Critical Factors in Reducing the Cost of Building Integrated Photovoltaic (BIPV) Systems

Even though photovoltaic (PV) technology is new and expensive for curtain walls and other aspects of the building industry, regardless of costly market development and technology advancement, the cost of building integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) systems can be reduced and their application can be spread further into the building industry as this paper will show. The paper uses life-cycle cost analysis (LCCA) to identify BIPV system cost components and makes the connection between the findings of LCCA and the building design process. It identifies specific quantifiable variables and measures that are compared with a non-PV integrated building and different PV system applications by using LCCA methods to confirm cost related issues.