Working group on BIPV
The Energy & Construction Cluster, in collaboration with the iEnergy Institute of HEIA-FR, started a working group on building integrated photovoltaics (BIPV) in autumn 2016. This approach is an integral part of the ACTIVE INTERFACES interdisciplinary research project, supported by the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNF) in the framework of the National Research Program NRP 70.
Solar technologies – in particular photovoltaics (PV) – are one of the main vectors of the energy strategy 2050. Although the market is almost entirely oriented towards building added photovoltaics (BAPV), a larger integration of PV in buildings would further accelerate the dissemination of solar systems, in particular in sensitive urban contexts.
The main objectives of the BIPV working group are to exchange on the current state of the market, identify obstacles to BIPV and conduct activities to overcome these barriers.
The working group is composed of about fifteen participants from diverse backgrounds, interested in this market and in these solutions/technologies :
• Architects
• Manufacturers/installers
• Providers of products/solutions
• Design/planning offices
• Academic partners, public authorities and professional associations related to BIPV
The first two sessions took place on 30 November 2016 and 16 March 2017 in the Halle bleue (blueFACTORY, Fribourg). They enabled to identify precisely and to weight the various obstacles and opportunities linked to BIPV. This contribution will be integrated in the results of the ACTIVE INTERFACES interdisciplinary research project, which focuses more specifically on renovation projects with BIPV in urban areas.
The next meeting of the working group is scheduled in September, the precise date and time are not yet set.
NRP 70 “Energy Turnaround" homepage