Upscaling potential of BIPV for public housing typologies in Singapore

Abstract

This paper assesses the upscaling potential of Building Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV) in the public housing stock of Singapore. While the installation of rooftop PV is gaining rapid traction in the city-state, there are still only few existing projects with façade PV. Considering the large share of façade areas available, this paper aims to identify the most suitable building typology for BIPV integration. The research methodologies include a city-wide analysis of solar potentials, photogrammetry-based solar assessments of the four most common housing typologies, and a load-matching analysis of a typical contemporary apartment unit. Furthermore, we conduct a qualitative analysis through interviews with public and private stakeholders, to understand the drivers and barriers of BIPV in Singapore. Our results reveal districts with the the highest total electricity generation potential such as “Bedok”, or others with larger façade than roof PV-potential such as “Bukit Merah”, where buildings often feature eastwards-oriented façades with low window-to-wall ratio, making them ideal for electricity production in the morning hours. Due to higher cloud coverage in the afternoon, Westward-oriented façades have an overall lower potential. The load-matching analysis shows, however, that peak demand in the morning and evening can generally not be met by BIPV only. The analysis of building typologies reveals that geometrically simpler linear buildings built in the 70’s and 80’s have higher total PV generation potential due to larger roof areas and less obstructed façades. The contemporary point towers with irregular façade surfaces show a larger fraction of façade BIPV electricity generation per floor area, exceeding the share of electricity produced on rooftops. A customized BIPV system will be promising for these newer building typologies, supported by soft factors identified in the interviews.