The partners of the SEAMLESS-PV project and Solar Power Europe are inviting you to a full day of workshops and networking on Building integrated Photovoltaics.
Join un in Brussels on the 21st of February, we will discuss current developments to define a new set of priorities and solutions for solar buildings, with the goal of defining the main mission areas. Members of SolarPower Europe’s Buildings & Prosumers Workstream and SEAMLESS-PV, manufacturers, research institutes, and associations will network with representatives of related industries and decision makers to exchange intelligence and define the strategic outlook for BIPV market and industry.
You can register HERE
Location: Scotland House, Rond-Point Schuman 6, B1040 BRUSSELS
AGENDA
09:15 Welcoming breakfast
10:00 Introduction to the activities
10:20 High-level discussion: photovoltaic buildings in the EU strategies
The EU recently adopted new renewable energy targets, accelerated permitting procedures and will likely adopt the solar rooftops initiative. On the other hand, revamping Europe’s building stock, it will also be a key strategy to tackle climate change. We expect that defining priorities for the adoption of PV in buildings (BIPV), will allow matching the building renovation cases with the use of solar surfaces. We propose focusing on three priorities: exploit all building skin surfaces for integrating solar in new and existing buildings (increasing ambition from solar rooftop to full solar buildings); support upfront integrated investments for BIPV adoption in “solar renovations”; support the rapid growth of BIPV removing the remaining barriers (product certification schemes, permitting and incentives).
Our objective is to arrive at sensible and ambitious solar implementation in buildings. Therefore, we will start defining the concrete action points and advantages of its practical implementation. To initiate our work, we’ll invite relevant stakeholders from the solar and the building environment to this technical discussion. They will present the strategic framework, on one hand, and the advantages from their perspective, the priorities and implementation needs, followed by exchanges and an open discussion.
[Speakers to be announced in January 2024]
11:40 Coffee break
12:00 Workshop #1: solution to massively deploy solar buildings in Europe
Solar Potential of buildings today represent a huge potential: as an example, in Switzerland, 67 GWh/year quantified from solar roofs and facades could supply about 10% more than the current electrical demand in the country. EU plans aim for 30 GW of manufacturing, annually, by 2025 under Repower-EU. Moreover, by 2030, 35 million buildings should be renovated under the Renovation Wave.
More than 200 BIPV products are commercialized nowadays on the EU market but only between 1-3% of PV installations are BIPV. There is a need now for a huge scale-up and capacity build-up of BIPV in Europe, to favour a massive deployment of zero-emission buildings and integrated renovations by maximising synergies of solar PV systems with other building works (thermal insulation of building skin and solar facades/roofs, solar balconies, etc.). Pilot project already demonstrated feasibility and market readiness, cost-competitiveness and quality along the last 10 years.
We will take stock of these approaches during this workshop, gathering input from relevant stakeholders. Relevant experiences from EU projects will present the state of play of most recent BIPV technologies, strategies for overcoming barriers and a roadmap for implementation. During this workshop, experts will present reflections on the top priorities, followed by exchanges and an open discussion. This will provide inputs for a successful implementation and growth of BIPV at EU level.
[Speakers to be announced in January 2024]
13:00 Networking lunch
14:00 Workshop #2 European BIPV manufacturing: a competitiveness key for EU?
BIPV offers an opportunity to redevelop the solar PV industry in Europe in synergy with a strong green reconversion of the built environment. BIPV can be critical to ensure a diversification of supply for the EU industry and its resilience, as well as the increasing international competition for investments.
There are three main approaches to manufacturing BIPV modules: mass production for standard products; full customization for tailor made products; mass customization enabling to manufacture semi-fabricates on the same production line supporting all possible end products. Ongoing efforts in R&I are demonstrating BIPV production models replicable with scale of investments for manufacturing projects, considering the BIPV supply chain in its entirety and in its interrelations with construction industry and process.
We will take stock of these approaches during this workshop, gathering input from relevant projects and stakeholders, drafting the issue and the potential solutions for a successful development and leadership in EU for a BIPV industry and value chain.
[Speakers to be announced in January 2024]
15:00 Workshop #3: integrated reskilling strategies for solar architecture
BIPV deployment is labor-intensive. Need of qualified workers requires complex and strong cross-sectors synergies, more resources to interdisciplinary and vocational education. BIPV sector must take advantage of existing workforce in electrical and construction sectors, by introducing upskilling and a re-training to professionals including a share of other sectors (authorities, banking, insurance, etc…).
By focusing on the specific BIPV design process, goal of this workshop is to identify the lack of BIPV-related knowledge both in basic education and todays issues for existing architects and trying to identify possible solutions for ensuring skilled building professionals.
The following questions and challenges will be addressed: What’s missing in today education & training approach? How to establish specialized training approaches for solar architecture professionals?
The outcome of the discussion will guide to list strategic approaches for next training actions targeted on solar architects.
[Speakers to be announced in January 2024]
15:45 Closing: Solar Buildings Alliance: mission areas and manifesto for integrating solar and construction sectors.
[Speakers to be announced in January 2024]
16:00 Aperitivo & networking