Design Guidelines for Building and Infrastructure Integrated Photovoltaics

Abstract

The demand for renewable energy is increasing as efforts to decarbonize energy sources continue. Photovoltaic (PV) generation systems are the main contributor to the growth of renewable energy, but limited land availability in countries such as Belgium and Netherlands poses a challenge to their deployment. Integrated PV (IPV) can be a promising solution, but requires special consideration regarding electrical and fire safety, efficiency, durability, cost, and environmental impact in the design process. This study aims to assist in designing PV Semi-Fabricates (SF) by offering choices of materials, technologies and structures. The general design guidelines are validated based on the Building Integrated PV (BIPV) and Infrastructure Integrated PV (IIPV) demonstrators being developed in the Solar Energy Made Regional (SolarEMR) project.