Advances in Building-Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV) for Sustainable Buildings

A special issue of Buildings (ISSN 2075-5309). This special issue belongs to the section "Building Energy, Physics, Environment, and Systems".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 November 2026 | Viewed by 858

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Photovoltaic Solar Energy Unit, CIEMAT, Av. Complutense 40, 28040 Madrid, Spain
Interests: photovoltaic systems; PV modules; PV in buildings; building-integrated photovoltaics; BIPV; PV energy rating; PV modelling
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Building-Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPVs) represents an optimal approach to combine architectural design with sustainable energy solutions. By integrating photovoltaic elements directly into the building envelope, BIPVs enables construction materials to generate on-site renewable energy. BIPV modules have demonstrated their ability to replace conventional building materials, leading to functional, visually appealing, and efficient solutions.

As the demand for sustainable and energy-positive buildings increases, the role of BIPVs in the built environment becomes ever more significant. This Special Issue aims to showcase recent advancements in BIPV technology, highlight experiences and lessons learned from recent real-world case studies, and explore critical aspects such as BIPV systems performance, energy simulation, and BIPV architectural concepts. We invite contributions that provide insights into the technical, environmental, economic, and aesthetic dimensions of BIPV systems.

Dr. Nuria Martín Chivelet
Dr. Jesús Polo
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Buildings is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPVs)
  • PV in buildings
  • BIPV modelling and simulation
  • BIM and BIPV
  • BIPV performance
  • sustainable energy retrofit
  • sustainable buildings

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

21 pages, 2988 KB  
Article
Dealing with Shadows When Modelling BIPV Façades with Conventional PV Tools
by Ana Marcos-Castro, Nuria Martín-Chivelet, Carlos Sanz-Saiz and Jesús Polo
Buildings 2026, 16(9), 1668; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings16091668 - 23 Apr 2026
Viewed by 193
Abstract
Building-Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV) can contribute to decarbonisation, but its large-scale deployment requires accurate energy yield predictions that justify these systems during the decision-making process to ensure cost-effectiveness. In urban contexts, boundary conditions involve modelling strategies that can reliably represent the effect of shading [...] Read more.
Building-Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV) can contribute to decarbonisation, but its large-scale deployment requires accurate energy yield predictions that justify these systems during the decision-making process to ensure cost-effectiveness. In urban contexts, boundary conditions involve modelling strategies that can reliably represent the effect of shading from nearby elements. However, specific tools for proper modelling BIPV are not generally available and the workflow frequently requires the combination of different tools. Nowadays there is still no clear nor unique strategy for modelling BIPV, and expert groups are currently working on benchmarking analyses. This work compares energy yield estimations from two PV simulation software tools, System Advisor Model and PVsyst to seven years of experimental data (2017–2023) from five BIPV façade arrays distributed across three orientations (east, south and west). The main focus was twofold. Firstly, to analyse their management of shadows by following two different shading approaches: their built-in 3D modelling tools and a Digital Surface Model (DSM). Secondly, to evaluate the capability of these tools to simulate the performance of real BIPV systems. Results manifest that conventional and accessible PV software can be suitable for BIPV modelling as long as care is taken to properly assess the effect of shading, especially from urban tree canopies. The novel DSM strategy proposed is proven effective and can be a valid alternative in certain cases when the availability of in situ data is limited. Full article
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