Potential of building integrated and attached/applied photovoltaic (BIPV/BAPV) for adaptive less energy-hungry building's skin: A comprehensive review

Abstract

The inclusion of photovoltaic (PV) technologies add extra functionalities in a building by replacing the conventional structural material and harnessing benign electricity aesthetically from PV. Building integration (BI) and building attached/applied (BA) are the two techniques to include PV in a building. Currently, first, and second-generation PV technologies are already included for BIPV and BAPV application in the form of wall, roof, and window whereas third generation PVs are under rigours exploration to find their potential suitability. To alleviate enhanced temperature from both BIPV and BAPV, active and passive cooling can be introduced, however passive techniques are influential in trimming down the temperature for retrofit building. Shading from snow, dust cover and nearby building can be an obstacle for BIPV/BAPV application. The hydrophobic (icephobic) self-cleaning coating is suited for snow covering PV while hydrophobic and hydrophilic are both applicable for anti-soiling. Electric vehicles, autonomous switchable glazing, low heat loss glazing and lightweight BIPV are the different future application for PV in BI and BA integration.