Design and testing of a demonstrative BIPV façade manufactured with novel glass-free colored lightweight PV modules

The PV market, especially in respect to building integrated photovoltaics, is increasingly becoming more demanding, requiring among other features, architectural attractiveness, color variety and cost-effectiveness. In such a framework, a lightweight (LW) glass-free crystalline silicon (c-Si) PV module with different colors, has been developed, manufactured, tested and installed using a special mounting system for building integration. The preliminary results of lab testing activity are reported and discussed; furthermore, a pilot installation was successfully built in Romania, as part of the goals of a Horizon 2020 European project. This work thus aims to assess the practicability of implementing new lightweight colored PV modules and of their integration of in building façades, demonstrating good performances and the feasibility of their application in a real building.