The potential of building-integrated (BIPV) and building-applied photovoltaics (BAPV) in single-family, urban residences at low latitudes in Brazil

The integration of solar modules on buildings’ roofs and façades is one of the most elegant applications of photovoltaics (PV). With the declining costs of this technology, building-integrated and building-applied photovoltaics (BIPV and BAPV) can efficiently and cost-competitively assist in delivering electricity in urban environments. We have quantified the potential of BIPV and BAPV generators on existing single-family detached residential buildings in Florianopolis–Brazil (latitude 27°S, solar irradiation 1550 kWh/m2/year), in supplying each house and a fraction of the local utility feeder's electricity demands. We have measured and compared the annual output performance of thin-film amorphous silicon, and traditional crystalline silicon solar PV technologies, and proposed solar PV kits to be installed on all of the existing 496 residential buildings roof tops in the mixed residential–commercial area studied. The typical single-family, detached home roof covers can easily accommodate the proposed PV kits, with 87% of these generators yielding at least 95% of the maximum theoretical generation output of an ideally oriented and tilted PV system. Low-pitched, existing roof covers in residential houses represent excellent areas for PV integration at low latitudes. Installing BIPV on all of the available roof areas can make each and every house a net energy-positive building.

► Solar PV kits were proposed to be retrofitted on 496 individual residential house roof covers. ► The two PV technologies selected (a-Si and c-Si) differed 6% in output performance. ► On existing houses roof covers, 87% of the PV kits yield 95% of the maximum possible generation. ► Averaged annual energy generation yield of the 496 PV kits is 94.2% of the maximum potential. ► PV kits retrofitted to existing house roofs perform very close to maximum theoretical potential.