Buildings consume more than 40% of the energy produced in the European Union (EU), according to Directive 2010/31/EU of the EU Council on the energy performance of buildings. Therefore, a key way to build a more sustainable and energy-efficient European society is to increase the use of renewable energy in buildings. The same directive introduced the concept of nearly zero-energy buildings (NZEB), establishing the objective of achieving energy self-sufficient buildings.
PVSITES is a European project that develops these objectives contained in the EU Directive on energy efficiency. PVSITES promotes the implementation of innovative photovoltaic panel models in EU buildings (BIPV: Building Integrated Photovoltaics).
The fundamental aim of PVSITES was to demonstrate, in real buildings across Europe, an ambitious portfolio of new BIPV solutions that could effectively address the main market challenges identified. Among the project’s objectives were: reducing the costs of solar panel implementation in buildings, enhancing their technological performance, improving their aesthetic integration into architecture, applying innovative solar panel models (thin and flexible, allowing ventilation, etc.), as well as putting into practice the NZEB concept.
This European project was carried out between January 2016 and June 2019 in 6 buildings located in 4 different countries: France, Switzerland, Belgium, and Spain. The sites were selected to ensure diverse geographical and climatological conditions. Most installation tasks were carried out between late 2018 and early 2019, while between 2016 and early 2018 the bureaucratic procedures for each country were addressed, necessary to make the installations possible. Therefore, the PVSITES project became an integral initiative that tested not only technological aspects but also bureaucratic and legal challenges. This showed that in some European countries there are too many legal obstacles hindering the large-scale expansion of these technical innovations that help mitigate climate change.
One of these buildings was CRICURSA, a company that also collaborated in the PVSITES project. Its industrial building, specialized in the production of next-generation curved glass, served as a testing site for thin and flexible photovoltaic panels by the company Flisom. Due to their light weight and flexibility, these panels are particularly suited for implementation in all types of buildings, as they can be easily adapted to surfaces with varied geometries and structures.
This type of solar panel, planned to be used in NASA’s LISA-T space mission, was installed on the roof of CRICURSA’s industrial building to test this innovative technology.
In this context, the executive project, installation, and construction management of the innovative photovoltaic plant were carried out using CIGS (Copper Indium Gallium Selenide) technology. This technology consists of thin-film solar cells made with a compound of copper, indium, gallium, and selenium that acts as a high-efficiency solar absorber. These cells are interconnected in series directly on the same substrate through laser scribing, creating lightweight, flexible, and efficient modules ideal for architectural and portable applications. Thanks to this innovative technology, the construction process is considerably simplified.
At CRICURSA, the installation included 336 photovoltaic modules of this type, in self-consumption mode without surplus, with a capacity of 60 Wn each and a total installed power of 20.16 kWp. The implementation of 4 inverters of 5 kW each was also planned. In addition, a monitoring system was included to evaluate the building’s energy generation and self-generation levels, thus fulfilling the PVSITES objective of incorporating new solar panel technologies into modern monitoring systems.
Following the implementation of this solar plant, it was observed that although it produces 30% less energy (due to the extremely thin and lightweight nature of the photovoltaic modules), its production process is the simplest of all Flisom products, making this type of technology the most suitable for achieving more economical and easier-to-install renewable energy systems.
This innovative project therefore contributes to revolutionising the sector of building-integrated photovoltaic panels. Thanks to its development, a series of lessons have been learned that will drive progress towards a more energy-efficient, sustainable, and environmentally respectful society.
