1. BIPV Introduction A Building Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV) is one of the segments of the photovoltaic industry, which consists of integrating photovoltaics modules into the building envelope such as the roof or the facade. In other words, it would be an energy source that can be embedded in the building fabric. This is of great interest because combines the photovoltaic technology with building construction. The BIPV replaces conventional building material with a multifunctional one.
The main advantage of this innovation is the reduction of the cost in comparison with PV cells.…show more content… As (9) claims, BIPV still needs further research to reduce its integration costs in order to be able to compete with BAPV systems. We can find specific applications of BIPV technology (6) however, there is still a long way to go until this technology may be commercialized in urban areas.
Thin-film solar cells is another innovation in the photovoltaic field that could compete with BIPV systems. This technology is attractive because of its small thickness that varies from a few nanometers to micrometers. The drawbacks that it presents are low efficiencies rates what implies a larger system to get the same power output. This also entails larger installations costs due to the need of installing more solar panels. Besides, this technology tends to degrade faster than the silicon based PV panels (16).
This technology is still in the first phases of development and it seems to be impossible that could compete with silicon-based panels. In spite of this, (17) suggests that Thin-film industry will experience a remarkable growth in the next few years. According to the study, thin-film solar cells will be the predominant technology in the PV