BIPV

What is a Building Integrated Photovoltaic or a BIPV?

Building Integrated Photovoltaics serves more than one purpose. BIPVs produce electricity by the piezoelectric effect and serve as protection for any structure. 

BIPVs are installed to provide shed, block sunlight, and give a modern look to any building, all this while producing electricity from sunlight.

Where is a BIPV used?

A BIPV is integrated into a structure like conventional buildings. BIPVs replace glass windows with Solar windows, parking shed rooftops with solar roofs and solar shades in place of translucent covers. All these changes make the look of any structure modern while being extremely useful.

Types of Building Integrated Photovoltaics

Solar panels are silicon-based photovoltaic cells that produce electricity from sunlight. With micro adjustments according to the application, these cells transform into BIPVs. Based on various applications, there are broadly four types of BIPVs.

Image credit: Research Gate

• Solar-Facades: Solar Facades’ integration in building structures keeps the noise and air pollution out and gives any building a visual identity. This all while producing green energy.

• Solar-Window: Solar windows find their application both in residential and commercial properties. These windows look like any other windows but with solar modules.

• Solar-Roofs: Solar roofs like that of Tesla Energy in the USA are becoming popular. In conventional rooftops, these solar tiles replace asphalt tiles. Every tile acts as an individual cell and connects in series to generate electricity.

• PV-Sunshades: Parking lot sheds are the best example of PV-Sunshades. Additionally, these shades protect buildings from direct sunlight.

How does a BIPV work?

BIPVs use opaque or transparent solar cells connected in series to each other to give a substantial amount of current output. These photovoltaics are located in the portion of the building exposed to the sun the most.

What are big manufacturing brands of BIPVs?

Tesla Energy is one major brand in the USA backed by Elon Musk. They manufacture solar cell tiles for residential rooftops. Customers get a variety of tiles according to the required strength and size.

Some other contributors in this niche are:

• D2solar
• Mysolar USA  
• Omnis Power USA Inc  
• Redwood Renewables
• Skyco Skylights
• Solaria
• Sonali Solar USA

Distributors

Solar Products Distributors

Distributors are those companies working as big warehouses that served as the middlemen between the consumer/customer and the manufacturer. Typically, in distribution, a company is handling the sourcing, stocking and logistics but nowadays they are also helping manufacturers in product designing and solving other business conflicts. 

Aside from other industries, distributors also play a vital role in the solar industry. Solar distributors become long-term partners of solar manufacturing companies and even solar contractors. They are not only serving as warehouse facilities but partners that also provide strategic solutions to help solar companies achieve their desired outcomes. Solar distributors assist solar manufacturing companies by storing. handling and shipping their solar products to their buyers. On the other hand, they help solar contractor companies in outsourcing high-quality solar products. 

These solar distributors are the ones who deal with homeowners who want to go solar, businesses that work with the solar industry and solar installers who offer solar system services to both residential and commercial customers. But on top of that, the solar distributor’s main role is to maintain its commitment to outsourcing and handling high-quality products and delivering them to customers at a good value. 

Up to these days, many solar distributors have been operating and helping many solar companies in distributing their products. So, if you are looking for the most trusted and reliable solar distributor, you can easily find one by checking out solar outsourcing companies that provide easy access to reliable information, news, data and a list of solar suppliers and distributors near you.

Taiwan, Province of China

Solar Market Outlook in Taiwan

The Taiwanese solar energy sector is one of the rapidly growing industries in Asia. In 2021, it is targeting to achieve a growth of 1.5 to 1.7 GW of solar capacity. In order to meet this target growth rate, the Taiwanese government is accelerating its development efforts for the coming year. 

The government of Taiwan is currently promoting its PV policy while also building construction timelines for ground-mounted projects. There are two areas that the Taiwanese solar PV market is focusing on: fishery-solar hybrid power stations and major electricity consumers. If plans push through, Taiwan is looking at a solar market future with a green energy certification scheme and feed-in tariff scheme in place. 

The government of Taiwan took serious steps toward the start of its switch to solar and wind power at the start of 2020. However, it is still a long way to go before it can mitigate any losses incurred from the shutdown of coal plants. With the renewed focus on solar energy, the government expects that reliance on coal for energy production will drop from 44% to 37% in 2030. The economic leaders in Taiwan have previously set the target of 20 GW in solar energy production by 2025, although solar project managers are doubtful that they can hit this target. 

Solar Energy Equipment Supply Capacity in Taiwan

Taiwan currently has a shortage of local solar equipment suppliers and manufacturers. However, there are several global suppliers and distributors to increase its solar installation capacity. 

Top Major Seaports & Logistics in Taiwan

To facilitate ease of trade and transport of solar equipment in Taiwan, the following ports are open for trade and logistics activity:

• Port of Taipei,
• Port of Taichung,
• Port of Kaohsiung,
• Hualien Port,
• Port of Keelung,
• Mailiao Harbor.