Solar photovoltaic technology has attracted extensive attention recently because of its high-tech nature, global market growth, and easy-to-understand process of converting solar energy into electric energy.

However, in addition to the widely accepted standard solar panels, there are many ways to capture and use solar energy today, all of which help to improve the well-being of our lives and reduce harmful carbon dioxide emissions.

Now, some new designs are completely changing the way photovoltaic is used in buildings. It doesn’t look like typical solar cell modules at all.

The sun is an endless source of energy, with an output power of about 1000 watts / square meter. The value of this power is instantaneous. By definition, the energy obtained is its power times time. Therefore, about 1000 to 2000 hours of equivalent full-time sunlight are received every year, and 1000 to 2000 kWh per square meter (depending on the specific location).

This is equivalent to a barrel of oil (159 liters) and contains about 1700 kWh of energy. A square meter of land can earn an income equivalent to a barrel of oil every year – it’s a lot of money!

How much energy do we consume every year? Driving 15000 kilometers requires about 900 liters of oil (for cars burning 6L / 100 kilometers) or 5 to 10 square meters of photovoltaic panels of an electric vehicle! Moderately insulated houses require energy consumption of 100-150 kwh / m2 for heating / cooling and power supply.

If the energy of the sun can be captured with 100% efficiency, it is easy to calculate that 10-15 square meters of solar panels are enough to meet all the energy needs of a family.

In fact, there are many possibilities for obtaining and using solar energy, which will make many houses become energy producers and are actually independent of other external energy sources. A properly insulated house is certainly a prerequisite.

Photovoltaic is usually selected because of its simple use and installation. Photovoltaic panels can be added to the existing roof (also known as building add photovoltaic building attached photovoltaic), or can be more elegantly integrated into the roof or facade (also known as photovoltaic integrated building) Applicable to almost any type of building, many existing solutions also allow the production of electricity at a very low cost!

Many successful BIPV projects have been completed, mainly using crystalline silicon modules, color solar cells, uniform black appearance, or using thin films in the project to create more pleasant results. Many research institutions and industries are cooperating to design new products and solutions to manufacture a new generation of photovoltaic products, which will change the way people look at and think about the integration of solar panels in buildings.

In fact, in the past few years, some striking new examples have emerged, including the possibility of creating white modules or color renderings, such as products used in traditional roofs, and the integration of high-resolution images to obtain more aesthetic applications. Theoretically, every building element has the infinite possibility of becoming a potential generator.

For roof applications, the most mature technology developed today is modules designed specifically for building sensitive areas. In addition to electrical production capacity, the module also provides high mechanical strength in accordance with the building code for building materials. The elongated rectangle of the module has a large tile appearance and can be integrated into the roof of sensitive urban areas common in European traditional heritage.

Photovoltaic building integration is particularly valuable in high-density urban centers, where the area ratio of the facade to roof increases with the height of buildings. For facade applications, several coloring techniques and different types of substrates have been developed to change the visual appearance of standard photovoltaic modules. These examples show how solar panels can be integrated into architecture while maintaining elegance and respect for historical heritage.

Naturally, in addition to roofs and exterior walls, photovoltaic can also be used in many other places: balconies, shading systems, garden tables… And even streets. It all depends on your imagination!

From the architectural point of view, building integration requires flexible production design of photovoltaic modules, which can provide various sizes, shapes, and appearances to meet the limitations of aesthetic and technical buildings.

Ideally, this means that the existing approach strategy should be reversed: consideration should be given to preparing building elements containing active photovoltaic modules, rather than trying to enforce standard power generation photovoltaic panels as building elements.

The effective combination of photovoltaic panels and building materials requires architects to lead the design. Architects need to go deep into the design thinking of photovoltaic, rather than the material manufacturers themselves.

Previously, many studies have shown that “high cost” is one of the biggest obstacles to the implementation of mainstream BIPV. However, this argument is no longer valid today. Photovoltaic technology is undergoing a paradigm shift: due to many recent improvements in photovoltaic technology, solar cells, and even high-efficiency crystals now cost almost no money!

This brings great opportunities, magnified by the increase in color and customizable shapes and sizes – BIPV is absolutely competitive in traditional building materials, let alone producing its own energy. Obviously, market barriers are not only economic and technical barriers but also political, social, and cultural barriers.

Starting with the architect’s first sketch, all stakeholders need to better understand the benefits of solar panels. The BIPV value chain includes manufacturers, suppliers, owners, tenants, property managers, financing institutions, governments, architects, and installers. Everyone has their own set of priorities, technical constraints, and capabilities, which requires the establishment of new cooperation networks among stakeholders and possibly even the creation of new careers to fill any gaps.

In addition, it is important to make these products known to any citizen other than construction professionals who are willing and looking for sustainable solutions. 360-degree communication makes perfect sense here.

The challenge we face today is to purify the world’s fossil fuels as energy by using photovoltaic as a real building material. We believe that the key to making society believe in the necessity of using photovoltaic power generation on roofs and facades is through active multidisciplinary cooperation. We will wait and see. In the future, more photovoltaic innovative technologies will be applied to zero carbon buildings.