Photovoltaic technologies will boost building materials market: Fid-Bau Portal

Photovoltaic technologies will boost building materials market

The market for building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV) will reach a value of more than USD 4 billion by 2013 and surpass USD 8 billion in 2015. By 2013, there will be an installed capacity of 10.8 GW of BIP, of which 4.6 GW will come from Europe and 3.7 GW from the USA. Approximately 7 GW of total BIPV capacity by 2013 will be from residential applications. Although the market will remain dominated by rooftop installations, facade BIPV will account for 1.1 GW by 2013. Solar curtain walls present a special opportunity since they are easier to receive planning permission and permits for, compared with conventional roof-mounted PV. Some firms have been able to compete in die BIPV market by using conventional crystalline silicon and making high efficiencies their major competitive selling feature. By 2013, NanoMarkets expects this market will account for USD 2.1 billion in revenues. However, BIPV is also expected to present major opportunities for new thin-film and organic PV materials, which enable products to be laminated onto curved surfaces and integrated into buildings. In the future, direct encapsulation of PV into building materials may lead to significant reductions in total building costs, it is predicted. BIPV is one of the fastest growing opportunities in the PV sector and creates opportunities for both PV materials firms, solar panel manufacturers and building firms. NanoMarkets' report covers both rooftop and facade systems, reviewing the BIPV products that are available today and the ones that are being developed by leading firms. The report examines the enabling technologies and materials that are making the next-generation BIPV possible and provides many examples of major building projects that are already incorporating BIPV. Also included in the report is a full analysis of the varying regulatory factors impacting