Potential Strategies for Enhancing Solar Architectural Skins

<p dir="ltr">As the climate crisis requires lowering carbon emissions on multiple fronts, building-<br>integrated photovoltaics (BIPVs) can reduce buildings’ reliance on energy from fossil fuels<br>by supplying them with electricity generated from a renewable source. Integrating<br>photovoltaics into the building envelope brings advantages such as onsite energy<br>generation and economic savings, besides improving aesthetics compared to building<br>applied photovoltaic (BAPV) solutions. Nonetheless, embedding photovoltaics into<br>architectural skins entails a trade-off between appearance and efficient energy generation.<br>While regulatory frameworks and dropping prices have facilitated the spread of first- and<br>second-generation photovoltaics for architectural applications, less established<br>photovoltaic-based technologies may have the potential to improve the efficiency and<br>appearance of solar architectural skins. They may reduce the amount of photovoltaic<br>material to be integrated into the building envelope while increasing its energy conversion<br>efficiency. Through an interdisciplinary review of academic literature and design examples,<br>this study explores the potential of less-established photovoltaic-based solutions for<br>architectural façade applications. It relates advances in photovoltaics to existing façade<br>designs, towards proposing a range of potential strategies for improving buildings’<br>architectural image and electricity generation through façade-integrated solar<br>technologies.</p>