In the building and construction industry, building professionals are charged with achieving a balance between reducing the industry’s impact on the environment while meeting client demands for products that deliver beauty, comfort and performance.  Solar power systems have become an integral component to the green building movement.   To ‘go solar,’ one might traditionally envision bulky glass photovoltaic (PV) panels anchored to an otherwise cohesive rooftop.  While this is still largely the norm, most green building professionals have become acquainted with PV’s aesthetically appealing counterpart, BIPV.  Although building integrated photovoltaics (BIPV) currently account for a relatively small percentage of a $40 billion solar power industry, they offer a sophisticated and efficient solution for on-site renewable energy generation.

BIPV products represent energy-generating products that visually assimilate with the façade of a home or building.  In addition to aesthetic improvement, these products have the capacity to integrate functionally as well.  In the case of rooftop photovoltaics, BIPV products can directly displace the need for roofing tiles on the solar portion of the roof.

The birth of BIPV has made a positive impact on several sectors of the building and construction industry.  Custom and production homebuilders have experienced increased turnaround on a higher- valued product.  Solar contractors have broadened their sales portfolios, appealing to a wider range of business owners and consumers.  And since many BIPV products function as roof products, roofing contractors have found a way to penetrate a booming industry that has largely been operating in their territory.  This multi-purpose element is often referred to in functionality, but integrating photovoltaics into a roofing product has greater potential than simply offering a two for one.  BIPV offers the solar industry a specific point of purchase.  It’s very difficult to quantify when a customer will decide to go green, not to mention what means they will use to do so.  It’s significantly less difficult to target and serve a customer in need of a roof.  At this point, selling solar becomes an up-sell, and almost any builder will tell you the upgrades are easier sales than the house itself.  Granite countertops are sold far more frequently during a kitchen remodel than as a stand-alone purchase.  The same concept can be applied with BIPV.

Pink Houses Going Green
If John Mellencamp were to rewrite his 1983 hit today, he may have written about little green houses for you and me.  The green building movement is a driving force within the building and construction industry.  During the period of January 2007 and May 2009, 50 percent of California’s PV installations associated with new construction were BIPV. The US Department of Energy’s (DOE) Building America initiative (BAI) is seeking to develop guidelines and standards for Net Zero Energy Homes, targeting mainstream adoption by 2025.  The program has facilitated relationships between building professionals and multiple resources for pathways toward green building practice including NAHB’s National Green Building Program™, USGBC’s LEED for Homes program, and MASCO’s Environment’s for Living®.  If zero energy is to be achieved, PV systems are an essential component of these high-performance homes and a critical complement to energy-efficient measures.

For homebuilders, BIPV offers a solution to many of the concerns with incorporating PV systems in their projects:  proven levels of customer acceptance, quick installation, and favorable financial returns.  In new construction, the monthly costs of energy-efficient measures and grid-tied PV systems are amortized over a 30-year mortgage.  In turn, the cost is less than the associated monthly savings accrued by the homeowner.

The BAI program has catalyzed almost 42,000 projects nationwide.  At a state level, incentives for PV systems are being tied into broader green building programs.  California’s New Solar Home’s Partnership (NSHP), the solar power initiative associated with new construction as opposed to retrofit systems, requires projects to achieve 15 percent to 35 percent higher efficiency ratings than those required by state law.  In Stockton, California, attractive aesthetics and compelling financials proved to be beneficial for Grupe Homes with their BAI Carsten Crossings development.  Even in a down market, Grupe sold the first 23 of 30 homes within three months and estimated $14 million in savings associated with the rapid sales cycle.

Cash for…Clean Energy
PV financial support hasn’t officially been ordained with a catchy slogan such as Cash for Clunkers, but significant incentives for PV systems exist, aiding green building professionals in successfully marketing and selling these products.  Federally, a 30 percent federal tax credit is available to domestic PV buyers.  State- and utility-level incentives also exist, cumulatively decreasing the installed costs of a PV system in many states by upwards of 40 percent. 

In 2009, the installed cost for a PV system on new construction applications was between $70 and $80/sqft.  Costs were slightly higher for retrofit renovations—between $75 and $90/sqft. The average residential system is between two to four kilowatts, resulting in a pre-incentivized installed cost of approximately $30,000.  Once rebates are factored in, PV systems are financially less expensive than many common home improvements.  The Database of State Incentives for Renewables and Efficiency is an up-to-date resource for nationwide incentive information.

Matchmaking
BIPV products come in a variety of shapes and sizes, and have been designed to integrate with a multitude of roofing systems.  Companies such as Open Energy and Solar Integrated offer frameless flat membranes that incorporate solar technology for the commercial sector.  Several companies such as Eagle Roofing (manufactured by SunTech), SunPower, and GE Energy offer BIPV products primarily designed to integrate and displace flat concrete tile.  SRS Energy’s Solé Power Tile™, slated to be commercially available in the latter half of 2010, is the first curved BIPV tile, designed to integrate with mission-style clay roof systems.  UNISOLAR® offers multi-length flexible laminates designed to integrate with standing seem metal roofing.  Major players, CertainTeed and Dow Chemical Company, have also recently unveiled solar shingle solutions, EnerGen and Powerhouse™ respectively.  BIPV products are valued for their aesthetics and for the ease of installation.  Unlike conventional modules, BIPV products cannot be installed with the optimal six-inch offset from the roof deck.  The offset provides airflow to maintain performance in elevated temperatures.  Some products specify the use of raised battens in lieu of the offset. 

The Simplicity of Integration
BIPV has been widely recognized for improved aesthetics, but there is another key value associated with integrating photovoltaic technology into a building product—streamlining.  With conventional PV systems, specifically in new construction or re-roofing applications, the builder and sometimes homeowner is forced to work with two contractors in the same space—a roofer and a solar integrator.  Now, rather than installing a complete roofing system and then modifying, and sometimes compromising it, with a PV appendage, a portion of that roofing system happens to be solar.  And who is best positioned to install quality roofing systems?  Roofers.  Yes, BIPV products require the same design considerations and off-roof components as conventional modules, which means trained solar contractors are still an important part of the process.  And in the state of California, solar contractors are required to warrant the power production for ten years.  But with BIPV, builders and homeowners now have the opportunity to work with a single point of contact for their solar roofing system, allowing the roofer to subcontract with a solar partner.  These cross-trade partnerships are becoming common across the solar industry.  Even solar contractors that do not offer BIPV in their portfolios are finding value in having roofing partners to properly flash on-roof penetrations resulting from wrack mounted systems.

Ultimately, a roof is expected to provide a waterproofing exterior.  The value any solar system brings to a home or business is severely diminished if this protection is compromised as a result.

Looking Ahead
BIPV is one of the fastest growing segments in the renewable sector.  Globally, the BIPV market is expected to expand from $1.6 billion at present to an estimated $8.7 billion by 2016. In the Americas, BIPV installations are projected to increase from 39 MW in 2010 to 385 MW in 2016, with the majority of these installations remaining in California. Growth is attributed to increased concern for aesthetics as the demand for PV moves into the mainstream.  Additionally, as building officials become more familiar with PV, BIPV systems offer a more durable solution as an integral part of the home or building’s exterior.  Building codes and standards are being developed to ensure these products perform cross-functionally.

For some, the hurdle is the cost.  BIPV systems continue to carry a premium price when compared to PV systems.  As key stakeholders come to understand the values associated with BIPV products, and economies of scale factor in– BIPV will begin commanding a greater market share.  This will ultimately enable solar technology to reach grid parity, and its benefits more accessible to the mainstream marketplace.

Abby Nessa Feinstein, Director of Marketing
BS ID, University of the Arts
Ms. Feinstein has worked with SRS Energy since its inception and has been instrumental in both product and business development. She previously worked as a consultant with the City of Philadelphia on sustainable design initiatives, and managed projects for the Solar Living Institute in California. http://www.srsenergy.com