ABSTRACT
This chapter presents definitions and categories of different types of building-integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) applications. It is shown that BIPV is a solar PV technology with a great future. Not only is the expected market size increasing but a myriad of technological solutions—shown in this chapter—have been developed, and there is more to come. An important driver for the further development of BIPV products and systems is the need to develop near-zero energy buildings for which onsite generation of renewable energy is highly desirable. This requires improved buildings designs, while BIPV can play a crucial role in generating energy from the roof and façades, either opaque or transparent. This is particularly of importance for high-rise buildings and urban environments. As the chapter’s examples clearly show, project developers and architects have a lot of freedom to design aesthetically pleasing renewable energy solutions, thus helping to design sustainable cities of the future. This chapter is well illustrated by numerous examples of BIPV products and BIPV projects.
