BIPV markets 2009 and beyond!

DUBLIN, IRELAND: Research and Markets has announced the addition of the "Building-Integrated Photovoltaics Markets 2009 and Beyond" report to its offering.

This report analyzes and quantifies the current and future markets for BIPV products. These products have traditionally consisted mostly of solar panels designed to lie flush and appear unobtrusive on a structure. However, the BIPV market has changed in the past year or so, with exciting new products that incorporate PV cells into actual building materials like siding, windows, and roofing shingles.

Last year, NanoMarkets produced one of the first reports on BIPV and this year's report builds on our success and experience with this earlier study. This time, our focus is on the next generation BIPV products just mentioned and we set out in this report, just where and when they are likely to be a success.

Innovation, improved materials and to some extent, current market forces are leading to increasing diversity of BIPV products of all material types. With this in mind, the report focuses especially on what NanoMarkets regards as three key segments of the BIPV market:

(1) Flexible PV, which allows custom or even "do it yourself" BIPV products because they are simply applied (often by adhesive) to conventional building materials;
(2) BIPV glass made with c-Si PV modules. This is already being made by several firms using fairly easy glazing technology, to custom specifications of overall size and cell spacing; and
(3) Rigid BIPV tiles are increasingly being made to emulate some kind of conventional, discrete building material unit, such as roofing tiles or slates.

Of course, the arrival of new BIPV products on the market is not the only thing that has changed since last year. With the huge downturn in the economy, the PV market has taken a double hit.

First, the bottom has dropped out of the construction market, so the addressable market for BIPV is significantly smaller than it was a year ago. With this in mind, the report focuses on how BIPV technologies can break into the market now and how planners at BIPV firms can ensure that their products will do well once the new construction market begins to stabilize and how they can also best meet the demands of the retrofit market.

The other problem that all PV products faces is the decline in energy prices, which means that PV in general does not prove in economically to the same degree as in the past. With this in mind, this report discusses how BIPV specific factors notably aesthetics can help the PV industry move forward in a difficult industry.

The earliest adopters of PV devices, often simply mounted panels on rooftops with little or no regard for appearance. The next wave of PV adopters, we believe, will require that the PV system be architecturally integrated into the building structure and look good. There is also a large proportion of potential adopters who do not want any attention favorable or not. Modern BIPV is likely to allow this potential market to install PV systems "incognito."

The report also discusses the materials and technology aspect of BIPV. We look at how traditional crystalline silicon firms PV can best fit their products into the new BIPV environment and how the new TFPV and OPV/DSC technologies with their light weight and flexibility can be leveraged for BIPV applications.

The report also goes into depth on the market, policy and technology factors that make BIPV more popular in some regions versus others. Finally, our eight-year forecasts of the BIPV market quantify the opportunities in BIPV by region and by product type.

Report on China's building integrated photovoltaic industry 2009

DUBLIN, IRELAND: Research and Markets has announced the addition of the "Research Report of China's Building Integrated Photovoltaic Industry, 2009" report to its offering.

Building Integrated Photovoltaic (BIPV) refers to the installment of PV modules which can supply electric power on surface of external supporting structure. Those PV modules can not only replace part of such traditional structures as roof slab, tile, window, building elevation and rain-proof shelter, but also can be made to own various functions, such as PV/thermal system, combination with illumination and sun shade, etc.

At present, BIPV is widely applied on exposed walls, sun-shading shelters, patios, tiles, roofs, sound-proof walls, as well as in fields of private apartments, schools, hospital buildings, airports, platforms of subway stations and large workshops.

With the changing fields of PV power generation, China has made great progress in research and development of BIPV system. In 2002, 10KW integrated grid system was built in Fengxian, Shanghai, which realized automation. In 2003, an ecological demonstration project was established in Shanghai and the 5KW integrated grid system combined well with construction with international top technologies.

Shanghai Solar Energy S&T Co., Ltd (SSEC) also established integrated demonstrative office building with six first-initiated technologies of directly combining solar electrical power generation and construction. Today, the total installed capacity can reach 40KW and energy self-supply can basically realized with integrating geothermal air condition technologies.

It is said in the 40th article of "Energy Conservation Law of the People's Republic of China" which took effect on April 1st, 2008 that Chinese government encourages to adopt energy-saving materials and devices and to apply renewable energy resource system in the energy conservation reform of newly-built constructions and existing constructions. It is also stated in the 61st article that enterprises which use energy-saving technologies and products listed in the law can enjoy favorable policies, such as tax incentives.

Although a series of laws and standards have been launched, such as "Renewable Energy Law", "Civil Building Energy Saving" and "Energy-Saving Design Standard of Various Regions", high cost (cost of photoelectric curtain wall jumps to over 1,000 USD/m2 today) will be a big barrier for BIPV projects, apart from limited ideas and technologies. Neither enterprises themselves nor government can afford such a high cost in the long run. Therefore, BIPV captures considerably small market now in China and is mainly used in some demonstrative projects which enjoy government subsidies.

It is clearly regulated by Ministry of Construction of China that 50 percent of design standards should be applied in newly-built constructions. It is predicted that the area of energy-saving constructions will exceed 2.16 billion m2 from 2006 to 2010, with newly-built area of 1.6 billion m2 and rebuilt area of 560 million m2.

At present, area of constructions in China reaches 40 billion m2, over 13 billion m2 of which are to be rebuilt. In order to fulfill this goal, enterprises must adopt such energy-saving technologies and devices as solar illumination, integrated system of solar energy and construction (solar tiles and glass curtain wall), etc. Thus the BIPV market will see a bright prospect in future.

Ascent Solar's 5-meter CIGS based PV laminate

THORNTON, USA: Ascent Solar Technologies Inc., a developer of state-of-the-art, flexible thin-film photovoltaic modules, has manufactured a monolithically interconnected 5 meter long flexible light weight module on a polyimide substrate.

Ascent Solar Sr. Vice President for Production Operations Dr. Prem Nath stated: “This is the largest monolithically interconnected CIGS module on polyimide and may be the largest of any CIGS module regardless of construction. The size and efficiency of this module make it a breakthrough for the emerging opportunities of flexible CIGS photovoltaic modules.”

The CIGS based thin film material used in this module was manufactured using the company’s unique 1.5 MW roll-to-roll manufacturing line. The module was encapsulated during the testing and qualification of equipment that will be used for its 30 MW plant under construction.

Based on internal test and evaluation, this 5M long module weighs 2kg and produces 123W (under standard test conditions) with an aperture area efficiency of 9.1 percent. This length is a baseline for the company’s development of large area flexible building integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) products with our strategic BIPV partners.

Report on China’s BIPV industry 2009

NEW YORK, USA: Reportlinker has added a research report of China’s building integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) Industry, 2009.

BIPV refers to the installment of PV modules which can supply electric power on surface of external supporting structure. Those PV modules can not only replace part of such traditional structures as roof slab, tile, window, building elevation and rain-proof shelter, but also can be made to own various functions, such as PV/thermal system, combination with illumination and sun shade, etc.

At present, BIPV is widely applied on exposed walls, sun-shading shelters, patios, tiles, roofs, sound-proof walls, as well as in fields of private apartments, schools, hospital buildings, airports, platforms of subway stations and large workshops.

With the changing fields of PV power generation, China has made great progress in research and development of BIPV system. In 2002, 10KW integrated grid system was built in Fengxian, Shanghai, which realized automation. In 2003, an ecological demonstration project was established in Shanghai and the 5KW integrated grid system combined well with construction with international top technologies.

Shanghai Solar Energy S&T Co. Ltd (SSEC) also established integrated demonstrative office building with six first-initiated technologies of directly combining solar electrical power generation and construction. Today, the total installed capacity can reach 40KW and energy self-supply can basically realized with integrating geothermal air condition technologies.

It is said in the 40th article of “Energy Conservation Law of the People's Republic of China”, which took effect on April 1, 2008 that the Chinese government encourages to adopt energy-saving materials and devices and to apply renewable energy resource system in the energy conservation reform of newly-built constructions and existing constructions.

It is also stated in the 61st article that enterprises which use energy-saving technologies and products listed in the law can enjoy favorable policies, such as tax incentives.

Although a series of laws and standards have been launched, such as “Renewable Energy Law”, “Civil Building Energy Saving” and “Energy-Saving Design Standard of Various Regions”, high cost (cost of photoelectric curtain wall jumps to over 1,000 USD/m2 today) will be a big barrier for BIPV projects, apart from limited ideas and technologies. Neither enterprises themselves nor government can afford such a high cost in the long run. Therefore, BIPV captures considerably small market now in China and is mainly used in some demonstrative projects which enjoy government subsidies.

It is clearly regulated by Ministry of Construction of China that 50 percent of design standards should be applied in newly-built constructions. It is predicted that the area of energy-saving constructions will exceed 2.16 billion m2 from 2006 to 2010, with newly-built area of 1.6 billion m2 and rebuilt area of 560 million m2.

At present, area of constructions in China reaches 40 billion m2, over 13 billion m2 of which are to be rebuilt. In order to fulfill this goal, enterprises must adopt such energy-saving technologies and devices as solar illumination, integrated system of solar energy and construction (solar tiles and glass curtain wall), etc. Thus the BIPV market will see a bright prospect in future.

Examining BIPV market in North and Southeast Asia

DUBLIN, IRELAND: Research and Markets has announced the addition of Frost & Sullivan's new report "BIPV Markets in North and Southeast Asia" to its offering.

This research service analyzes the current market trends, revenue distribution, key regulations, competitive structure, market drivers, market restraints, end-user analysis and market share analysis for the building integrated photovoltaic market in North Asia and Southeast Asia.

Market overview

Global Warming heats up BIPV market in North and Southeast Asia

With global warming endangering several species of life and posing bigger potential risks, there is an urgent need to curb its main cause -- greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Clean energy technologies such as wind, solar, and biomass are gradually being promoted over conventional, GHG-emitting power sources.

Among solar energies, BIPV is being increasingly sought out by real estate companies and builders for its distributed power generating ability, especially in the urban areas. Seeing that urban centers and cities are major power consumption centers and yet do precious little to cut back GHG emissions, high net worth individuals and commercial buildings have begun to extensively endorse 'green energy' to ensure a clean environment.

"Growing awareness among various end-user segments coupled with abundant availability of sunlight is fostering the growth of BIPV market in cities," says the analyst of this research. "Solar energy integrated townships and clean energy buildings are being extensively planned and supported to highlight the savings in energy and measure carbon dioxide emissions."

Breaking out of the confines of rural area deployment for distributed or centralized power generation, renewable energy, especially BIPV, is gaining widespread acceptance among city builders. One of the main reasons for its popularity is its prevention of transmission and distribution (T&D) loss, as electricity is consumed at the point of generation.

However, the BIPV market still has some ground to cover before it can aim for large-scale commercialization in North and Southeast Asia. This is because builders are put off by the high installation and generation costs, a minimum pay back period of six to eight years, and lack of an attractive feed-in-tariff from the utilities.

For reasons of economic viability and low product awareness, builders and real estate companies prefer to buy electricity from the utilities at a much cheaper rate than invest in renewable energy sources.

Despite the hurdles, BIPV power generation has made a case for itself with its unique ability to power mass applications in urban areas. While promoting energy efficiency and low energy use in buildings, it also offers multi-functional solutions for modern-day architecture.

Therefore, despite a slowdown in capacity additions, North Asia exhibits great potential for the commercial end-user segment. Among all the countries in this region, Japan is the one that has best cashed in on the opportunities in the commercial and residential segments.

"The withdrawal of subsidies in 2005 has had a moderate impact on the growth of the BIPV market," notes the analyst. "Meanwhile, in South Korea, the introduction of attractive feed-in-tariff in is likely to fuel the growth of centralized solar PV systems."

On the other hand, Southeast Asia holds promise for BIPV systems in both the residential and commercial end-user segments, thanks to a strong push from the government and solar subsidy programs. Malaysia has successfully deployed BIPV systems and other countries are soon likely to follow in its footsteps.

Singapore trails close behind Malaysia in BIPV deployment and installations in this country are forecast to increase from 2010 due to the introduction of the 'Green Mark Scheme' in the construction industry.

Evidently, it is vital to have solid government backing in the form of long-term subsidies and incentives. An attractive feed-in-tariff and a robust policy framework is needed to provide guidance to potential developers and end-users, while greater awareness through frequent information dissemination on the technology, economics, and business models of BIPV installations will also go a long way in buoying this market.

Reduced installation costs and integration in the industry are the other crucial factors that can kindle the interest of the industry stakeholders. This will also encourage R&D in BIPV systems' designing and facilitate large-scale commercialization of the technology.

Strategies for gaining share in solar market

NEW TRIPOLI, USA: Solar cell manufacturers must differentiate themselves during the slowdown in the solar cell market, according to a report Opportunities in The Solar Market For Crystalline and Thin Film Solar Cells, recently published by The Information Network.

The solar cell manufacturing industry has become a “me too” business. Solar companies manufacturing polycrystalline panels buy the same polysilicon and wafers from less than a dozen material suppliers. Companies buying an amorphous silicon thin film process line from Applied Materials or Oerlikon are making the same films as other customers from these equipment vendors.

Certainly there are new avenues of manufacturing, such as CdTe from First Solar, CIGS from half a dozen manufacturers, multi-junction cells from companies such as Uni-Solar, and building integrated photovoltaics (BIPV) from an increasing number of manufacturers. These technologies differentiate these companies’ products, but the proportion of wattage manufactured, while growing, is small compared to the majority of solar panels sold using traditional methods of production, i.e., a thin film on a glass substrate.

How can the majority of solar manufacturers differentiate their products, particularly during the economic slowdown that has dropped capacity utilization to below 50 percent, and most importantly, how can they do it cheaply? Aside from the traditional lingo such as reduce costs or economies of scale, there are better ways -– increase efficiency and improve reliability.

Increase efficiency
Amorphous silicon thin film manufacturers are working on a micromorph structure in which a second layer of silicon is deposited. Applied Materials and Oerlikon are spending vast amounts of R&D to get the solar cells made on their equipment from an efficiency of less than 8 percent to above 10 percent to be competitive with CdTe and CIGS, but they are a few years away. Even so, the added cost of the vacuum equipment to deposit the additional layer can cost upwards of $50 million for a 60MW plant.

“A local company (contact me for details) has developed a coating for amorphous and polycrystalline cells that can improve efficiency between 8 and 12 percent using non-vacuum techniques so that the cost is in the cents per watt range,” noted Dr. Robert N. Castellano, President of The Information Network.

“Tunable refractive indices make these materials excellent candidates for improving both thermal conductivity and absorption bandwidths. When these unique, novel coatings are coupled with nano-enhanced polymeric coatings, significantly improved durability and extended product life can be anticipated. UV resistance, resistance to optical crazing, and the effect of adverse weather and temperature conditions is also predicted. Films can be coated on any surface,” he added.

Research was performed at an acclaimed university in Eastern PA, and the company is now looking for additional funding to optimize deposition parameters and coating properties with the intent of licensing the IP to all solar manufacturers.

Increasing the efficiency by 10 percent will increase a 50MW production line to 60MW. At a selling price of $3 per watt, that comes to added revenues of $30 million at an added cost of $1-2 per panel, that’s per panel of 100-200W, or 50,000-$100,000 per year for the 50MW facility. Imagine the possibility if this coating was put on all 7GW of power we estimate will be installed this year as indicated in a release in late November 2008.

Improve reliability
The high costs of solar panels and their installation keep them out of the “throwaway” mentality. Long life and low cost of ownership are paramount, particularly in space applications. Manufacturing can introduce defects in solar cells that can result in low electron mobility (EM), electron traps and photo-degradation from UV light.

Part 2 of this article will discuss how these issues affect efficiency and lifetime of solar cells and the importance of measuring electron mobility at the wafer and cell stage, and how these results can increase market share for the manufacturer.

Konarka, Arch Aluminum & Glass sign advanced product development agreement

LOWELL, USA: Konarka Technologies, Inc., an innovator in development and commercialization of Konarka Power Plastic, a material that converts light to energy, today announced the company has entered into an advanced product development agreement with Florida-based Arch Aluminum & Glass Co., Inc.

The companies plan to collaborate on building integrated photovoltaics (BIPV), photovoltaic materials used to replace conventional building materials. The memorandum of understanding (MOU) outlines the integration of Konarka’s patent-protected thin film solar material into glass for various commercial BIPV applications. BIPV is one of the fastest growing segments of the photovoltaic industry.

“Konarka is making great strides with our aggressive plans to expand into various markets, including building and construction,” commented Rick Hess, president and CEO at Konarka. “Because our solar material is flexible, lightweight and semi-transparent, it integrates easier and is more aesthetically appealing than other solar products, making it ideally suited for BIPV applications. We expect that our collaborative work with Arch Aluminum & Glass will advance the delivery of Konarka Power Plastic on a large scale basis into this market segment.”

Arch Aluminum specializes in a wide range of artistic and architectural glass products to keep pace with the demands of today's architects, designers and building developers. The company offers in-house laminating, heat-treating and fabrication technology as well as selective, engineered, off-the-shelf aluminum and glass products.

“Until today, aesthetic and performance concerns limited the ability of architects to use BIPV technology in their designs,” commented Arch CEO Leon Silverstein. “This product development investigation is about the creation of a new product category, one that had been unavailable until today. It is energy-efficient and transparent with superior vertical performance and a subtle red, blue or green aesthetic. With these features, BIPV will no longer need to be confined to spandrel or overhead applications. An entire building can be put to use, producing its own power, and looking good doing so. We’re excited about our efforts with Konarka to bring this technology to the building community.”

In October 2008, Konarka opened the largest roll-to-roll flexible thin film solar manufacturing facility in the world, preparing for the commercialization and mass production of its solar material for various market segments including sensors, consumer products, tent and fabric structures, greenhouses, marine and boating, building construction, as well as fashion and accessories, among others.

Growth steady, but limited, for BIPV

BOSTON, USA: Targeted subsidies and aesthetic appeal have helped lay a foundation for the building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV) market, and modest but steady growth will support future opportunities for innovative cross-industry services and improved products.

But a new report from Lux Research concludes that today’s $1.7 billion BIPV market’s lack of standardization, low production volumes and formidable competition from building-applied photovoltaics (BAPV) will hinder broader adoption through 2013.

BIPV are PV components that replace the look and function of a primary building material, and are sold as a single unit. Compared with BIPV, BAPV encompass a broader class of building-mounted photovoltaics and include some traditional roof-mounted PV systems.

Entitled “Laying the Foundation for Building Integrated Photovoltaics,” Lux’s report takes a strong analytical approach to provide valuable insights for building materials, chemical and photovoltaics players on:

* Opportunities for entering the market
* Likely candidates for strategic partnerships
* Market developments and new technologies that will foster success, and
* How conventional and thin-film solar technologies will compete in specific applications.

“The market may be too small to be a central interest to big players, but we see key opportunities for technology providers that can deliver BIPV components with an aesthetic differentiation –- as opposed to a cost differentiation,” said Johanna Schmidtke, a Lux Research analyst and lead author of the report. “That also applies to architects and building envelope specialists who can distinguish their own businesses, while raising awareness of BIPV.”

The report taps Lux Research’s database of solar PV technology providers and installations for details about the 81 companies engaged in BIPV work. It includes intelligence gathered through 29 additional interviews with PV technology providers, module/system developers, PV installers, building suppliers and architects to offer a comprehensive view of the BIPV market.

High price points and a lack of standardization are slowing adoption. Highly customized products and low production volumes are putting a drag on BIPV’s claim that it lowers costs by streamlining installation of building product and PV technology. High price points will limit growth to $5.7 billion over 694 MW in 2013, signifying just 3.7 percent by volume of the overall solar market.

Improved regulation, building services and materials could all boost demand. BIPV-specific subsidies and aesthetics have driven growth more than economic viability. But standardized regulations covering BIPV’s dual role as building component and PV technology could control customization issues, and reduce the technology’s prohibitive price points.

BAPV will dominate for the foreseeable future. BIPV currently wields aesthetic and subsidy-based advantages over BAPV retrofits. But PV module manufacturers are shoring up the aesthetic gap, which will further pressure BIPV players to decrease the price premium they exact.

“BIPV is nearing a crossroads,” said Schmidtke. “It will either continue to grow slowly as a highly specialized, aesthetic niche market, or bridge the gap between the PV and building industries. The latter path will require industry standards, as well as innovation and investment. But it also offers genuine growth opportunities for well positioned parties.”

“Laying the Foundation for Building Integrated Photovoltaics” is part of Lux Research’s Solar Intelligence service. Clients subscribing to this service receive continuous research on solar industry market trends and forecasts, ongoing technology scouting reports and proprietary data points in the weekly Lux Research Solar Journal and on-demand inquiry with Lux Research analysts.

Get ready for building integrated photovoltaics (BIPV)

Building integrated photovoltaics or BIPV! Hey folks, prepare yourself to hear more about this term and the technology for quite some time to come! Solar/PV will be the next big story in India, and BIPV should be right up there at the top!

While BIPV is not yet talked about a lot in India, though, it may surprise many that there has been a deployment in India, I am sure that BIPV will be doing the rounds very soon.

There's another interesting angle to the BIPV, rather, solar story. Can EDA play a role here? I will examine this angle some time later.

First, what is BIPV? According to PV Resources, BIPV is merely photovoltaic systems integrated with an object's building phase. They are built/constructed along with an object, or planned together with the object. Yet, they could be built later on.

The following BIPV systems are said to be recognized:

* Facade or roof systems added after the building was built.
* Facade integrated photovoltaic systems built along with an object.
* Roof-integrated photovoltaic systems built along with an object.
* "Shadow-Voltaic" - PV systems also used as shadowing systems, built along with an object or added later.

If there are more, kindly share the information with me!

Now, to India. Just recently, Dr. Madhu Atre, president, Applied Materials India, referred to the use of BIPV during a discussion. He said that for energy-efficient glass, you could save on AC costs, etc., by using building integrated photovoltaics (BIPV). I hope we take serious note of what Dr. Atre said!

Didn't they say green IT was the most used and abused term? We really love talking so much about green IT. Well, here's an outstanding example, and actually, an example very few have really bothered to look at, so far, at least.

Staying with India, very few know that SunTechnics India, a brand of Conergy Group, a leading supplier of solar system integration, completed the design and installation of India's first green housing project facilitated with building-integrated solar power.

The 58 kilowatt project was developed in partnership with the West Bengal Renewable Energy Development Agency (WBREDA) as an initiative in solar architecture for the Rabi Rashmi Abasan eco-friendly housing complex at New Town Kolkata, of all places! Power will be fed into the public grid and facilitate electricity needs for 25 residential buildings and a community center.

If anyone has any doubts about the scope and power of solar or BIPV, take a look at Nanomarkets' report, which predicts that the market for BIPV will reach over $4.0 billion in revenues by 2013 and surpass $8 billion in 2015.

Late last month, I had written about certain steps Karnataka and the other states could adopt as part of a semicon policy.

Do include BIPV in your plans!

Actually, BIPV is very much part of the Indian semicon policy as well. West Bengal is probably the first state to have successfully implemented BIPV in a project. Congratulations are due!