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IPV
Integrated
Photovoltaic

A showcase of case studies, 
products and tools for IPV

Supported by:

IEA PVPS Task 15 project aims to create an enabling framework to accelerate the penetration of BIPV products in the global market of renewables.

Operazione co-finanziata dall’Unione europea, Fondo Europeo di Sviluppo Regionale, dallo Stato Italiano, dalla Confederazione elvetica e dai Cantoni nell’ambito del Programma di Cooperazione Interreg V-A Italia-Svizzera

District heating plant of Laces

new construction

Building use: 
industrial
IPV architectural system: 
rainscreen
warm façade
IPV integration year: 
between 2006 and 2010
Source: 
Eurac Research

District heating plant of Laces

Via Nazionale 2a, Laces (BZ), Italy

Introduction

Stakeholders

Aesthetic integration

Energy integration

Technology integration

Decision making

Lessons learnt

Data

Producer and installer

Map

Author

The district heating plant is placed below a wooden slope of the Ötztal Alps. The photovoltaic system is integrated on the West- and South-facing building façades.

STAKEHOLDERS

Main building designer: 

Arch. Werner Pircher

IPV system designer: 

Fleischmann & Jansen

IPV components producer: 

SOLARWATT GmbH

Product type: 
Address: 
Maria-Reiche-Straße 2a, Dresden, Germany
Contact: 
info@solarwatt.com +49-351-8895-0
Web: 
https://www.solarwatt.com/
IPV system installer: 

Wallnöfer Günther & Rudolf Snc

Address: 
Via Industriale 67, Lasa (BZ), Italy
Contact: 
office@elwgr.it +39 0473 626755
Web: 
https://www.elwgr.it/it/home/1-0.html

The BIPV system creates a dark envelope, which is aesthetically embedded in the surrounding landscape. The modules comply with the irregular shape of the building. The plan was designed based on the biomass burners (Eng. Klaus Fleischmann) and the fronts follow the sloped roof, where another PV plant is applied.

Together with the roof PV system, the integrated modules are measured to cover the 20–30% of the electricity building demand, mainly required by the burners (Eng. Klaus Fleischmann).

The integrated PV modules (Solarwatt M140-36 GEG LK XL) are standard semi-transparent glazed panels made of 36 monocrystalline cells. On the building’s west façade, they are fixed through aluminium profiles to the opaque concrete surface with a distance of 8 cm. The air gap generates a stack effect that guarantees the modules natural ventilation. On the building’s south façade, the modules are used as an exposure opening for the burner house, creating a warm façade directly exposed to the internal space. Thanks to a 10–20% transparency, they allow a natural illumination inside. The same mounting system is fixed to a wooden structure.

The building owner (EGL cooperative energy company of Laces) decided to equip the building with a PV plant to partially cover the electric demand of the biomass burners. This was inspired by the provincial programmes aimed to promote solar energy production (Eng. Klaus Fleischmann). The use of renewable energy, which is locally generated, decreases the costs and the environmental impact of the district heating plant. The initial idea was to build a plant on the roof. Later it was decided to install an additional plant on the façades, using the semi-transparent glass modules (Eng. Klaus Fleischmann). Public institutions (European, national and regional) played a crucial role in planning and partially financing the works.

On the south-facing facade, the photovoltaic modules are integrated also replacing transparent glazed surfaces. Other than performing the common functions of building envelope components, they are used as shading devices, guaranteeing the internal visual comfort. The same modules are integrated covering opaque surfaces to give a uniform appearance to the building façades. For the same reason, some fake modules were used (non-rectangular modules) on the top of the West facade, following the sloped roof profile. During the construction works, some panels turned out not to have the correct size and were replaced with other ones. (Eng. Klaus Fleischmann)

PROJECT DATA

Project type: 
BIPV SYSTEM DATA
Architectural system: 
rainscreen, warm façade
Integration year: 
2009
Active material: 
monocrystalline silicon
Module transparency: 
System power [kWp]: 
48.9
System area [m²]: 
446.7
Module dimensions [mm]: 
1,600 x 800
Modules orientation: 
South, West
Modules tilt [°]: 
90
BIPV SYSTEM COSTS
Total cost [€]: 
357,416
€/kWp: 
7,309
€/m²: 
800
IPV components producer: 

SOLARWATT GmbH

Product type: 
Address: 
Maria-Reiche-Straße 2a, Dresden, Germany
Contact: 
info@solarwatt.com +49-351-8895-0
IPV system installer: 

Wallnöfer Günther & Rudolf Snc

Address: 
Via Industriale 67, Lasa (BZ), Italy
Contact: 
office@elwgr.it +39 0473 626755
Via Nazionale 2a, Laces (BZ), Italy

Eurac Research