INNOVATION IN SOLAR BUILDING SKINS & ENERGY EFFICIENCY TOWARDS SUSTAINABLE CITIES
BERLIN, 19th - 20th MARCH 2018
The conference organized in Berlin on 19th and 20th March 2018 is part of a series of European conferences and workshops in the field of Energy Efficiency in buildings and cities with a focus on innovation in solar building skins / building integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV), as well as related to areas such as smart grid, storage of renewable energies in buildings/cities, e-mobility and Internet of Things (IoT), etc.
The German event is organized by the Helmholtz Zentrum Berlin (HZB), together with SETA Network, London and in collaboration with the BIPV group of the European Technology & Innovation Platform Photovoltaics (ETIP PV), supported by national industries, stakeholders and associations.
A market pull approach is central to these workshops to answer the following key questions:
- What innovation, be it aesthetical, technological, legislative, financial or otherwise, is required by the building industry stakeholders (developers, planners, architects, owners etc.) to enable massive-scale deployment of BIPV?
- What is required to stimulate innovation through interdisciplinary collaboration among the building and PV sectors?
Background
Today, around 75% of Europeans live in cities. Urban areas account for 60 to 80% of global energy consumption and around the same share of CO2 emissions. Under business-as-usual projections, global energy use in buildings could double or even triple by 2050.
Renewable Energy and in particular BIPV are an important option and have a huge potential in this context, together with energy efficiency measures. These are the core elements for Sustainable Cities.
Enhanced innovation is required In order to explore the business opportunities for further development of BIPV into a mass-market. Essential in this regard is to foster collaboration among the stakeholders of the Building Industry, PV industry and Smart Grid. Buildings are interconnected in cities and therefore, beside their potential of large-scale BIPV usages, the interaction with other areas have also to be considered, such as Energy Efficiency, Building Management Systems, Storage, e-Mobility, Internet of Things (IoT) and Digitalisation, etc.
‘Buildings increasingly interact with the energy system and have the potential to take up an important role in the power supply system stability by becoming micro energy hubs, which generate energy with on site renewable systems, provide storage for electric and thermal energy and deliver demand response.’1
Focus of the events
Within the context of energy efficiency in buildings and cities for new and existing building stock, the development of innovative design concepts and market approaches are essential for the future development of the BIPV market and the development of related national value chains. Key issue is the collaboration among the various stakeholders of the building design and construction process, such as architects, research institutes, building material industries, developers, building owners of private and commercial buildings and specialized PV/BIPV industry.
The various national workshops are based on the specific needs and opportunities of the respective national market structures in connection with the requirements for NZEBs and Positive Energy Buildings.
The European building stock and energy system are at the initial stages of a journey towards becoming smart: moving from a centralised, fossil fuel-based and highly-energy-consuming system towards one that is more efficient, decentralised, consumer-focused and powered by renewable energy, with large potential for BIPV. The international law to limit global warming to below 2°C following the Paris Agreement puts a renewed emphasis on the need for Europe to accelerate the smart energy transition. 2
1 Buildings as micro energy-hubs delivering climate solutions (BPIE)
2 BPIE – Smart buildings revolution