Towards a system for evaluation of the project of PV integration in buildings. BIPV.TOOL

ABSTRACT: Photovoltaic integration is today one of the most significant areas of technological and aesthetic innovation in the field of sustainable architecture. Noted an insufficient awareness about "BIPV" concept at widespread scale, can be even considered complicit of this the absence of valid “certification tools” aimed to encourage an increased quality of the “integration project”, as happened in the experience of energy and environmental labeling. The proposed Bipv.tool, is based on the idea to “evaluate” or, in some way, to “measure” a BIPV rating, in a logic of an integration concept more complex than current criteria. This method is conceived as a multi-criteria grid of evaluation, structured in different classes of integrability, scales of scoring and weighting criteria, that ranges from architectural aspects to constructive or energetic ones. Scores, derived from this series of qualitative and quantitative requirements, leads to a brief final score for the examined project. Some recent tests on BIPV cases, one of which is here presented, highlight first results of the evaluation method for new buildings. Furthermore are listed potential scenarios of development, implementation and specialization that we hope to evolve in the near future. Keywords: Building Integrated PV (BIPV), Evaluation, Solar Architecture, Funding and Incentives.