Back to search

ENERGIX-Stort program energi

Building Integrated Photovoltaics for Norway

Alternative title: Bygningsintegrerte solceller for Norge

Awarded: NOK 15.5 mill.

Building integrated photovoltaics (BIPV) represent a promising solution for current and future buildings. The BIPV systems provide weather protection in addition to producing solar power. Before this project started such solutions were much more common further south in Europe, but during the project period (2015-2019) we have seen an explosion in the number of BIPV-installations in Norway, and we believe that the project has been a contributing factor for this development. Compared to countries further south, Norway have some distinct conditions that gives rise to both challenges and opportunities. One example is a relatively harsh climate with wind, lashing rain and frost that represents a challenge with respect to the robustness and lifetime of components and solutions. On the other hand, a climate with low temperatures is also desirable since the energy production from typical solar cells increases when the temperature is low. The solar irradiation conditions in Norway are also different from most countries further south in that the sun is lower on the sky and we often have overcast sky conditions. This plays a role for the choice of PV technology, and in particular for the placement of solar cell components on the building. The project has been a collaboration between the research partners SINTEF, NTNU, IFE and NORCE, as well as the industrial partners Statsbygg, Glass og fasadeforeningen, Omsorgsbygg, Undervisningsbygg, Backegruppen, Rambøll, Asplan Viak, NorDan, Isola, Getek Solar and FUSen. Through the work in the project we have gained essential knowledge for future development of new materials, components and solutions that can be tailor-made for the Norwegian climate and irradiation conditions. To achieve this, we have collected information about installations on Norwegian buildings to learn more about what we can expect regarding power generation. In addition, we have investigated what factors that affect the production of energy from BIPV installations in Norway, and what the biggest operational and maintenance challenges are. The results from this work show that it is attractive in Norway to integrate PV in facades, and typically one can expect about the same annual output per square meter for a south-facing solar cell facade (in open surroundings) as for a flat roof installation. This makes BIPV-façades more topical in Norway compared to countries further south. When solar cells are integrated in facades aesthetics aspects become more important. Studies carried out in the project show that several coloured solar modules are available today that result in relatively small losses (<10%) in power generation compared to black modules. This gives the architects considerable scope to design visually attractive buildings with BIPV, and there are now many nice examples of Norwegian buildings with coloured BIPV. In the project we have also studied the technical integration of PV in buildings. In order to identify robust components and solutions, weather testing and accelerated ageing and durability testing of BIPV products with Nordic climate exposure conditions have been carried out. Another topic of particular importance in Norway is challenges with snow and ice. A layer of snow and ice that adheres to the surface of solar panels can reduce power generation from the installation, and on this note it is also important to investigate how snow and ice affect the durability of the installation. Key questions that we have looked at here include: How is the annual power generation of a BIPV installation affected by snow and ice? Can we develop new surfaces and methods to prevent snow and ice from sticking to the solar cells? Will these new surfaces be sufficiently robust in a Nordic climate? The ambitious long-term goal of these activities is to enable the development of advanced materials that will be able to avoid snow and ice formation on their surfaces. We have also looked at solar irradiation conditions related to Nordic conditions. In Norway, the sun is often low in the sky and we have a lot of overcast weather. This affects the efficiency of solar cells and modules, and thus also the power generation. Here, we have investigated the practical implications of diffuse irradiation on energy production, as well as what technologies are best when parts of the modules lie in the shadow. We have also looked at the importance of dust on the solar cells, and here it appears that the Norwegian climate may be an advantage, as frequent rainfall helps to clean the surfaces. An important goal for the project has been to spread the new knowledge regarding BIPV. In 2018 the project therefore contributed to the organisation of the first BIPV-day held in Oslo with more than 100 participants. The success was repeated in 2019, and the BIPV-day now seems to have been established as an annual event that will contribute in bringing essential knowledge on BIPV out to all of those that can make use of it.

Prosjektet har bidratt til å etablere en vitenskapelig plattform for nåværende og framtidig BIPV-industri i Norge, dokumentert blant annet gjennom 20 vitenskapelige artikler. Prosjektet har bidratt til en rekrutteringsbase for norsk BIPV-industri gjennom å veilede to PhD-kandidater, to prosjektstudenter og 16 masterstudenter. Prosjektet har bidratt til økt internasjonalt forskningssamarbeid innen BIPV, dokumentert gjennom medvirkning til fem IEA-rapporter, og til økt tverrfaglig forskningssamarbeid innen BIPV i Norge blant annet gjennom tett faglig samarbeid mellom fem ulike forskningsmiljøer. Nettsiden til prosjektet vil kunne fungere som en kunnskapsportal for BIPV i Norge i lang tid framover. Vi tror at resultatene fra prosjektet har stor nytteverdi både for det norske næringslivet og for samfunnet for øvrig, og at prosjektet har vært en viktig medvirkende faktor til den eksplosive økningen i antall BIPV-installasjoner i Norge i tiden etter at prosjektet startet.

The built environment accounts for over 40% of the worlds total primary energy use and 24% of greenhouse gas emissions. Making buildings more energy-efficient and using a larger fraction of renewable energy is therefore a key research issue. In Norway, The Research Centre on Zero Emission Buildings (ZEB) expects the building requirements to go from passive house standards (2015) via zero energy levels (2020) to active house standards (2030). In order to accomplish this, the use of building integrated photovoltaics (BIPV) is considered a necessity. This project will provide a thorough investigation of the performance of PV-solutions installed in Norwegian buildings, as well as the challenges related to these installations and suggest guidelines for improvements. The main focus areas of the project will be on BIPV-solutions that (i) are compatible with architectural desires and Norwegian building traditions, (ii) can resist exposure to the Nordic climate, (iii) can function well to prevent snow and ice formation (iv) are optimized for the insolation conditions that are typical of Nordic regions, and (v) are viable within green building projects.

Publications from Cristin

Funding scheme:

ENERGIX-Stort program energi