A design-driven approach to integrate high-performance photovoltaics devices on the building façade

Abstract

To promote sustainable development, the Singapore government has set an aggressive target for PV deployment. However, as a highly urbanized city-state, Singapore has limited land space. Hence, innovative PV deployment is one area where Singapore is actively exploring. In urban environment, Singapore has a lot of vertical building surfaces; building-integrated PV (BIPV) is one of the good options to further increase PV adoption. Using a design-driven approach, this paper explores a different way of integrating PV modules on the building façade, considering the aesthetic as well as the building performance of PV modules.