BIPV stands for Building Integrated PV. PV is Photovoltaic. BIPV technology is a technology that integrates solar power generation (photovoltaic) products into buildings. In modern society, people's pursuit of a comfortable built environment is getting higher and higher, resulting in increasing energy consumption for building heating and air conditioning. Millennial Solar found that in developed countries, building energy consumption accounts for 30%-40% of the country's total energy consumption, which has a certain restrictive effect on economic development.

There are various forms of BIPV architectural photovoltaics. It can be said that BIPV is suitable for most buildings, such as flat roofs, pitched roofs, curtain walls, ceilings, etc., which can be installed.

Safety performance

BIPV modules not only need to meet the performance requirements of photovoltaic modules, but also meet the three-property test requirements of curtain walls and building safety performance requirements. Therefore, they need to have higher mechanical properties than ordinary modules and adopt different structural methods. In different locations, different floor heights, and different installation methods, the requirements for the mechanical properties of glass may be completely different.

The double-glass photovoltaic modules used in BIPV buildings are composed of two pieces of tempered glass, with a PVB film in the middle and a solar cell sheet to form a composite layer. Between the cells, there are wires in series and parallel connection to collect the lead ends. The thickness of tempered glass is the result of strict mechanical calculations in accordance with national building codes and curtain wall codes. The PVB film in the middle of the module has good adhesion, toughness and elasticity, and has the function of absorbing impact and preventing impact objects from penetrating. Even if the glass is broken, the fragments will adhere firmly to the PVB film and will not fall off. In this way, the damage caused can be reduced to a minimum and the safety performance of the building can be improved.

Millennial Solar BIPV photovoltaic building test solution: Building integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) is the integration of photovoltaics (PV) into the building structure. Photovoltaic modules have a dual function: replacing traditional building structural materials and generators, BIPV systems can save material and electricity costs, reduce fossil fuel use and ozone-depleting gas emissions, and add architectural interest to buildings.

Easy to install

The BIPV project is a close combination of photovoltaic modules and glass curtain walls. Since curtain walls have been developed in China for thirty years, various curtain wall forms have relatively mature design and installation technologies. Component-type curtain wall construction methods are flexible, the main structure has strong adaptability, and the technology is mature. It is the most commonly used structural form at present. The unitized curtain wall is processed and manufactured in the factory, which facilitates industrial production, reduces labor costs, and controls unit quality, thus shortening the construction cycle and bringing greater economic benefits to the owners. The double-layer ventilated curtain wall system has the advantages of ventilation, heat and sound insulation, energy saving and environmental protection, and can improve the heat dissipation of BIPV modules, reduce the temperature of the cells, reduce the efficiency loss of the modules, and reduce the transfer of heat to the room. To put it simply, BIPV buildings use BIPV photovoltaic modules to replace ordinary tempered glass. Its structural form is basically the same as that of traditional glass curtain walls. This gives the installation of BIPV photovoltaic modules a profound technical foundation and advantages, which can fully meet the requirements of convenient installation.

Long service life

The glue used for ordinary photovoltaic module packaging is generally EVA. Since EVA's anti-aging properties are not strong and its service life is less than 50 years, it cannot have the same lifespan as the building. Moreover, the yellowing of EVA will affect the beauty of the building and the power generation of the system. PVB film has the characteristics of transparency, heat resistance, cold resistance, moisture resistance, and high mechanical strength, and has been maturely used in the production of laminated glass for construction. Domestic glass curtain wall specifications also clearly state the "application of PVB". BIPV photovoltaic modules are made of PVB instead of EVA to achieve a longer service life.

In addition, in the BIPV system, the use of special photovoltaic wires (double-layer cross-linked polyethylene tin-impregnated copper wire), the selection of larger wire diameters, and the selection of connectors and other equipment with excellent performance can all extend the service life of the BIPV photovoltaic system.

The development of green buildings in China will effectively drive the development of new building materials, new energy, energy-saving services and other industries, and is expected to leverage the scale of the green market exceeding one trillion yuan. At present, the total area of buildings with green building evaluation labels in China is less than 40 million square meters, and BIPV projects account for a low proportion. Millennial Solar believes that there is huge space for the development of green buildings in the future.