Sensitivity Factors in Building Integrated Photovoltaic (BIPV) System Cost

Even though PV technology is new and expensive for the building industry today, and regardless of market development and technology advancement, a BIPV system cost can actually be reduced and its application can spread further into the building industry as this paper will manage to show. However, PV systems still have not been accepted by the building industry and consumers yet. According to the results of a survey by the workshop of Building Integrated Photovoltaic for Design Professionals which was sponsored by the National Energy Laboratory (NREL) and the American Institute of Architects (AIA), “a major barrier to analyzing renewable energy systems is assembling and presenting the technical and financial data to persuade a client that a BIPV would make economic sense.” [Wenger and Eiffert, 1996] This paper uses Life Cycle Cost Analysis (LCCA) for identifying BIPV system cost components and makes the connection between the findings of LCCA and the design process. It identifies specific quantifiable measures/variables that will be compared with a non-PV integrated building or different PV system applications by using the LCCA method that confirms cost related issues. Calculations of payback period as a result of LCCA gauge the sensitivity of these variables and show how some of them are significantly more important than others in reducing the pay back period. Offering an efficient approach for integration of PV into curtain wall also meets the long-term objective of the satisfaction of the building user.