n-tech Research has witnessed the progression of technologies and products and suppliers into—and more often, out of—the BIPV market over the past six years. This market, as we see it now, is in a transition and must refine its messaging to an end-user base with shifting priorities. More than ever, BIPV needs to be sold—and technologically developed—with an emphasis on aesthetics and what can be called its "smart" capabilities, vs. simply energy generation. While energy efficiency is – and will remain – an important factor shaping sales of BIPV products. This means that in the future there will be more dimensions along which BIPV firms can compete. These, for example, would include color, transparency and substrate conformability. We predict an acceleration toward truly integrated BIPV products within a building envelope, and a reshaping of manufacturing strategies and supply chains to develop and deliver these products.

1. n-tech Research Article
The Evolving Building Integrated
Photovoltaics Market
Issue date: July 2015
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Background
n-tech Research has witnessed the progression of technologies and products and
suppliers into—and more often, out of—the BIPV market over the past six years. This
market, as we see it now, is in a transition and must refine its messaging to an end-user
base with shifting priorities.
More than ever, BIPV needs to be sold—and technologically developed—with an
emphasis on aesthetics and what can be called its "smart" capabilities, vs. simply energy
generation.
While energy efficiency is – and will remain – an important factor shaping sales of BIPV
products. This means that in the future there will be more dimensions along which BIPV
firms can compete. These, for example, would include color, transparency and substrate
conformability.
We predict an acceleration toward truly integrated BIPV products within a building
envelope, and a reshaping of manufacturing strategies and supply chains to develop and
deliver these products.
How BIPV Products Have Evolved
In our view, the BIPV sector has evolved through four different types of products, as
outlined in Exhibit.
The Four Stages of BIPV Market Evolution
Type of
BIPV
Features Market status
Architectural
Implement a standard PV panel; aesthetics
secondary. Lots of on-location integration and
customization
Defined BIPV for a long
time, not so much today
Productized
Designed to integrate PV panels. Often defined as
BAPV. Mostly prestige buildings.
Still a big part of the
BIPV market today
Early-stage
BIPV
Products designed with both functionality (PV) and
form (building construction material): shingles, tiles,
etc. Mainly marketed as an aesthetic alternative to
rack-mounted PV on rooftops.
Available for several
years; examples are
Dow, CertainTeed
Monolithic
BIPV
No clear distinction between energy and roofing
system; entirely envisioned and integrated as part of
a building's design
Mostly in R&D, although
some early products
beginning to emerge
Source: n-tech Research

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Current status: Back in the early days, BIPV meant little more than designing a structure
so that adding a solar panel would not cause structural problems as a primary goal, and
not being ugly as perhaps a secondary concern. This is still an opportunity of a kind, but
at this point represents a bit more value added for architects and construction companies.
Indeed we expect that most BIPV insiders would not longer consider this “real” BIPV.
As n-tech sees it today’s “BIPV” opportunities are probably better defined as "building-
attached" PV (BAPV), rather than BIPV. In essence this consists of actual products that
facilitate the integration of solar panels into the building fabric. This lowers the cost
compared to the architecturally defined BIPV described in the previous paragraph. The
bulk of BIPV today fits this category and this where most BIPV opportunities have been
found in the past few years.
True BIPV begins: More recently, and revealing the differences between BAPV and
BIPV, newer products have emerged specifically designed to be part of a building
envelope as a functional material, even replacing traditional building materials.
These have slowly arrived in the past few years—Dow's solar shingle is the hallmark
example—and have gradually extended their supply chain networks. This is where n-
tech thinks the next wave of BIPV opportunities will come from, assuming the demand for
BIPV itself appears as we expect.
The long-anticipated evolution of BIPV, we think, will be in truly monolithically integrated
PV materials, in which there is no clear distinction between the energy and roofing
subsystems. This might involve a solar coating or laminate fabricated onto a substrate
material, mainly glass, but potentially also certain plastics. This sector is heavily focused
still on R&D, though there are some technologies and products being brought to market
now.
We see the BIPV market today arriving at a blend of the previous two product categories:
paving inroads with more holistically integrated solar PV products, while preparing for the
arrival of actual monolithically integrated BIPV products which truly erase the lines
between function and form.
Technology-based differentiation: Part of the realization of monolithic BIPV products
is evaluating how current and new technologies are up to the challenge. Conventional
BIPV remains – as is the case with the entire PV industry these days – dominated by
crystalline silicon (c-Si) PV, with some CdTe panels.
Thus a decision has to be made by BIPV firms whether they are going to go with
conventional solar panels or adopt thin-film PV (TFPV), organic PV (OPV) or some
version of dye sensitized cells (DSCs). Backers of these non-conventional materials
platforms are betting their futures on BIPV. However, this does not mean that BIPV firms
are betting their futures on non-standard PV materials.

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Making the Case: How BIPV Can Resonate with Customers
n-tech believes it is possible that BIPV could remain as a niche serving prestige buildings
and a few commercial and industrial buildings. That probably would be sufficient to
support some medium-sized manufacturers and installers and a few high-profile
architects. It might also present a value-added opportunity for large firms that are already
in the PV space.
The assumption behind this report, however, is that BIPV is evolving to blend function
and form, alongside and in place of conventional construction materials. In other words
we are conjecturing that over the period considered in this report, BIPV will (1) migrate to
being more mainstream and (2) become closer to full – i.e. monolithic -- integration.
The key questions then become: what will drive this momentum? What are the key
messages that will resonate, and who are the BIPV vendors best equipped to deliver
them?
n-tech Research believes that BIPV's best chance to take off commercially is for vendors
to emphasize aesthetics, and even the "smarts" of BIPV, and not just energy efficiency.
This will allow them to tap substantial addressable markets, especially in the US,
Germany, Japan and China, where the demand for solar panels is already large.
In these regions/countries – except perhaps Japan -- the bloom is off the rose for broadly
solar-friendly subsidies, so the economics behind any PV investments are changing—
which presents both challenge and opportunity for BIPV.
The BIPV Supply Chain: Who, Why, and Where
The BIPV sector has had ups and downs along with the rest of PV. Many companies that
were in this space early on are long gone, although some still remain. What is needed,
in n-tech’s opinion are new strategies that expand addressable markets for BIPV and also
make it more likely that they will be penetrated
Building a BIPV ecosystem: Part of the solution involves getting everyone involved in
the supply chain pointed in the same direction. That is to say that some kind of new BIPV
business ecosystem must be constructed, consisting at least of architects, glass
companies and PV companies. Exhibit outlines the different perspectives between the
players in BIPV, and where bridges need to be built.

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BIPV Interpretations Across the Supply Chain
Type What they Want in BIPV Challenge/Opportunity
Architects
Aesthetics, product ranges with
colorful options and flexibility—
and the right price.
Slow to pick up on the value of BIPV.
Education & close partnerships still
needed
Glass companies
Affordability, durability, efficiency,
and payback time
Some glass companies haven’t seen
prior BIPV promises delivered, but still
remain actively pursuing—will they
stay committed?
PV companies
Focus on cost reductions, mainly
through standardization
Customized module formats
needed—a challenge for old-line
BIPV firms, and opportunity here for
new entrants
End users
(building
residents/owners)
Cost & energy savings. For some,
being “green” (or the appearance
of it)
Increased emphasis on aesthetics
and design, without skimping on
energy generation. Continued
improvements to functionality and
form
Source: n-tech Research
Fitting the Pieces of a BIPV Supply Chain: Within the transition to more monolithic
BIPV technologies and products, comes a new set of economic rules and guidelines,
including how to build a supply chain that supports delivery and installation of them—
another huge cost-saving opportunity.
To our thinking this means a shift in supply-chain thinking, creating alliances between PV
and construction product firms (e.g. glass companies, which is happening) but also flatter
and wider networks of local and regional partners.
We continue to hear that, at the end of the day, educating architects and installers is still
a primary concern, and promotion and advertising are still very much needed. Some still
need to understand that “going green doesn’t have to be ugly,” and that there is “life after
rooftop PV racking.” Building a strong network of downstream partners, ones who
understand the value and messaging around BIPV, are as crucial today as ever.
Another view on building a BIPV supply chain would suggest that it hew more closely to
themes for any building material—after all, that’s what “true” BIPV is supposed to be! Here
the question is where value can be derived and exploited.
Upstream, mass production and full integration of BIPV products would create value, but
there are other directions that can create value for everyone. For example: flexible
substrates like plastic can be rolled and transported more easily than glass sheets.

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Note that broader construction supply and distribution chains tend to be complex and
multi-tiered, not very amenable to streamlining product delivery to end markets and at
lower costs. This spells both challenge and opportunity, and may open the door for new
entrants.
Again, much would seem to depend on, or at least learned from, what the glass
companies can bring to the table. AGC, Pilkington/NSG, and BGT have partnered with
Heliatek, Dyesol, and Belectric, respectively, to push BIPV goals.
For information on n-tech Research’s BIPV market coverage, please contact us at
sales@ntechresearch.com or at (804) 938-0030.