DESIGN FOR MAINTAINABILITY GUIDELINES FOR BUILDING INTEGRATED PHOTOVOLTAICS (BIPV) APPLICATION ON BUILDINGS

Abstract

With the goal of producing 350 MWp solar power output by 2020, Singapore has been taking an active position in harnessing solar power to achieve clean energy for its uses. Building Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV), being a multi-functional building element, presents an innovative solution for built-up areas like Singapore. Despite the benefits of achieving the national targets for renewable energy and substitution of conventional construction materials, the implementation of BIPV has remained low. This study addresses building professionals' lack of knowledge in overcoming the technical and environmental issues that would arise throughout the lifecycle of BIPV applications in Singapore. In order to ensure buildings achieve sustainability throughout the entire life cycle, there is a need to address key issues right from the planning design stage and, more importantly, to involve the stakeholders down the BIPV supply chain. The objectives of this study include identifying and validating the technical and environmental issues of BIPV, investigating the current best practices from literature reviews and experts, as well as developing a guideline to address the aforementioned issues that are applicable for the applications of BIPV in Singapore. This paper also makes a unique contribution to the research area by developing a Design for Maintainability guideline to address the technical and environmental issues, accompanied by best practices as gathered from reference materials and valuable insights from industry professionals. The author hopes that the proposed design for maintainability guideline could encourage building professionals to consider the adoption of BIPV technology, given its promised benefits. More importantly, with greater government’s initiative and future researches, there could be a large-scale application of more advanced technology of BIPV in Singapore. Keywords: building integrated photovoltaics, maintainability, issues, guideline, design for maintainability