Building-Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV)

I happened to run into a rep for a large manufacturer of roofing materials earlier today, which gave me the opportunity to ask him about building-integrated photovoltaics.  (“It isn’t on the roof; it is the roof.”)

I told him that I have been researching environmentally sustainable materials for 15 years, and that I was disappointed that BIPV never took off.

He explained that the early technology had defects in it, and that even today, it’s more expensive per Watt than the solar panels that are mounted on our rooftops.  That said, the price of BIPV is falling, and he considers it far more aesthetic than roof-mounted PV.  He’s hopeful, and thus so am I.