella, Olindo; Jost, Marko; Ledinsky, Martin; Mandal, Jyotirmoy; Manley, Phillip; Munoz, Delfina; Omair, Zunaid; Ortiz Lizcano, Juan Camilo; Paetzold, Ulrich W.; Raman, Aaswath P.; Sai, Hitoshi; Saive, Rebeca; Schmid, Martina; Yablonovitch, Eli; Becker, Christiane
Zeitschriftenaufsatz
Journal Article
2024 Enabling Silver-Free Metallization of the Rear Side of iTOPCon Cells Through Laser Bonding of Thin Aluminum Foil
John, Oliver; Ourinson, Daniel; Emanuel, Gernot; Brand, Andreas; Nekarda, Jan; Preu, Ralf
Vortrag
Presentation
2024 APyV: Designing Agrivoltaic Facilities Considering Crop Needs
Gfüllner, Leonhard Josef; Amelung, Kawan; Bruno, Maddalena; Gerber, Simone; Berwind, Matthew
Vortrag
Presentation
2024 MorphoFlex: A Film Based Implementation of the MorphoColor Concept for Colored Photovoltaic Modules
Bläsi, Benedikt; Mattenheimer, Martin; Wessels, Andreas; Wellens, Christine; Markert, Jochen; Reinwand, Dirk; Hauser, Hubert; Mick, Jörg; Fels, Leon; Kindle-Hasse, Brunhilde; Kroyer, Thomas
Vortrag
Presentation
2024 Design of periodic dielectric multilayer thin films for colorizing PV panels
He, Tangyue; Ma, Tao; Bläsi, Benedikt; Li, Zhenpeng; Li, Sinan; Chen, Yuning
Zeitschriftenaufsatz
Journal Article
2024 Multi-dimensional evaluation of BIPV installations: Development of a tool to assess the performance as building component and electricity generator
Wilson, Helen Rose; Frontini, Francesco; Bonomo, Pierluigi; Eder, Gabriele C.; Babin, Markus; Thorsteinsson, Sune; Adami, Jennifer; Maturi, Laura; Yang, Rebecca Jing; Weerasinghe, Nilmini; Martin-Chivelet, Nuria; Boddaert, Simon; Frischknecht, Rolf
Zeitschriftenaufsatz
Journal Article
2024 AgriChance. Agri-PV als Chance für Landwirtschaft und Energiewende in Hamburg - Entscheidungshilfevorhaben zur Darlegung des Potenzials, der ökonomischen Betrachtung und energetischen Integration
Hauger, Salome; Bieber, Lisa-Marie; Schürmer, Tarek; Lieb, Vanessa; Trötsch, Helen; Torres Boggio, Alexa Aldana; Hopf, Michaela; Rößner, Johanna-Viktoria; Böhm, David; Grolik, Sebastian; Hecker, Pauline
Bericht
Report
2024 Thermal effect of VIPV modules in refrigerated trucks
Alanis, Luis Eduardo; Velte-Schäfer, Andreas; Jajoo, Nishant; Schüler, Marc Andre; Rendler, Li Carlos; Neuhaus, Holger; Heinrich, Martin
Zeitschriftenaufsatz
Journal Article
2024 SolarEnvelopeCenter - Planungsunterstützung für die Solarisierung der Gebäudehülle im Neubau und Bestand
Wilson, Helen Rose; Ensslen, Frank; Kuhn, Tilmann; Membarth, Richard; Luft, Christian; Balog, Valentin; Babetzki, Kai; Dilthey, Baldur; Geier, Sebastian; Jung, Oliver; Sting, Joachim; Haselhuhn, Ralf
Konferenzbeitrag
Conference Paper
2024 MorphoFlex: Integrating MorphoColor on Polymeric Films in Photovoltaic Modules
Bläsi, Benedikt; Mattenheimer, Martin; Wellens, Christine; Markert, Jochen; Wessels, Andreas; Hauser, Hubert; Mick, Jörg; Fels, leon; Kindle-Hasse, Brunhilde; Kroyer, Thomas
Poster
2024 Wandel spielerisch erleben: Das digi.farming.lab als Agri-PV-Demonstrator zur Förderung der Agrar- und Energiewende
Wanta, Helge; Kollersberger, Tanja; Zoll, Felix; Wilke, Agnes Katharina; Porepp, Katharina; Schneider, Hendrik
Konferenzbeitrag
Conference Paper
2024 Glass Textures for Photovoltaic Modules - an Overview
Bläsi, Benedikt
Vortrag
Presentation
2024 Component-based SHGC determination of BIPV glazing for product comparison
Wilson, Helen Rose; Kuhn, Tilmann; Ishii, Hisashi; Valencia-Caballero, Daniel; Martin-Chivelet, Nuria; Peng, Jinqing; Yang, Rebecca Jing; Zang, Yukun; Ge, Hua; Ye, Kai; Jonsson, Jacob C.; Kapsis, Konstantinos
Zeitschriftenaufsatz
Journal Article
2024 Floating Photovoltaic in Chile: Potential for Clean Energy Generation and Water Protection
Jung, David; Schönberger, Frederik; Moraga, Francisco; Ilgen, Konstantin; Wieland, Stefan
Zeitschriftenaufsatz
Journal Article
2023 Chancen und Herausforderungen von Parkplatz-PV
Haider, Fritz; Eisenlohr, Johannes
Vortrag
Presentation
2022 Herausforderungen bei der Energiewende
Bett, Andreas W.
Vortrag
Presentation
2022 Softwareunabhängig-verlustfreie Projektdatenumgebung und föderal-selbstbeschreibende parametrische Modellierung multifunktionaler Bauprodukte auf Basis des Semantic Web mit Fokus auf die Gebäudehülle. Schlussbericht
Maurer, Christoph; Rist, Tim; Kuhn, Tilmann; Shi, Meiling; Huyeng, Tim-Jonathan; Hoffmann, André; Thiele, Christian-Dominik; Rüppel, Uwe; Sprenger, Wendelin
Bericht
Report
2022 Progress and Challenges of Crop Production and Electricity Generation in Agrivoltaic Systems Using Semi-transparent Photovoltaic Technology
Gorjian, S.; Bousi, Erion; Özdemir, Özal Emre; Trommsdorff, Maximilian; Manoj Kumar, N.; Anand, A.; Kant, K.; Chopra, S.S.
Zeitschriftenaufsatz
Journal Article
2022 APV-Bot Demonstrator
Fahmy, Karim Mohamed Tamer Mahmoud
Vortrag
Presentation
2022 Building Product Ontology: Core Ontology for Linked Building Product Data
Wagner, A.; Sprenger, Wendelin; Maurer, Christoph; Kuhn, Tilmann E.; Rüppel, U.
Zeitschriftenaufsatz
Journal Article
2021 Aktueller Stand der Forschung/Entwicklung für Gebäudeintegrierte PV
Kuhn, Tilmann
Vortrag
Presentation
2021 Production of Photovoltaics in Europe. Opportunities and Challenges
Bett, Andreas W.
Vortrag
Presentation
2021 Potential of Agrivoltaics to Contribute to Socio-Economic Sustainability: A Case Study in Maharashtra / India
Trommsdorff, Maximilian; Vorast, Maximilian; Durga, N.; Padwardhan, S.
Konferenzbeitrag
Conference Paper
2021 Evaluating BIPV Modules with Respect to Textural Appearance, Glare, Colour and Electricity Yield
Wilson, Helen Rose; Bueno Unzeta, Bruno; Eisenlohr, Johannes; Kuhn, Tilmann
Konferenzbeitrag
Conference Paper
2021 Proposal for a Safety Qualification Program for Vehicle-Integrated PV Modules
Markert, Jochen; Kutter, Christoph; Newman, B.; Gebhardt, Paul; Heinrich, Martin
Zeitschriftenaufsatz
Journal Article
2021 PV Manufacturing in Europe. Statements
Bett, Andreas W.
Vortrag
Presentation
2021 The MorphoColor Concept for Colored Photovoltaic Modules
Bläsi, Benedikt; Kroyer, Thomas; Kuhn, Tilmann E.; Höhn, Oliver
Zeitschriftenaufsatz
Journal Article
2021 Opening Address EU-PVSEC 2021
Bett, Andreas W.
Vortrag
Presentation
2021 Integrating PV: PV where People Live, Work and Farm
Wirth, Harry
Vortrag
Presentation
2021 Legal Framework of Agrivoltaics in Germany
Vollprecht, Jens; Trommsdorff, Maximilian; Hermann, C.
Konferenzbeitrag
Conference Paper
2021 Materialinnovationen für die Solarenergie
Bett, Andreas W.
Vortrag
Presentation
2021 Untersuchung verschattungsoptimierter Halbzellenmodule mit einlaminierter Leistungselektronik für das MPP-Tracking auf Substring-Ebene
Armbruster, Cornelius; Kutter, Christoph; Schmid, A.; Tummalieh, Ammar; Rouffaud, Gilles; Basler, Felix; Wille-Haußmann, Bernhard; Famulla, J.; Schüler, Marc Andre; Oyebanji, U.O.
Konferenzbeitrag
Conference Paper
2021 Durchführbarkeitsstudie zur Ermittlung möglicher Forschung- und Demonstrationsfelder für Agri-Photovoltaik in Baden-Württemberg
Hörnle, Oliver; Riedelsheimer, Julia; Trommsdorff, Max; Keinath, Tobias; Binder, Florian; Weinmann, Ernst; Klodt, Frederik; Zikeli, Sabine; Pataczek, Lisa; Rueß, Franz; Köppler, Kirsten; Glas, Michael; Mayr, Ulrich; Frey, Michael; Kromrey, Volker; Vedel, Dimitri; Klein, Alexandra
Studie
Study
2021 Potenziale der Integrierten Photovoltaik in Deutschland
Wirth, Harry; Eggers, Jan-Bleicke; Trommsdorff, Maximilian; Neuhaus, Dirk Holger; Heinrich, Martin; Wieland, S.; Schill, Christian
Konferenzbeitrag
Conference Paper
2021 BauwerkIntegrierte PV (BIPV) Stand der Forschung & Entwicklung
Kuhn, Tilmann
Vortrag
Presentation
2021 Solarstrom als Pfeiler des Energiewandels
Bett, Andreas W.
Vortrag
Presentation
2021 The MorphoColor Concept for Colored Photovoltaic Modules and Solar Thermal Collectors
Bläsi, Benedikt; Wessels, Andreas; Callies, Adrian; Eisenlohr, Johannes; Ensslen, Frank; Kuhn, Tilmann; Kroyer, Thomas; Höhn, Oliver
Vortrag
Presentation
2020 Implementation of agrophotovoltaics. Techno-economic analysis of the price-performance ratio and its policy implications
Schindele, Stephan; Trommsdorff, Maximilian; Schlaak, A.; Obergfell, Tabea; Bopp, Georg; Reise, Christian; Braun, Christian; Weselek, A.; Bauerle, A.; Högy, P.; Goetzberger, Adolf; Weber, Eicke R.
Zeitschriftenaufsatz
Journal Article
2020 Bridging two Worlds - Standards for BIPV
Wilson, Helen Rose
Vortrag
Presentation
2020 Spray Pyrolysis - a Versatile Technique for Thin Film Deposition in PV
Bartsch, Jonas; Heitmann, Ulrike; Jakob, Leonie; Mahmoud Algazzar, R.; Tutsch, Leonard; Hermann, R.; Kluska, Sven; Bivour, Martin; Bläsi, Benedikt; Hauser, Hubert; Janz, Stefan; Glatthaar, Markus
Konferenzbeitrag
Conference Paper
2020 Colored Modules for Integrated PV: From the MorphoColor-Concept to High Efficiency Prototypes
Bläsi, Benedikt
Vortrag
Presentation
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