Importance of BIPV for the Urban Energy Transition: A Review

The high energy consumption of the construction sector, the resulting concerns about climate change and the continuous reduction of non-renewable resources have forced the rapid adoption of new energy models that require a transformation of the current urban energy system. Sustainable and rational use of energy is the overriding challenge facing cities. Photovoltaics is a promising and fast-growing technological answer and consequently the subject of extensive research. Within these studies, building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV) has an important role by presenting several advantages for the built environment in terms of sustainability, energy savings, reliability and aesthetics. However, the ever-increasing demand for higher quality and efficiency requires greater coordination and interdisciplinarity between stakeholders. However, this need does not emerge from the literature review. There is a lack of a holistic view of all the interacting fields that make it possible to constitute an effective multi-purpose BIPV system capable of producing energy and being a viable figurative system at the same time. Other researchers have taken a more sectoral and less all-encompassing view, focusing on individual BIPV products or particular aspects. Therefore, in this short article, a rigorous literature review is carried out to support the definition of an appropriate design strategy to best utilise the performance of BIPV systems for greater energy and figurative benefits. Continued research and development of BIPV systems will lead to increased awareness and deployment of installations. Investing in research is crucial because these modern technologies have the potential to become the main source of renewable energy in urban environments.