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Building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV) requires institutional support to become a viable technology and a sustainable solution. Between 1990 and 2000, the solar industry demonstrated the viability of BIPV technology by installing hundreds of thousands of successful systems around the world. Architects have created award-winning, elegant solar buildings. Utility companies and municipalities have adopted this technology to augment their infrastructure and electricity services network. The potential for BIPV is widely recognized as significant; however, institutional barriers can slow its deployment. Our research emphasizes institutional issues related to introducing and commercializing photovoltaic (PV) power systems in the built environment. This overview includes an assessment of barriers in the marketplace, the potential for PV in the built environment, the determination of the value and economic considerations and guidelines, and an overview of current international market strategies.

CIES2020: As Energias Renováveis na Transição Energética: Livro de Comunicações do XVII Congresso Ibérico e XIII Congresso Ibero-americano de Energia Solar. Helder Gonçalves, Manuel Romero (Ed.). Lisboa, Portugal: LNEG, 3-5 Novembro, 2020, p. 281-289. ISBN: 978-989-675-076-3

Solar energy has demonstrated promising prospects in satisfying energy requirements, specifically through solar photovoltaic (PV) technology. Despite that, the cost of installation is deemed as the main hurdle to the widespread uptake of solar PV systems due to the use of expensive PV material in the module. At this point, we argue that a reduction in PV cost could be achieved through the usage of concentrator. A solar concentrator is a type of lens that is capable of increasing the collection of sun rays and focusing them onto a lesser PV area. The cost of the solar module could then be reduced on the assumption that the cost of introducing the solar concentrator in the solar module design is much lower than the cost of the removed PV material. Static concentrators, in particular, have great promise due to their ability to be integrated at any place of the building, usually on the building facade, windows and roof, due to their low geometrical concentration. This paper provides a historic context on the development of solar concentrators and showcases the latest technological development in static PV concentrators including non-imaging compound parabolic concentrator, V-trough, luminescent solar concentrator and quantum dot concentrator. We anticipated that the static low concentrating PV (LCPV) system could serve to enhance the penetration of PV technology in the long run to achieve the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 7—to open an avenue to affordable, reliable, sustainable, and modern energy for all by 2030.

Resumo: A pesquisa aqui apresentada abordou a eletrificação nas comunidades isoladas Foles e Cambriú pertencentes ao Parque Estadual da Ilha do Cardoso-SP. A energia disponibilizada para as moradias destas comunidades é fornecida através de sistemas fotovoltaicos, caracterizados por converterem a energia solar em eletricidade através de módulos e outros componentes. O presente trabalho buscou realizar uma análise do processo de implantação da eletrificação fotovoltaica e estabelecer uma relação com as comunidades estudadas. Para tal, foram utilizados procedimentos metodológicos baseados em pesquisa bibliográfica, documental e entrevistas semiestruturadas, nas quais abordaram-se temas referentes a características socioeconômicas, de infraestrutura e ambientais das populações, bem como verificou-se a posição das comunidades com referência à eletrificação e o tipo de estágio de manutenção dos equipamentos instalados. A pesquisa construiu-se a partir do desenvolvimento de diferentes temas que permearam uma ampla discussão baseada no uso deste tipo de energia, apresentados na revisão bibliográfica. Foram abordados temas referentes à utilização da energia solar fotovoltaica, nos aspectos referentes a regulamentações para o setor, cenário atual, programas governamentais entre outros. Fatores como a questão do fornecimento de energia em comunidades isoladas do Brasil e do problema energético também foram tratados. A condução da exposição dos resultados contemplou atender aos objetivos gerais e específicos desta pesquisa, através da interpretação dos dados coletados em campo, além de responder as perguntas e confirmar a hipótese apresentada. De acordo com análise realizada a partir dos dados coletados em campo, verificou-se que apesar do processo de eletrificação ter proporcionado benefícios aos moradores de Foles e Cambriú, ele só alcançaria um êxito real se vinculado a outros instrumentos de políticas públicas que conduzissem a um maior entendimento das diversidades e peculiaridades destas populações tradicionais, bem como na percepção de fatores como forte isolamento que conduz a necessidades diferenciadas, que se atendidas podem certamente preservar as populações nestas áreas. Com relação aos sistemas instalados certificou-se que os componentes que mais apresentaram falhas segundo moradores foram os inversores, baterias e controladores de carga. As manutenções eram realizadas pela empresa que administra os sistemas, as peças defeituosas trocadas. Os resultados conduziram a uma observação de que o sucesso da implantação de sistemas de eletrificação está mais fortemente relacionado a uma boa gestão, mais do que necessariamente ao tipo de sistema adotado Abstract: The present research has an approach about electrification in two isolated communities, Foles and Cambriú, which belong to Cardoso State Island ¿ SP. The energy available to the housing of these communities is supplied by photovoltaic systems which converts solar energy into electricity by modules and other components. The present work tried to analyze this electrification process and establish a relationship with the communities studied. For such study, some methodological procedures were used based on bibliographic and documental research as well as semi-structured interviews, where the themes approached referred to socio-economic features, the population's infrastructure and environment. It was also studied the position of the communities with reference to electrification and, the kind of maintenance of the equipment installed. The research was built on the development of different themes that permeated broad discussions on the use of this kind of energy introduced in the bibliographic review. The themes approached referred to the use of FV solar energy as to its regulation for this sector, the current scenery and, governmental programs among others. Factors such as energy supply for isolated communities in Brazil and, energy problems were also studied. The exhibition of the results found tried to answer general and specific goals of this research by interpreting data collect in fieldwork, besides answering questions and confirm the hypotheses presented. According to the analyses made from the collected data in the field, it was found out that despite the contribution of voltaic electrification to the population of Foles and Cambriú, it would only achieve real success if combined with other assets and public services that would lead to a bigger understanding of its diversities and peculiarities of these traditional populations as well as the perception of factors such as big isolation showing differentiated necessities that if properly attended can certainly preserve the population in these areas. As to the system installed, it was found out that the components that showed more failures, according to the residents, were the invertors, batteries and load control. Maintenance was made by the company that runs the systems and the defective parts were changed. The results showed that the success of the electrification system implementation is more strongly related to a good management of the systems than necessarily the kind of system adopted. Key words: solar energy, isolated communities, voltaic systems Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Faculdade de Engenharia Agrícola Planejamento e Desenvolvimento Rural Sustentável Orientador: Maria Angela Fagnani Mestra em Engenharia 01P035052014 Mestrado CAPES

The City of Brockton, Massachusetts sought to install New England’s largest solar array at a remediated brownfield site on Grove Street. The 425-kilowatt solar photovoltaic array – or “Brightfield” – was installed in an urban park setting along with interpretive displays to maximize the educational opportunities. The “Brightfield” project included 1,395 310-Watt solar panels connected in “strings” that span the otherwise unusable 3.7-acre site. The project demonstrated that it is both technically and economically feasible to install utility scale solar photovoltaics on a capped landfill site. The US Department of Energy conceived the Brightfields program in 2000, and Brockton’s Brightfield is the largest such installation nationwide. Brockton’s project demonstrated that while it was both technically and economically feasible to perform such a project, the implementation was extremely challenging due to the state policy barriers, difficulty obtaining grant funding, and level of sophistication required to perform the financing and secure required state approvals. This demonstration project can be used as a model for other communities that wish to implement “Brownfields to Brightfields” projects; 2) implementing utility scale solar creates economies of scale that can help to decrease costs of photovoltaics; 3) the project is an aesthetic, environmental, educational and economic assetmore » for the City of Brockton.« less

Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD) is a leader in utility grid-connected applications of PVs with the world`s largest distributed PV power system. SMUD is continuing its ambitious sustained, orderly development (SOD) commercialization effort of the grid-connected, utility PV market. This program us aimed at developing the experience needed to successfully integrate PV as distributed generation into the utility system, develop market and long-term business strategies and to stimulate the collaborative processes needed to accelerate the cost-reductions necessary for PV to be cost-competitive in these applications by about the year 2002. This report documents the progress made in the 1994/1995 SMUD PV Program under this contract and the PV projects partially supported by this contract.

An investigation of terrestrial applications for the photovoltaic conversion of solar energy is summarized. The specific objectives of the study were: (a) to survey and evaluate near-term (1976--1985) civilian photovoltaic applications in the United States; (b) to evaluate the most promising major missions for the mid-term period (1986--2000) and to determine the conditions under which photovoltaic technology can compete in those applications at array prices consistent with ERDA goals; (c) to address critical external issues and identify the sensitivity of photovoltaic system technical requirements to such factors; and (d) to quantify the societal costs of alternative energy sources and identify equalizing incentives. The study was divided into six separate but interrelated tasks: Task 1, Analysis of Near-Term Applications; Task 2, Analysis of Major Mid-Term Missions; Task 3, Review and Updating of the ERDA Technology Implementation Plan; Task 4, Critical External Issues; Task 5, The Impact of Incentives; and Task 6, The Societal Costs of Conventional Power Generation. The emphasis of the study was on the first two of these tasks, the other four serving to provide supplementary information.

This report explores the technical and economic aspects of installing solar power (photovoltaic aka PV) systems on schools to improve the schools' energy security and provide power during disasters.