Massive Integration of PV into Buildings and Infrastructure

Meeting European climate targets demands a dramatic surge in renewable energy adoption. Although photovoltaic (PV) costs have decreased, integrated PV (IPV) remains a niche market due to persistent barriers. The EU-funded MASS-IPV project brings together key players to demonstrate how innovative tools and technologies can pave the way for the mass integration of cost-effective IPV systems in buildings and infrastructure. Through five distinct construction projects, the initiative showcases the potential of multifunctional and cost-effective IPV systems.

Initial Situation

IPV technologies can be seamlessly integrated into buildings and infrastructure, making the solar cells virtually invisible from the outside. Existing technologies offer architects and planners considerable design freedom and new opportunities for implementing innovative building envelopes. Despite its potential, IPV remains a niche market. Although numerous IPV projects are planned, they are often not implemented. Reasons for this include a lack of networking mechanisms between research and industry, as well as gaps in research on the integration of PV in the construction sector. This is associated with higher costs for IPV systems, which represent a significant obstaclebarrier to the widespread acceptance of this technology.

Objective

The project aims to mitigate regulatory, social, and technical barriers that have so far prevented the widespread use of photovoltaics in buildings and infrastructure. Therefore, "MASS-IPV" aims to

• increase the flow of knowledge about IPV,
• reduce economic and regulatory barriers,
• improve and promote solar green roofs,
• increase the sustainability and recyclability of materials in IPV installations,
• enable the visualization and aesthetic evaluation of innovative IPV systems,
• develop lightweight and low-maintenance PV technologies,
• reduce the production costs of innovative BIPV technologies,
• enable the renovation of industrial buildings,
• accelerate PV integration in transport infrastructures,
• integrate digital tools into BIPV planning, and
• improve the monitoring and performance of IPV systems.

Approach

The project is pursuing a variety of measures and innovative approaches to overcome the challenges of integrating PV into buildings and infrastructure.

Measures already underway include the establishment of networks that promote exchange between players in the BIPV industry and provide platforms for best practices. In ddition, further training courses are being offered for skilled workers.

Ongoing research and development (R&D) addresses several innovative topics:

• standardization of BIPV solutions
• solutions for easy installation and maintenance of BIPV systems
• anti-soiling coatings
• fault detection
• user-friendly mounting systems
• ballast-free vertical PV solutions for green roofs
• lightweight PV modules
• digital tools: Further development of tools for design, visualization, environmental assessment, planning, and fault detection
• track & trace functionality: Traceability of the origin of materials and products for the purpose of conducting life cycle analysis (LCA)
• digital product passports (DPPs): Documentation of the properties and sustainability of BIPV
• life cycle analyses and sustainability certificates for BIPV products
  

Result

As part of “MASS-IPV,” researchers at ISE have already developed innovative applications that optimize the integration of photovoltaics into various environments and their functions. These include:

1. A digital tool that predicts the physical interactions between PV modules and vegetation on solar green roofs. The aim is to better understand the physical interactions between PV systems and green roofs. These findings will support the evaluation and optimization of PV green roofs. Planners of PV green roofs can use this information to optimally coordinate PV technologies, module layouts, and plant species. The method is being validated through field measurements on a PV green roof in Kassel.
2. A digital tool that enables the visualization and aesthetic evaluation of building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV). For physically accurate visualizations, it is necessary to take into account the bidirectional reflectance distribution functions (BRDF) of the PV surface for each color coordinate. Therefore, a plug-in for the “Rhino-Grasshopper” planning software was developed to enable realistic visualization of colored BIPV. 
3. Sound-absorbing elements that can be combined with PV modules for noise barriers. Fraunhofer participated in the construction of a test installation together with the Dutch companies “BIPV Projects” and “TULiPPS.” This pilot project is an important step toward a large-scale demonstration project planned along the A59 near Waalwijk (NL).
   

• TULiPPS BV
• Fundación Cidetec
• Fundaciòn Tecnalia Research & Innovation
• Izpitek Solar SL
• Norges Teknisk-Naturvitenskapelige Universitet
• Agenzia per l'Energia e lo Svillupo Sostenibile Associazone
• Over Easy Solar AS
• Bundesverband Gebäudegrün E.V.
• Madaster Shared Services B.V.
• Alucoil S.A.
• Branka Solutions S.L.U.
• Scuola Universitaria Professionale della Svizzera Italiana
• iwin - Innovative Windows Sagl
• BIPV PROJECTS BV
• EnerBIM
• IB Cross Cultural Consulting Sagl
• Silla srl
• Stratagem Energy LTD
• Sunthalpy Engineering
• S.L.