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Examples of successful architectural integration of PV: Japan
Author(s) -
Ohno Jiro
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
progress in photovoltaics: research and applications
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.286
H-Index - 131
eISSN - 1099-159X
pISSN - 1062-7995
DOI - 10.1002/pip.565
Subject(s) - building integrated photovoltaics , photovoltaic system , photovoltaics , architectural engineering , government (linguistics) , engineering , solar energy , civil engineering , electrical engineering , philosophy , linguistics
By the end of 2002 more than 1300 MWp of photovoltaic power was installed in industrialized countries worldwide. Of this, approximately 640 MWp, or 48%, is installed in Japan, mainly on buildings. This makes Japan the most prominent country in the field of building‐integrated photovoltaics (BIPV). The interest in integration of PV among Japanese architects has increased accordingly, which has resulted in many sophisticated and innovative designs. This short communication introduces four examples of successful architectural integration from different fields. The Japanese government aims at an installed PV capacity of 4820 MWp in 2010. In parallel, the Japanese PV industry needs to develop into a strong sector which is able to operate without direct market support. The role of architects in this process should not only be to increase the volume of building integrated PV, but also to make comprehensive, integral designs, which include sunlight shading, thermal insulation, energy saving, passive use of solar energy, and obviously also photovoltaics. Furthermore, architects could make an important contribution to establishing a new, sustainable urban environment in which BIPV is used on a large scale as a distributed source of energy. This fits well within the new international effort in the framework of the International Energy Agency (IEA), Photovoltaic Power Systems (PVPS), Task 10. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.