Overall, nothing went wrong in the project and the building owner is pleased with the construction and implementation of the PV system. The employees are very satisfied, the premises are modern, light and efficient. The green profile of this building is ideal for an energy company (Mr Paal Skjaeggestad, Glitre Energi).

This has become the most magnificent office building in Drammen. It was definitely a smooth building process, thanks to a great collaboration between the building owner, the contractor and excellent advisors. They went through a three-step process. First they introduced efficiency measures beyond the current building standard requirements. Next, they addressed additional measures to achieve the passive-house standard. Finally, they added solar modules to the building. (Mr Trond Aasheim, Union Eiendomsutvikling)

A BIPV façade is still costly, especially for customized products. At the time of planning and design, not many suppliers were available. The coloured PV technology was not well developed and the project team travelled around Europe to find a suitable solution. The mounting solutions offered were expensive and not suited for Norwegian building methods, which required the use of safety glass in façades. Hence, proper methods were developed. The smooth collaboration between the project actors was imperative to develop new technology that satisfied the requirements for cost, appearance and installation method. Using the competence of local companies was a key factor. Despite some challenges with shading, a low energy price for selling surplus power to the grid and a lack of knowledge about new products, the building owners state that they would do it again, even without public financial support.

In this BIPV installation FUSen started a separate R&D project for green solar cells. This is very unusual. In an ordinary building project everything is streamlined to ensure that the process is as fast and cost-efficient as possible. The efforts made by Union Eiendomsutvikling should inspire other building developers to do the same. A traditional procurement model would not have worked in this project. The product was not available on the market, it was commercialized underway. By breaking out of the traditional way of doing things, it is possible to create new solutions. This is a great example of how to achieve locally generated electricity and an environmentally correct building. (Mr Thor Christian Tuv, FUSen)

The BIPV system costs were increased due to the customized modules of different sizes and the complex string design. The added cost of the BIPV façade was 382 k€ (308 €/m2), where costs associated with a typical façade material have been subtracted. The added cost represents 1.4% of the total building cost. With the public funding received for the BIPV façade, the total added cost was 213 k€ (172 €/m²). The owner calculates 3-4% return on the additional investment compared to a traditional façade. A lifetime of 25-30 years and low maintenance costs are foreseen.