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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

Multi-family house in Appiano

renovation

Building use: 
residential
IPV architectural system: 
opaque roof
IPV integration year: 
between 2006 and 2010
Source: 
Eurac Research

Multi-family house in Appiano

Appiano (BZ), Italy

Introduction

Stakeholders

Aesthetic integration

Energy integration

Technology integration

Decision making

Lessons learnt

Data

Producer and installer

Map

Author

The PV system is integrated on four dormers, on the western roof slope of a residential building built in 1977 in the historical town centre of Appiano.

STAKEHOLDERS

Main building designer: 

Building owner

IPV system designer: 

Building owner

IPV components producer: 

Kaneka Corporation

Product type: 
Address: 
1-12-32, Akasaka, Minato-ku, Tokyo, Japan
Contact: 
+81-3-5574-8000
Web: 
https://www.kaneka.co.jp/en/
IPV system installer: 

PVEnergy Srl

Address: 
Via Johann Georg Plazer 42F, Appiano (BZ), Italy
Contact: 
info@pvenergy.it +39 0471 1550637
Web: 
http://www.pvenergy.it/

It represents an interesting retrofit installation where the dark surfaces of the photovoltaic modules are installed next to the traditional roof tiles. This contrast is not visible from the surrounding building or from the street (building owner)

With a nominal power of 1.92 kWp, the BIPV system covers almost the 70% of the top apartment’s electricity demand thanks to an annual energy production of around 1,900 kWh. The photovoltaic output is especially used for the building conditioning system (building owner).

The BIPV plant is composed of 32 thin-film amorphous silicon standard modules (Kaneka K60). The modules are installed on aluminium planks which are fixed on the dormers’ metal sheets through special grab connectors. This mounting system does not require drilling the metal sheets, ensuring the roofs weather tightness. The natural ventilation of the PV plant is guaranteed thanks to an air gap between the modules and the roof.

The building owner decided to install a photovoltaic plant in order to balance the increase of the electricity demand following the installation of a new air-conditioning system. He designed the PV plant as a distinctive in-roofing system, using the existing dormers as support. The purpose was to hide the modules from view, covering the dormers with the same shape and size. In this way, the difference between the plant surfaces and the roof tiles is not noticeable (building owner).

The PV integration had good results concerning several aspects. Aesthetically, the designer met the objectives to keep the original homogeneous surface of the pitched roof by placing uniformly the modules on the dormers. A better aesthetic integration could have been performed by closing the air gaps, but the modules are hidden from view so it was not necessary to do so. Economically, the selected module technology (with low efficiency) allowed the photovoltaic plant to stay within the small plant’s category of the Italian energy service management body (GSE). Technically, after the construction work was finished, a minor intervention was required in order to avoid snow damage on the roof gutter (building owner). As a multifunctional technology, BIPV should be designed taking several targets into account (e.g. the ones mentioned above) which have to be balanced according to the main project purposes.

PROJECT DATA

Project type: 
Coverage of electric consumption [%]: 
70
BIPV SYSTEM DATA
Architectural system: 
Opaque roof
Integration year: 
2007
Active material: 
Amorphous silicon
Module transparency: 
System power [kWp]: 
1.92
System area [m²]: 
30
Module dimensions [mm]: 
960 x 990
Modules orientation: 
West
Modules tilt [°]: 
8
Annual PV production [kWh]: 
1,900
BIPV SYSTEM COSTS
Total cost [€]: 
10,000
€/kWp: 
5,208
€/m²: 
333
IPV components producer: 

Kaneka Corporation

Product type: 
Address: 
1-12-32, Akasaka, Minato-ku, Tokyo, Japan
Contact: 
+81-3-5574-8000
IPV system installer: 

PVEnergy Srl

Address: 
Via Johann Georg Plazer 42F, Appiano (BZ), Italy
Contact: 
info@pvenergy.it +39 0471 1550637
Appiano (BZ), Italy

Eurac Research