Performance of BIPV and BAPV installations in Norway

The research community and stakeholders in the building sector seek information on the performance and reliability of PV systems in the built environment and the best solutions for maximum energy production. This paper presents results from collected information on a representative selection of existing building integrated (BIPV) and building applied (BAPV) photovoltaic systems in Norway. The work is part of a national project that aims at developing robust BIPV-solutions suitable for a Norwegian climate. The project also aims at identifying the main building-technical and architectural integration challenges for BIPV. A questionnaire has been developed to interview key personnel involved in the design, installation and operational phases, and a database is under development to build a wider knowledge base for the expected performances of different system types and geographical locations. Performance is evaluated in terms of energy production, specific yield, and performance ratio (PR) in cases where irradiation data is available. Data collected so far indicate a relatively large spread in annual specific yield with typical values in the 700-900 kWh/kWp range. A well-functioning system without significant shading may achieve PR above 0.85, in agreement with similar findings for Europe. Five selected cases are presented in more detail. The lessons learned provide useful input for the development of new guidelines and system requirements for BIPV in a nordic climate.